Need advice for new career direction as DVM

[saillakeerie]

Some vet schools are very fuzzy about animal hours requirements. Ohio State in its FAQ in terms of how much veterinary experience is required:

We do not require any specific number of experience hours. Admitted applicants generally have around over 1,000 hours of quality “hands-on” experience in the veterinary field. Please remember that the quality of your veterinary experience is more important than the quantity. You are expected to have a realistic and appropriate perspective of the responsibilities of the veterinary profession. Your experience can be paid or volunteer. You want to be exposed to as many different aspects of the profession as possible. You may acquire experience by working with veterinarians in private practice, farms, ranches, animal shelters, zoos, aquaria, laboratories, etc.

“Around over 1,000 hours” makes me laugh. Over 1,000? Approximately 1,000? Other schools offer similar guidance.

And you have to look at averages for what they are. Similar to when you see quartiles of admitted students for undergrad. Those include people who had other ins. Same is true of average GPAs/average science GPAs which many vet schools publish.