So currently I am finishing up my first semester at University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine. (Like, literally, right now I'm studying for one of my finals. Haha!) I'm here with a mixed animal focus, which will include both companion and large/food animal medicine. I'm also trying to integrate as much exotic and wildlife medicine as I can. We have the Philadelphia zoo and a wildlife and bird refuge called Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research as resources, but Penn doesn't have a ton in the way of wildlife medicine - at least not for first-year students. But I took a wildlife elective this semester, and I'll be taking another next semester, as well as a One Health elective (talk to anyone who went to the TWS National Conference in Oregon last year - the One Health Initiative is something you guys should all look into as wildlife biologists!!) I'm hoping to be taking on some additional research positions, and I'm hoping to use some of the amazing contacts I've made to work with wildlife and zoonotic diseases in the near future.
Also, I'm involved in a Special Species Symposium that Cornell and Penn's vet schools hold every other year, where the focus is totally on wildlife, zoo animal, aquatic animal, reptile, etc medicine. I'm pretty sure you have to be a veterinarian, vet tech, or vet student to attend, but if anyone knows of someone that would be interested, you can send them my way! Or if you guys just want to know a little more about it, let me know!
School is pretty tough and demanding overall, but I've made lots of friends and I'm learning from some of the best and brightest in veterinary medicine. So if anyone has any questions about vet medicine or vet school, please send them my way!!
