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Meet Students from Previous Years
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We announced our student employment
program on 14 veterinary college campuses in the fall of 2001 and had 55
students apply. In the Fall of 2002 there was an increase in the number of
veterinary colleges interested in the program. We went from 14 to 21 colleges
participating! In 2004, we were at the 28 U.S. based vet schools and we hired 24
vet students. Here's what some of the students had to say at the end of the
summer:
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"I've gotten to meet an incredibly
wide range of people and the agency has been astoundingly accommodating.
It has been an eye-opening summer." Heather Herrington, University
of MN, 2003 |
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"The agency presents an attractive
alternative to the 20 hour days I can expect in clinical practice."
Mary Collier, University of TN, 2003 |
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"I would love to one day share
my experiences with a student and help other students through this
program by inviting my mentor to MSU-CVM." Janie Kelley, University
of MS, 2003 |
"I expected to be working on the line
all day! I was delightfully surprised that the job had a lot more
variety. I like going to all different kinds of plants as well as
working out of the district office. My mentor has done an excellent
job of adjusting to what I would like to see. Her initial plan had
some great variety to start and we added in extras when it could be
scheduled."
Stephanie Crockett, Tuskegee, 2002 |
"I would recommend the Veterinary Student
Internship with FSIS to other students because it is a wonderful opportunity
to explore public health and government career paths in veterinary
medicine. My experience this summer has helped me to gain a better
understanding of the role of veterinarians in food safety,ensuring
humane handling of animals, and many other important aspects of public
heath. I think that any student would benefit from this internship
and would highly recommend anyone that is unsure of their career interest
explore the veterinary student internship with FSIS."
Rob Kaylor, NCSU, 2002 |
"My experience as a veterinary student
trainee with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was
an invaluable, highly rewarding, and most fascinating educational
experience. I spent most of the summer in North Central Pennsylvania
in a cull dairy slaughterhouse, the place where the old dairy cattle
end up when their production drops. The operation is the largest of
its kind east of the Mississippi. If you're into pathology and want
to learn a great deal about bovine practice and management, this particular
plant is for you. You'll come back having seen and knowing more about
bovine pathology than anyone else at your school-and, yes, that even
includes the profs. Also, if you like traveling, meeting other vet
students from other schools, learning about the hottest topics in
food safety from those who know them best, and are considering a career
in public health and/or government service, I'd highly recommend this
program. You gain a comprehensive understanding of the Agency and
its many facets by visiting several of its operations. You will visit
the Eastern lab in Athens, Georgia, where the samples generated in
the field (slaughterhouses, that is) are looked at. At the Technical
Services Center in Omaha, Nebraska, you will get to meet a host of
technical experts that both the field folks and the policy folks connect
with to help with their decision-making. In Washington, DC, you will
see how government operates first-hand and appreciate the many factors
that must be considered before establishing policy on a particular
issue. At the District Office, you will meet the field's liaison to
DC. Throughout the entire experience, you will be surrounded by a
wealth of information at your fingertips-experts on pathology, food
borne illness, and legal issues to name a few."
Janet McGinn, University of TN, 2002 (we are pleased to say that Janet
joined FSIS and is now stationed in Beltsville, MD) |
"I had not previously considered a
career in Public Health with USDA FSIS and, honestly, the idea of
spending my summer on a kill floor in a slaughterhouse was initially
not appealing. Today, I am pleased that I did not allow my misconceptions
to stop me from pursuing this experience! I am currently considering
a career with USDA FSIS and am exploring the possibility of obtaining
a Masters in Public Health."
Katherine Murphy, Cornell University, 2005 |
"My summer experience was far more
than 'meat'. It was an exciting lesson in anatomy, physiology, pathology,
government regulation, food defense, labor relations, economics, and
integrity, to name just a few. It has become evident to me that the
average consumer is unaware of the resources that go into providing
a safe food supply. This was true for me before I began the program."
Kerry Collins, Virginia/Maryland University, 2005 |
"This program has shown the diversity
in the field of public health available to veterinarians and the many
opportunities provided by FSIS to explore the field. The benefit of
working in a mentor guided program, such as this, is you are allowed
to form your own opinions of the job through personalization of your
experience. I have a good mentor who is excited about her job and
ensures I understood how instrumental veterinarians are in the slaughter
facility implementing humane handling to counteracting terrorist activity.
This program has definitely influenced my decision on what my pursuits
will be after graduation."
Adrienne Dunham, Tuskegee, 2005 |
Last Modified:
November 8, 2010 |
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