United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service
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Veterinary Student Employment Program
Meet Students from Previous Years
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:
Photo of VSEP Participants at Work "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
Photo of VSEP Participants at Work "The agency presents an attractive alternative to the 20 hour days I can expect in clinical practice."
Mary Collier, University of TN, 2003
Photo of VSEP Participants at Work "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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