Our guest today is a Dr. Andres Montoya. He is currently the Associate Director, Technical Services Poultry at Merck Animal Health. We discuss his wide-ranging experiences from completing veterinary school in Columbia, to learning English and teaching in the U.S., to global industry jobs, all the way to his current role. We discuss the importance of growing your connections, following your passions and being willing to adapt to what life throws at you. It is an inspiring episode, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

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Our guest this week just finished her externship with the AVMA. Megan Kellen, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Candidate at Iowa State University, gives us her unique perspective about the experience. We learn how she combines math, science, and the love of animals in vet med. We discuss the importance of being involved in your SAVMA chapter and knowing what is being advocated for in your state. We talk about the importance of open lines of communication at every level and 5-year plans. This was a great conversation and we can’t wait to share it with you!

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This episode’s special guest is Jason Nickell, DVM, PhD, DACVPM. Dr. Jason is the Director of Insights and Outcomes at Merck Animal Health. We learn how he grew up around animals and follow in dad’s footsteps into vet med. He had a private practice with mixed practice, but something was missing. We discuss his exposure to different parts of the industry, food animal R&D, and production systems around the globe. We talk about the numbers and how digging into data give insights and the human component & challenges.

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In this episode, Dr. Annette Chapman and Dr. Simone Tomlinson share their experiences as USDA veterinarians. They discuss the various aspects of their job, including clinical work, logistics, flexibility, and travel. The guests provide insights into the application process for government jobs and offer tips for success. They also highlight the importance of exploring different opportunities in veterinary medicine.

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Our guest for this episode is Lowell Midla, VMD, MS, a Cattle Technical Services Veterinarian at Merck Animal Health. Growing up on a cattle farm we hear how he wanted to be a scientist, engineer, and a vet to solve infectious bovine kerato-conjunctivitis. From joining a mixed animal practice out of vet school to learning thru emergencies, and ultimately being prepared for opportunities, we hear how vet med is like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates. He is definitely someone we want to stand within 6 feet of to just listen, and we finally learned the true meaning of VMD!

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Our guest this episode is the one and only Dr. Andy Roark. He is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, media personality, the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference, and was the VBMA National President. We talk about how following a girl to the labs at the National Institute of Health and volunteering at the zoo leads to a Vet degree and working on a snake farm during grad school. We speak about sharing content on social media, mentoring, taking the initiative, and most importantly - communicating what you need to grow. We also learn the importance of social events and casual meetups at conferences.

Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at [email protected]

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Dr. Jeff Olivarez returns to the podcast to give us his dos and don’ts of internship. Now an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Agricultural Animal Medicine and Surgery Department at Washington State University, he talks about being involved in SAVMA and realizing his love for students as a driving force for pursuing an internship. We learn great life lessons about comparisons, finding a broad-based support system, and how splitting your pants on the first day can lead to something great.

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Matt Asciutto, DVM is our guest, and we learn so much from him! He is an ER overnight relief vet, a dad, a podcast host, a songwriter, and an author. According to Matt, he did not follow the ‘normal’ route into vet school but instead followed a girl after trading improv lessons for vet care. We cover everything from parenthood, daycare guilt, writing a song about metronidazole, and inspiring others who are not traditionally interested in vet med. His tales from the cage side leave us with such hope for the endless possibilities of our profession!

Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at [email protected]

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Wrapping up our internship series with deep diving into the lab animal specialty. Our guest, Jessica Plunkard, DVM, MPH, did her Lab Animal Residency at Johns Hopkins University. We hear how she became interested in lab animal before starting vet school and we learn about the match process and most importantly, the early deadlines. From managing colony health to facilities to staff, residency gives a lot of hands-on experience, especially when you start overseeing cases in the 2nd month! We discuss the smaller specialty with a tight-knit group and pranking with a whoopie cushion and a camera!

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Continuing our internship series, this episode we talk about all things zoo medicine internship and residency with Dr. Rachel Tuner and Dr. Liandrie Swanepoel. From bears to alligators, lions, and rabbits, our guests have seen it all! Dr. Turner is an associate veterinarian at the Birmingham Zoo, and she tells is about both her internships and her 3-year zoo med residency at the University of Florida. While Dr. Swanepoel talks about her hybrid internship at the University of Tennessee. We discuss these highly competitive internships, residency vs. internships, being fluid and flexible, and thriving with new challenges daily. We end the episode with some great advice about not getting a match, not comparing paths, and hanging on to your sense of wonder.

Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at [email protected]

You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast