VetPac Impact Report 2020-21

VetPAC

2020–2021 VetPAC Impact Transitioning online to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic ensured the continuity of both new and existing successful programming for VetPAC participants. — Dr. Shweta Trivedi, Director, VetPAC

Internships

16

Interns

VetPAC Internship The VetPAC Leadership Internship was conducted as a virtual experience to accommodate COVID-19 guidelines. Interns hosted virtual office hours through Zoom to assist with event planning, outreach programming, peer mentoring appointments, and VetPAC office duties. Interns participated in fortnightly check-ins and attended two virtual conferences—the NC Veterinary Conference and American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association (APVMA) symposium. Interns raised $2,500 toward APVMA annual symposium attendance. Interns assisted with adapting the Annual Networking Event into a four-night virtual event series. As part of their Legacy Project, the interns assisted with researching pre-vet mental wellbeing concerns and created two educational presentations on “Building Resilience” and “Study Skills/Time Management” from their research findings.

3

Interns

Feline Health Internship The Feline Health internship was delayed until July 2020 and was able to host three student interns who assisted with feline spay and neuter procedures, kitten intake, foster animal care, surgery recovery, and the administration of vaccines. Through this internship, students experienced the various aspects of shelter care and completed the Fear Free Shelter course.

VetPAC is excited to announce the move of Dr. Sandra Strong to Orange County where a second Feline Health Internship will begin in 2021.

The Shelter Medicine, Museum Medicine, and Canine College internships were cancelled for Fall 2020-Spring 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

VetPAC Internship

VetPAC Fall Seminar Series

Feline Health Internship

VetPAC Annual Networking Event

Academic Preparation

31

Attendees

50

Attendees

105

Students admitted

2021 VMCAS Virtual Overview *NEW* The VetPAC Director presented a VMCAS Overview in the Fall semester to provide tips and advising resources for applicants in the upcoming cycle to strengthen their vet school application. Covered topics included the timeline of the VMCAS, COVID-19 related changes, an overview of the holistic review process, a review of each of the VMCAS sections, and tips for strengthening essay writing. This workshop also provided an opportunity for current applicants to learn about final experiences and recommendations to strengthen their portfolios prior to the application deadline.

Peer Mentor Coordinators *NEW* In conjunction with the Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Club, VetPAC modified the mentoring program to provide first-year students with resources relevant to the pre-vet experience. Topics for virtual presentations included Career Mapping, Academic Planning, Experience Acquisition, and Time and Stress Management.

Five Peer Mentor Coordinators created 30-minute presentations to educate their mentees and used break-out rooms to create individual connections and answer questions.

ANS 281: Professional Development of Pre-Veterinary Track Students ANS 281 was taught via Zoom in Spring 2021. The professional development course is 10 years old and had the highest enrollment with 105 students. All the teaching assistants for the course were current DVM applicants who successfully gained admission into several domestic and international veterinary colleges. Students were required to attend three out of four annual networking event meetings.

Events

104

Atendees

559

Atendees

533

Atendees

Pre-Vet First Year Orientation The 3rd First Year Orientation consisted of three virtual sessions. The first session on “Pre-Vet Resources and Experiences” was presented by the VetPAC Director and covered the many resources available to NCSU pre-vet students. The second session was a “DVM Student Q&A Panel” with current NC State College of Veterinary Medicine students—Khushboo Dass, Christian Capobianco, and Francess Blake. The speakers advised students on ways to make the most of their undergraduate years and tips for how to succeed in veterinary school. The last session was a workshop on “Stress Management and Study Skills” provided by mental health ambassadors from the NC State Counseling Center. This program provided proactive coping skills for pre-vet students and informed first-year students about the myriad mental wellness resources available.

VetPAC Fall Seminar Series The theme for this year’s seminar series was “Where Do Veterinarians Work?” It allowed students to explore various fields of veterinary medicine. Speakers included small animal veterinarian and private practice owner Dr. Marlon Sequeira; veterinary diagnostician Dr. Jennifer Haugland from Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory; military veterinarian CPT Leslie Collet; Mixed-animal practice owner Dr. Alexandru Pop; and Dr. Clarissa Noureddine,forensic veterinarian and owner of ForensiVet Mobile Veterinary and Forensic Consulting, PLLC,. Students were introduced to multiple career paths and opportunities through speakers’ descriptions of their career journeys and experiences.

VetPAC Annual Networking Event The 10th Annual Networking Event was modified and extended to last over the course of four themed nights as a virtual series: Small Animal, Large Animal, Exotic/Wildlife Animal, and College of Veterinary Medicine Representatives. Attendees were distributed into four Zoom breakout rooms with individual speakers, and then speakers rotated rooms every 20 minutes to meet with all of the attendees. Students heard 12 veterinary career professionals, explored four colleges of veterinary medicine, and gained information about a variety of available opportunities with organizations including Butterball, Inc., DSM Animal Nutrition and Health, Wake County Animal Services, NC Zoo, NC Turtle Rescue Team, and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

Outreach

234

Campers

17

Students Hosted

13

Schools/ Career Fairs

14

Students

836

Students

VetCAMP To accommodate COVID-19 guidelines, high-school campers were offered four days of virtual programming that included a CVM-NCSU Admission presentation, drug administration and cardiac dissection labs, a virtual tour of a local animal shelter, DVM and pre-vet student Q&A Panels, and a surprise workshop with the NC State University Turtle Rescue Team. This camp offered high school students the chance to engage with local veterinary organizations, CVM NCSU staff, and students and learn about available pre-vet resources to strengthen their portfolio.

Spend a Day at State (SADAS) VetPAC participated in the modified SADAS program called “Howling with CALS (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)” by hosting virtual sessions to meet with 17 prospective students during the fall and spring semesters. VetPAC interns and staff introduced families to the Center’s resources, advising opportunities, and programming, including VetCAMP. Each student was also provided with links to the Center’s YouTube channel, VetPAC digital Outreach Brochure, and social media accounts.

High School Outreach Program VetPAC outreach efforts were adapted to accommodate multiple virtual platforms including Zoom and Google Meet for virtual career fairs and speaking events.

VetPAC interns organized and participated in 26 speaking engagements at 19 high schools, one community college, and five CALS admissions presentations. The use of virtual platforms allowed VetPAC interns to coordinate the highest number of outreach events ever.

Newly Admitted Students Q&A Session *NEW* VetPAC interns were invited to participate in three monthly Zoom sessions to introduce newly admitted students to the Department of Animal Science and answer pre-vet questions. During these sessions, students viewed the “What is VetPAC” YouTube video, and interns provided an overview of the VetPAC Beehive graphic to introduce the variety of pre-vet resources available. Interns also answered incoming students’ questions about campus and academic life at NC State.

Total Pre-Veterinary Students in VetPAC

Awards and Honors APVMA–Outstanding Undergraduate Research Scholarship of the Year ($1000) Mallory Flanagan APVMA–Outstanding Club Award ($500) NCSU PVMA AAVMC Pre-Vet Leadership Award ($500) Jenna Viveiros APVMA Vice President Georgia Daniels APVMA Webmaster Samantha Anderson APVMA Secretary Ashley Kropf

Annual Conference Attendance American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Annual Symposium The APVMA Annual Symposium, hosted virtually by Michigan State University, was attended by 23 pre-vet students. Over the period of two days, students attended labs and lectures on “Animal Behavior and Welfare,” “ER and Critical Care,” “Small Animal Medicine Interesting Cases,” “One Health,” and more. Dr. Shweta Trivedi provided a talk on “Understanding the Holistic Review Process Utilized by DVM Admissions Committees.”

One 2020-2021 VetPAC intern and two VetPAC students successfully competed for the positions of Vice President, Webmaster, and Secretary on the APVMA National Executive Board. The Pre-veterinary Medical Association Club, for which Dr. Trivedi serves as the advisor, was awarded the Outstanding Club Award.

North Carolina Veterinary Conference (NCVC) VetPAC supported the attendance of 16 interns in the virtual North Carolina Veterinary Conference. Students attended seminars on innovative and expanding research. Samples of the seminars included “Canine Transitional Cell Carcinoma,” “The First Hour: Preparation, Triage, and Initial Evaluation,” “Current Concepts and Treatments of Periodontal Disease,” and “Equine Cancer Treatment.”

Beyond the conference, students will be able to learn about current topics and trends in veterinary medicine through continuing education lectures for veterinary professionals.

Social

Publications

VetPAC YouTube *NEW*

13

Subscribers

Pre-Veterinary Publications

Launched in fall 2020, the VetPAC YouTube channel is an advising and advertising resource for students and prospective families interested in learning more about VetPAC opportunities. Eight videos were published to provide an overview of VetPAC, the Museum Medicine and Feline Health internships, VetCAMP, the Annual Networking Event, pre-vet research, and the South Africa and United Kingdom study abroad courses.

VetPAC YouTube Videos Released Sep 2020

What is VetPAC (281 views)

Oct 2020

VetPAC Museum Medicine Internship with NC Museum of Natural Sciences (69 views)

Nov 2020

VetPAC Feline Health Internship (14 views)

Dec 2020

VetPAC Annual Networking Event (37 views)

Jan 2021

NC State VetCAMP (29 views)

Feb 2021

VetPAC South Africa Study Abroad: Wildlife and Conservation Management

Trivedi S. Clark J. and Royal K (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Pre-Veterinary Opportunities and Recommendations for DVM Admissions. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.

Trivedi S. Clark J. and Royal K (2020). The VetPAC Advising Model: A Value-Added Approach to Pre-Professional Advising. North American College of Teachers in Agriculture.

Trivedi S. Clark J. Royal K. See. M. (2021).

Veterinary Professions Advising Center: An innovative approach to pre-veterinary advising for Animal Science students. Journal of Translational Animal Science. DOI: 0.1093/tas/ txab064 Trivedi S. Deprospero D. Clark J. Royal K. and See M. T. (2021). A novel Career Development course for Animal Science students pursuing veterinary college admissions. Journal of Translational Animal Science.

(48 views) Mar 2021

VetPAC United Kingdom Study Abroad: Animal Behavior and Veterinary Physiotherapy (29 views)

Apr 2021

266

NCUR 2021 - Assessing the Loss of Pre-Veterinary Experiences Due to COVID-19

VetCAMP Instagram *NEW*

Followers

The VetCAMP Instagram was created in Summer 2020 to advertise summer camp programming to prospective families and offer virtual interactions.The account hosts biweekly posts during the VetCAMP application season about camp schedules, past vet camper experiences, and application reminders.

In the weeks leading up to and during VetCAMP, Instagram serves as a weekly advertisement to introduce camp materials and improve communication between camp staff and campers.

cals.ncsu.edu/vetpac (919) 515-1277

vetpac_office@ncsu.edu

@NCStateVetPAC

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