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Forging an Alternate Path
by Claire Simeone,
VMRCVM, Class of 2011
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The year 2011 signifies a milestone
for every member of my class at Virginia-Maryland Regional
College of Veterinary Medicine. We are each about to become a
working part of this great profession. I am excited to join the
ranks as a veterinarian, although I plan to pursue this career
in a more non-traditional manner.
The Virginia-Maryland
Public-Corporate tracking program is unique in its ability to
foster careers outside of private practice. My focus is on
wildlife medicine and international conservation. During my time
at VMRCVM, I have been lucky |
enough to participate in several
programs that have strengthened my experience in this area.
Envirovet is
a program that teaches ecosystem health and wildlife management
in a variety of settings. In 2008 I spent time at White Oak
Conservation Center in Florida learning wildlife immobilization
and anesthesia, as well as in Tanzania, working with local
veterinarians on issues such as the human-livestock-wildlife
interface, transboundary issues, and zoonotic disease
management.
Last summer took me to Valdivia,
Chile, in an
exchange program between VMRCVM and the Universidad Austral de
Chile. I took a course in bovine tuberculosis testing and
eradication, and was able to see how public health veterinarians
in Chile are managing this disease.
My clinical rotations this year have
taken me to several interesting places. I spent time in Saint
Barthelemy in the French West Indies, researching the economic
impact of Dengue fever on the island. We are hoping to
revolutionize their current method of mosquito control in order
to begin to control this emerging disease. I am grateful to the
MVMA for awarding me the Dr. Cleveland A. Brown scholarship to
assist with this research.
I am currently completing
externships at both the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, achieving
a personal dream of mine that allows me to work with everything
from aardvarks to elephants. Clinics will end with a rotation at
International Fund for Animal Welfare in Washington DC, to learn
more about the policy side of international work.
The best part about having a
veterinary degree is the world of distinct possibilities it
offers. I have decided to spend the next year strengthening my
skills as a clinician in a small animal medicine and surgery
internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego. I hope
to follow that experience with a residency in zoological
medicine, and plan to one day own a company that solves wildlife
conservation issues on an international level. I am so grateful
to Virginia-Maryland for encouraging my development in a
non-traditional veterinary field. It will be exciting to see
what the future holds. |
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Important
Links from this article
Envirovet
VMRCVM Chilean Exchange
Program
Claire Simeone wins
International Experiences Speech Competition
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