USDA Pathways Program: Saul T. Wilson, Jr., Internship

Interested in learning more about regulatory medicine but unsure about where to begin? Consider applying to the Saul T. Wilson, Jr. Internship position. More information about the internship can be found here, and information regarding how to apply can be found here and here (two separate internship descriptions). But don't wait! Applications are due on April 10!

Read below to hear a testimonial from Pallavi Oruganti, a student from Ohio State University, who recently completed this internship.

"For many students, exploring non-clinical career options in veterinary medicine can seem daunting and challenging. What options and opportunities do I have? What skills and expertise can I still contribute as a veterinarian without necessarily working hands-on with animals? What will my career trajectory look like, and I will I find like-minded individuals in these fields? I asked all these questions, and it led me to stumble upon the Saul T. Wilson Jr. Scholarship program through USDA APHIS Veterinary Services. This program is part of the USDA Pathways program providing internships for students to gain entry-level experience in federal service. The Saul T. Wilson Program is both a scholarship and internship program with Veterinary Services. You are employed as an intern for the agency during veterinary school and receive a partial scholarship for tuition expenses. After graduation, you are a guaranteed hire for the agency as a Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) and are expected to work for the agency at least for the amount of years you received the scholarship. The duties both during the internship and when you graduate are varied, as Veterinary Services carries out several functions and are different based on location. However, you can expect to potentially work in areas such as animal health program management, import/export services, epidemiology and surveillance, and emergency preparedness. These programs all help to support the agency’s goals to provide a healthy and safe food supply, foster global trade, promote US agriculture and protect our herds from foreign animal diseases. Therefore, a background or strong interest in public health, infectious disease, policy, food animal medicine, and population medicine are encouraged and very useful for those seeking this opportunity. 

I am currently 2nd year veterinary student at the Ohio State University, and also received my MPH at OSU. Personally, I have enjoyed my time with USDA so far and have met several great mentors and colleagues. I work in the field operations office in Ohio, and specifically have been assisting with administrative support for the National Scrapie Eradication program. I look forward to further exploring the various role of veterinarians in the agency, how we can best leverage our medical knowledge to help achieve the goals of the agency, and also developing skills in management, data analysis, communications, and regulatory medicine. I recommend that those interested reach out to a current or former Saul T. Wilson student to fully understand the experience and expectations of the position, as it is important to weigh if the programs fits your lifestyle and future goals.  

If you are seeking an alternative career path focused on regulatory medicine, public health, and civil service, I would highly encourage you to explore the Saul T. Wilson Program, as well as the other veterinary student programs offered at USDA such as the Adel A. Malak Scholarship with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Chester A. Gipson Scholarship with USDA Animal Care. I am grateful to start my career in veterinary public health working for the USDA, and I hope other veterinary students feel encouraged to explore careers in government and public health. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions (oruganti.4@osu.edu)."

How Can I Help: Community Support During COVID-19

The incredible SAVMA Global and Public Health Officers are at it again with their incredible graphics! With all this chaos going on in the world, it is difficult to avoid feeling powerless to help. But think again! Read below to see some of the small things you can do to make a big difference amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vet Students Impacting Environmental Health - March Winner

Stephanie Schiavone from Colorado State explains what she does to help with environmental sustainability at her school and within the teaching hospital at CSU!

I am the lead student on a research project that focuses on environmental sustainability in a veterinary teaching hospital. We designed and sent out a survey to every AVMA accredited veterinary school with an associated teaching hospital on environmental sustainability in the workplace. The survey is designed to target all employees and students who are undergoing clinical rotations. Our purpose for designing this survey was in response to a different survey that was sent out to veterinary students on sustainability in their curriculum, which found that students wanted to learn more about the health of the planet. We wanted to target the employees and 4th year DVM students in clinical rotations to further understand how sustainability was being handled from the perspective of the people who spent the most time at the workplace. Our goals for this project are to discover where within the hospital there was a lot of non-sustainable waste being produced and how to better address it to see where changes can be made. Examples of some of the questions we asked include “How high of a priority should environmental sustainability be?” and “Select the top three areas you would be interested in helping to reduce the environmental footprint at your veterinary hospital”. Our hope with this study is to publish it to JVME so that we can start to make more sustainable changes in our hospitals and design a better future for ourselves and all other living beings on earth.

Vet Med United Day - Not One More Vet

HAPPY VET MED UNITED DAY!!! ‪Today we celebrate our wellness initiative by honoring each other. Today we remember how our community is affected by mental health and suicide. But today we also promote wellness in our profession. Starting today, SAVMA will be hosting a 9 day virtual wellness event. Each day will focus on one of the 9 dimensions of wellness and include videos from your executive board, informative posts, and more! Follow all of our social media platforms (Twitter and IG: @studentavma) to participate in virtual activities promoting wellness and community! Also for some awesome chances to win💰❗️

Stay tuned and check in often this week so you don't miss out!

#vetmedunited2020 #vetmedunited @avmavets @avmatruststudents #vetstudentlife #bettertogether #youmatter #youbelonghere

Coronavirus Fast Facts - Day 2