Another Symposium Experience

It is not too early to start thinking about SAVMA Symposium 2019. It will be held at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia March 9-11th. Click here for more details.

Angela Macchia from Ross University shares her experience at SAVMA Symposium 2018 at UPenn.

I am a student at Ross, down in St. Kitts, which means we go to school all year round and have very limited resources to get experience and go to conferences during the year. Last semester I had the opportunity to take a short break and go to Philadelphia and go to the SAVMA Symposium. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

The first day I was there I was able to go to the zoo and go on a tour of the veterinary clinic there. I have never been on the veterinary side of a zoo and it was such an amazing experience to see how they function and how they deal with such large animals. The rest of the symposium I was able to attend lectures and wet labs as well as network with the other students, professors, and companies that were there. I met students from all over, and doctors from all over. I was able to dabble in topics that I never knew interested me or jobs that I would have never looked into if I hadn’t gone to the symposium. I met such amazing people and future colleagues. I was able to attend lectures on debt, and about topics I was interested in, such as equine medicine.

While walking around the hall there were many companies that had programs to study for the NAVLE and instruments/ resources we might need when we are out in practice. I also was involved in a few wet labs, there were wet labs in New Bolton, on campus and at the hotel. They really tried to cater to everyone’s interest, from large animal to small to exotics. I was able to attend a laceration repair wet lab, and it was so nice to work with the interns from New Bolton and practice my suturing techniques! It was an amazing experience to have and so worth the few days I missed at school. I would recommend any student to make sure they get out to a conference or symposium while they are in school, so they can network and meet other students!