PSA: The AVMA Externship Program & What I Didn’t Know That I Probably Should’ve Known

Hello, my name is Collin Kramer and I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the government relations extern for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Government Relations Division (GRD) in Washington, D.C. this past July. I am currently a third-year veterinary student at Colorado State University and have no clue what I want to do when I grow up. My interests are vast and to see if policy was the right fit for me, I applied to the AVMA’s GRD externship program. To say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an extern would be a massive understatement and let me tell you why.

What is the AVMA Externship Program? 

The AVMA Government Relations Division externship program is a four-week program that allows veterinary students to experience public policy issues within the veterinary profession at the federal level. The externship takes place in Washington, D.C. and provides externs the opportunity to advocate for veterinary medicine on the challenges our profession faces today such as the need to expand the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program. During my externship, much of my time was spent lobbying on Capitol Hill, but I was also able to experience veterinary medicine at work in other government agencies. 

Where Did the AVMA Externship Take Me?

One of the unique aspects about this externship, was that it allowed me to make my own schedule. I was able to visit different government agencies around the D.C. area in which veterinarians work and hold key roles. I met with Hill staffers, attended hearings, receptions, PAC events, and met with one of the three veterinarians in Congress, Ted Yoho. Getting to see the many different ways veterinarians work within the United States government helped me to see that there are many different paths I can take with a veterinary degree. 

It’s Not All About Puppies and Kittens.

Many people think of veterinarians as “puppy and kitty doctors” but after my experience with this AVMA externship, I now realize that could not be farther from the truth. I met with veterinarians who are integral to the country’s medical research programs, agricultural economy, food safety systems, health defense programs, One Health initiative, and so much more. These veterinarians were only a small percentage of those that play a key role in our country’s various agencies and there is a continuous need for more veterinarians to move into this non-traditional field. Some of the government entities in which veterinarians serve include:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
• Smithsonian National Zoo
• U.S. Public Health Service
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Defense Health Agency

    

Not Your Everyday Clinical Experience

As stated before, I was able to make the externship experience as specific to my interests as I wanted. In doing so, I was able to meet veterinarians from multiple different backgrounds and inquire about their roles within the veterinary profession. I personally like public policy and One Health-related issues, so I tried to focus my schedule to meet vets involved with those specific titles. I also met veterinarians who were Colonels and Generals in the United States Army, and met zoo, policy, and public health veterinarians as well. Each individual I met provided incredible information that helped me to see just how involved veterinarians are in the United States. It also showed me the importance of involvement of veterinary students to be active in our government and to speak up and support the profession if they feel something needs to be changed. 

The Perfect Balance of Work and Play

While the externship kept me busy moving about the city to different meetings and appointments, I was able to take time for myself and see some beautiful sites around D.C. 

To name a few, I visited the the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, The Library of Congress, and The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The AVMA GRD staff stressed the importance of mental health and a strong work-life balance. This support meant so much to me and I really felt like I was at home in the GRD office. They helped give me the tools I needed to succeed with my externship experience and because of this, all of my expectations were exceeded. 

Communication is Key

I think the most important lesson I learned from my externship is that you have to be able to communicate if you want to be efficient in your career. Through the various meetings and events I attended, I noticed that a topic or issue’s success was vastly determined by how well the presenter could communicate their point. The congressional staff I spoke with had high regards for veterinarians as they believe and trust in our profession and want to know more about what we do. Veterinarians have so much to offer through their various skillsets and change for our profession is as simple as an email, letter, or phone call to your local representative. This externship taught me information I would not receive in my veterinary curriculum and helped to reiterate how important it is to be involved in our legislative system. I recommend this externship to every veterinary student as public policy and learning how the legislative process works is the only way to receive the change we want to see in the veterinary profession.