Meet the Executive Board: Ricci Karkula

This post is part of series made to highlight the members of your SAVMA Executive Board. They were originally members of the House of Delegates, and were then elected by their fellow delegates to serve you on the board.

Name, Position on EB: Ricci Karkula, President-elect

School and Year: Texas A&M University, c/o 2015

Hometown: Sanger, California

Your area of interest within veterinary medicine: Equine Sports Medicine

Description of what your office entails: Hanging out with Elise, the SAVMA President, to learn the ropes of the presidential position and representing the members of SAVMA.

Your favorite thing about holding that office: Having the opportunity to represent the thoughts and opinions of the veterinary student body.

Your favorite SAVMA related experience thus far (EB or not): Meeting new people from other veterinary schools.

Something fun about yourself: I competed in rodeo events growing up and all through high school and college. I still ride horses and run barrels whenever I am home in California.

Increasing Your Employment Prospects

Partners for Healthy Pets is an alliance of more than 20 leading veterinary associations and animal health companies committed to a vision of improved overall health for pets. As SAVMA is an associate member, The Vet Gazette will be regularly posting updates. Visit thier website to learn more!

Part 1: Internet Marketing and Social Media Skills

You’ve read the reports: more and more colleges of veterinary medicine are increasing class size, more schools have recently been accredited by AVMA, there is excess capacity in the veterinary care delivery system, and pet owner visits are declining. There are still good job opportunities available but let’s face it – each year approximately 1,500 veterinarians, comprised of new graduates and recent graduates completing a one year internship, are entering the companion animal private practice job market. Approximately 500 more seek positions in other types of private practice. The bottom line is that there is a lot of competition for the best jobs, especially if you are limited in geographic locations.

Employers are looking for good clinical skills along with good communications and interpersonal skills. With the quality of education in veterinary colleges today, most of the 1,500 new entrants to the market have these skills. Given that, what else can you bring to a practice that will differentiate yourself from other applicants?

Click to read more ...

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