EXTERNS ON THE HILL

Submitted by Meg Knox, Washington State University

"Not just dogs and cats

When I began my externship at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Government Relations Division (GRD), I had a major goal in mind: to branch out. Like many small animal oriented veterinary students, I spent the better part of my life grasping for experiences and opportunities in clinical settings. My laser-like focus on gaining hours, technical skills, and connections led me to pigeon-hole myself in the small animal general practice world. This is the last summer before my third year and clinical rotations, and it came as a wake-up call. I wanted to do something different for a change! I wanted to feed my passion for animal advocacy, public policy, and leadership - passions I had been unintentionally neglecting. I wanted to dive headfirst into non-traditional pathways in veterinary medicine, to see what else I could do with my DVM - and dive headfirst I did. 

In the past month, I have met many outstanding and interesting individuals in the veterinary community. I’ve talked to veterinarians who work in the federal government, from USDA to FDA to NIH to NABR (National Association for Biomedical Research). Basically, every acronym organization you can think of. Each story has been unique and inspiring. Some veterinarians went directly into inspection work or laboratory medicine; some had years of experience in more veterinary areas than I could count on my hand.

I’ve met with veterinarians from organizations that advocate for animal health and veterinary-related legislation on Capitol Hill, including my colleagues at the AVMA GRD. During these interactions, I’ve learned about the importance of veterinary medicine representation in both state and national politics. The unique perspective of a veterinarian when lawmakers are discussing agricultural, pharmacological, and appropriations issues is essential. The compassion, intelligence, and strength we have throughout our field is impressive, and now I realize how important it is to use those attributes.

As an extern, I also met with veterinarians who work for Zoos, at sea on humpback whale research investigations, and on East Coast shores doing necropsies on dolphins. Every single person has outlined a wild and unique journey, and everyone was excited to tell me about it. 

At times, I’ve walked away from these conversations overwhelmed, but in a good way! There are so many more opportunities for a veterinarian outside of the exam room. Though I still want to start in small animal practice when I graduate, I now know veterinary medicine is not just dogs and cats. It’s reading 30 pages of confusing legal jargon to understand a bill amendment. It’s petting an Aotus research monkey as it comes out of anesthesia from a dental extraction. It’s talking to a lawmaker’s chief of staff about their puppy. It’s feeding a pig a Starburst candy. It’s talking about learning retention in higher education. It’s discussing withdrawal times in dairy cattle. It’s whatever you want to make of it, really. 

Through all these meetings, I am happy to know that people in our community are comforting and willing resources for one another. I’ve been met with kindness and enthusiasm at every visit. I’m also happy to say that I’ve met my goal of branching out during my time in Washington, D.C. I’m excited for what’s next, whether that be with dogs and cats, or otherwise."