VETERINARY MEDICINE: ALLIED FIELDS

Back
This session provides the participants with an introductory understanding of numerous fields of veterinary medicine beyond the traditional role of a veterinarian with direct animal contact.

Category

  • Health
  • Veterinary Medicine

Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

 

  • Describe the public service fields with a need for veterinarians.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the roles a veterinarian plays in public health, public defense and welfare, research and development, and higher education.
  • Understand the educational requirements for veterinarians, including high school and college courses that would be helpful.

Supplies

Laptop computer or equipment to view videos

Advisor Note

This session covers some of the many allied fields of veterinary medicine. Each has a distinct role in society and each depends heavily on the training of a veterinarian. This collective session could be broken down into individual sessions during which one or two individuals from different allied fields could make presentations. The opportunity for tours or hands-on discovery activities might be minimal in this session. Activities might be limited to a subject matter expert’s (SME’s) presentations at a post meeting or possibly a tour of the SME’s workplace with a presentation.

 

As you engage your post in activities each meeting, please include comments, discussions, and feedback for the group relating to Character, Leadership and Ethics. These important attributes make a difference in the success of youth in the workplace and in life.

Activity 1

Speaker: Introduction to a Specific Allied Field

All subject matter experts (SMEs) will cover the same basic topics modified to apply to their specialized fields.

Have the speaker

  • Show a video about this field of veterinary medicine. Select a video from a reputable online source or other resource. View the video in advance to make sure it is appropriate.
  • Give a job description of his or her job in this allied field.
  • Describe the role in public health, if any, this allied field provides.
  • Describe the role in public welfare and defense, if any, this allied field provides.
  • Describe the role in health care research and development, if any, this allied field provides.
  • Describe the role in education, if any, this allied field provides.

Activity 2

Tours

  • Observe a demonstration of a military, police, or other governmental working dog and learn how the veterinarian supports these animals.
  • Tour a food processing plant where a USDA veterinarian works.
  • Tour a public health diagnostic laboratory where a public health or research veterinarian works.
  • Visit a university’s college of veterinary medicne.

Advisor Note

Some sample questions are below. They are designed to help the participants apply what they have learned to their own interests. You are welcome to use these questions or develop your own questions that relate to your post or specific area of focus.

Reflection

  • Which aspects of the allied fields session interested you the most?
  • What ethical concerns might a veterinarian encounter in this area of veterinary health care?
  • What did you learn during this session about the roles a veterinarian plays in public service through the allied fields?
  • What can you do now, during your time as a student, to prepare yourself for a career in veterinary medicine? Why is this topic important?

Advisor and Officer review

After the meeting, address the following:

Links to other websites are provided for your convenience and information only. When you click on a link to another website, you will be leaving this website. The fact that we provide links to other websites does not mean that we endorse, authorize, or sponsor the linked website, or that we are affiliated with that website’s owners or sponsors. Unless otherwise indicated, the linked sites are not under our control and we are not responsible for and assume no liability for the content or presentation of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. Your use of a linked site and its content is at your sole risk and may be subject to restrictions and/or limitations. Always take care to abide by the linked site’s terms of use, including any permission requirements/guidelines.

ALLIED FIELDS OF VETERINARY MEDICINE ACTIVITY GUIDE