Interview questions

Give me a specific example of a time when you have used good judgement and logic in solving a problem. What was the process followed, and what was the outcome?

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Veterinary school can be an intensive, stressful experience at times. Can you tell me about a time where you have had to handle a pressurised situation? What happened and what was the outcome?

- 2 years as working as a waitress, pot washer and assistant cook helped me to manage stressful situations - it taught me that it is better to react to a situation in a calm and controlled way instead of allowing the situation to stress you out - when there were lots of jobs that needed to be done at one time I dealt with it by prioritising tasks and managing my time between all of them so that they were all completed by the end of my shift - not helped by irate customers so taught me to keep calm in situation as well

What is an ethically sources cadaver ?

- Animals that have died naturally or in accidents or been euthanised for medical reasons -often from humane societies => maintain ethical promise to public that no animal that is scheduled for euthanasia will be released to another source alive => ensures no undue harm is result of such action

How will you ensure you are financially stable to complete your studies at Veterinary School?

- I plan to take a gap year where I will get a job as soon as I finish my a level exams - I will put any money I earn into a savings account in order to save up this money for uni (have already been saving up money throughout school working my pub shifts) - I want to work abroad with animals so preferably I will try and find a job where I can be paid as well - I understand veterinary medicine is both an academic and financial commitment, I have heavily considered the financial side of it - when I start uni I will set up a budget plan each month which will include additional expenses such as study materials and books etc. that I will need in order to complete the course - sticking to my budget plan will ensure my finances are accurate and kept up to date, and that I do not over spend one week then have to be really strict the next week

As a vet, do you have the right not to treat an animal? Explain the reasoning behind your answer.

- a vet has no obligation to treat an animal - if an animal walks through the door and did not fit under your speciality or even arrived outside of working hours, veterinarians have the ability to turn them away, while possibly referring to another vet - similarly if an animal was not a client of the vet, and belonged to another vet, they are under no obligation to treat the animal - however once care for that animal does begin, vets will then have a responsibility to treat the animal to the best of their ability as refusing to stop would be considered very unethical

Humane alternatives of using live animals to practice surgery

- allow students in alternative training groups to be trained in surgery to same standard of students in traditional training groups - has ethical implications as alternatives only considered if this impacts on end result of surgical skill - welfare of client-owned pets that new graduates operate on isn't concern and standardised level of cognitive and motor skill in veterinary training is ensured - use of inanimate models (computer simulations) => available at all times => greater flexibility in timetables - saves time as don't waste half time performing anaesthesia => spend time practicing emergency techniques and additional surgical procedures

What was your motivation for wanting to be a Vet? Have you always had a love of animals?

- always had animals => look in vet book - went to zoos - watched life

What was your motivation for wanting to be a Vet? Have you always had a love of animals?

- always had animals, loved them and enjoy interacting with them on day to day basis (dogs, horses, sheep, bees) - went to zoos - watched life - varied and interesting career that is rapidly progressing - like being outdoors and doing hands on job - like science, strongest subject => use science skills and knowledge - read and experienced more => became more sure of decision - like physics is a bit of a challenge => feel like I'm working towards something

What does delegation mean to you?

- an essential management skill - its a managers job to delegate and then supervise those delegations - not possible to do everything yourself => involves splitting up a large goal into smaller tasks so that people are comfortable with the role they have and the work is split evenly - means knowing your team and their strengths and more useful to have team members assigned their personal duties - have to weight up how long it will take you to teach someone else to complete a task compared to how long it will take you to complete that task => do small tasks yourself and delegate larger or lengthier tasks/ tasks that will need to be repeated - allows people to learn new roles to advance their knowledge - means having trust and confidence in other people to perform a task without controlling it (without micromanaging)

What is your opinion on using live animals to practice surgery?

- animal welfare act 2006: any person responsible for an animal, whether on permanent or temporary basis, has legal responsibility to ensure animals needs are met (environment, suitable diet, able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, housing needs, protected from pain suffering injury and disease) - disagree with use of animals for study programmes and support changes in academic systems to reduce use of animals - alternatives include synthetic materials or simulations => able to spend as much time understanding and repeat procedures => therefore don't need to use animals - or students could work alongside vets on real cases more - current technology has restrictions => can't fully eliminate animal use

What are your opinions on the use of animals for Veterinary School? Do you think your opinions will change if you are accepted to the study programme?

- animal welfare act 2006: any person responsible for an animal, whether on permanent or temporary basis, has legal responsibility to ensure animals needs are met (environment, suitable diet, able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, housing needs, protected from pain suffering injury and disease) - disagree with use of animals for study programmes and support changes in academic systems to reduce use of animals - alternatives include synthetic materials or simulations => able to spend as much time understanding and repeat procedures/ opportunity to correct errors and practice without causing unnecessary pain to animals => therefore don't need to use animals - or students could work alongside vets on real cases more - current technology has restrictions => can't fully eliminate animal use - additionally clinical rotations, such as are offered here, better prepare students by letting them observe professionals in the clinic setting

Give me an example of a time when you have been required to work closely with your colleagues to keep them motivated. Why was this important, and was it successful?

- as vice-captain of hockey and netball (at county and club level) teams I had an important job of keeping everyone motivated and encouraging the team during training, matches or competitions - during a tough hockey game the morale of the team was gradually decreasing with each goal scored against us - due to playing a tough match and struggling to play to the best of our ability - I gave vocal encouragement and worked harder to gain and maintain possession of the ball, setting an example - the morale of the team was increased and the rest of the team followed my example, leading to a significant improvement in our teams performance as a whole - we went on to win the game

What are your views on euthanasia ?

- balance an argument - examples - point of view of the animal and owner - humane point of view versus human response - putting horse down at races (Grand National): financial issues

In your opinion should people be allowed to own exotic species? Justify your answer

- belong in the wild/ should not be captured or constrained - people don't want exotic animals to love and cuddle/ want them to show off their prestige, wealth, and position - not able to be taken care of properly because of their biological needs e.g. nutritional, proper exercise, or they may need to be with individuals of the same species and environment - exotic animal vets not as qualified to help each species as more to learn/ can't study every single animal in depth as much as small animal - would live more of a thriving, healthy, and happy life in the habitat they belong to - not designed to be companion animals/ natural habitat cant be simulated easily, usually resulting in them residing in small cages

What are the main things you learned from your work experience?

- business side of working with animals - 'from your work experience, what do you think are the qualities necessary to be a successful vet?' - 'the ability to solve problems, for example when...' - explain diagnosis and treatment

What do you think of breeding animals for meat?

- checks on your motivation - look at it from animals perspective - should be kept well, with good standards of husbandry, and eventually slaughtered humanely - farmers make living from supplying meat or poultry - if you oppose eating meat make it clear that you would remain professional

Tell us something about your work experience with animals ?

- did you enjoy it ? - were there any interesting or unusual cases ? - is your enthusiasm clear ? - do you show your respect and sympathy for animals ? - did you get on with the people ? - 'for example, when I...' - 'for instance, I was able to...'

Is there a specific area you wish to work in as a vet? Do you have any aspirations to work outside of a standard practice?

- during vet school I feel I will learn and discover new passions that may lead to new paths so can't say for sure - exotic animals, wildlife and conservation - rewarding - would love to travel and work with animals in different counties

What are alternatives of using live animals to practice surgery?

- ethically sourced cadavers - inanimate models (knot-tying boards, carpet padding, foam rubber, yarn to simulate blood vessels, plastic bones, anatomically correct models of abdominal organs, the DAISE) - computer simulations - videos - plasticised specimens - animal shelter spaying/ neutering programs - clinical experiences with client-owned animals

What are the five freedoms ?

- freedom from hunger and thirst - freedom from discomfort - freedom from pain, injury and disease - freedom to express normal behaviour - freedom from fear and distress

What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example

- good communication is the answer to any problem - don't rush in to taking action/ leave time to fully think through all options/ not one definite option to any problem more of a scale - find quiet place where can give someone full attention - ask them their side and listen hard to the other person or people on the other side of the issue to be sure I understand what their argument is - don't talk until they have finished - repeat back to them their side of the argument to ensure their is no confusion and to make them feel fully heard - try to see it from their perspective and helped by repeating their side yourself instead of hearing it from their voice - lay out my case, fully broken down, clear structured points with supporting evidence and hear their response - depending on situation could give multiple outcomes as no right or wrong answer - don't show facial expressions or seem to favour one option whilst doing this - either sell them on my side, get sold on their point of view, or compromise to make both sides as agreeable as possible - move forward/ move on to a mutually agreeable and fair outcome

Give an example of a time when you have had to deal with an irate customer or co-worker. How did you handle the situation, and what did you learn from it?

- good communication is the answer to any problem - don't rush in to taking action/ leave time to fully think through all options/ not one definite option to any problem more of a scale - find quiet place where can give someone full attention - ask them their side and listen hard to the other person or people on the other side of the issue to be sure I understand what their argument is - don't talk until they have finished - repeat back to them their side of the argument to ensure their is no confusion and to make them feel fully heard - try to see it from their perspective and helped by repeating their side yourself instead of hearing it from their voice - lay out my case, fully broken down, clear structured points with supporting evidence and hear their response - depending on situation could give multiple outcomes as no right or wrong answer - don't show facial expressions or seem to favour one option whilst doing this - either sell them on my side, get sold on their point of view, or compromise to make both sides as agreeable as possible - move forward/ move on to a mutually agreeable and fair outcome - if issue is beyond my control, won't hesitate to ask those in authority to help customer address the problem - learnt from vet practice that you need to stay professional no matter what the situation and some times people have bad days

Talk me through any clinical experiences you have had, if any. What exactly you did, and what you learnt from it.

- have completed work experience, whilst studying, within a local vet practice - was allowed to shadow and watch the veterinary surgeon perform surgery and saw many operations including castrations and spays - felt able to handle challenging cases and not put off by blood/surgery - surgeon explained their actions as they performed the surgery and answered my questions - so interesting and learnt normal runnings of surgery

What did you think of our brochure ?

- informative about structure of course (RVC) - case histories of students (RVC)

What experience have you had working within Veterinary Medicine? What have you most enjoyed?

- lambing - dairy farm - volunteering at horse sanctuary - riding stables - small animal practice - classifying cows - avian breeding - bee keeping

Give example of when gene therapy might be used in vet clinic

- mice inexpensive to keep, short lifetime, large litters - but fail to mirror human disease + longtime studies not possible due to short lifetime - larger animals e.g. dogs have longer lifetime, similar size to humans/ neonatal humans => size difference between each of them and humans is 100 times greater in mice than dogs - hearing loss in dogs

In your opinion, what do you think would be the most difficult situation you could face as a Vet? Justify your answer.

- mistreatment of animal => no justifiable explanation compared to when client has complaint for example => find it difficult to understand how someone could mistreat animals/ these types of situations can be very testing - put a healthy animal down because owners have decided that what they want to do => would try to understand why owners wanted this => try to encourage owner towards other option e.g. adoption or rehoming - harder if the owners cannot afford to look after it but having to respect the decisions of the owners => topic controversial one that is difficult to understand - inability to treat an animal due to refusal of treatment by the owner => recommend a treatment the animal needs and owners not willing or able to spend the necessary funds on treating an animal - owner demands additional tests => ask owner why and what specific tests => priority welfare of animal so wouldn't run test that wouldn't provide additional info or could cause stress to animal => e.g. additional blood test when already doing one wouldn't cause extra stress but MRI would require sedation and extra risks and unnecessary stress => these would outweigh benefit that results would give

Being a Vet will require you to think on your feet and fact-find information if needed. How will you ensure you remain abreast of relevant information required to perform your role?

- not stop learning even when fully qualified - study session, courses and home learning is essential to constantly refresh knowledge and skills when needed but also to learn new information and procedures - each day presents new challenges from which to learn from => continue to research into cases I see - use research papers, scientific articles, books and attend lectures to benefit my job

Have you ever felt frightened of animals ?

- shouldn't be frightened - honesty: explain what happened and what was said at time

What do you think of the TV programmes about vets ?

- show you have considered televisions influence on veterinary profession

How do you think you are doing with your A levels ?

- sound optimistic but indicating you are hard working - favourite subjects - chemistry project

Have you visited here before ?

- talk about open day and what you thought of it

Why do you want to study Veterinary science ?

- talk about your attitude towards animals, range of work experience, important manual skills, commitment to hard work - mention how determined you are to become a vet as a result of work experience

How important is the business element of veterinary medicine ?

- vet must be business people as well - smaller practices rely on vets to manage practice - must be prepared to be strong when asking people for money, even in the face of tragedy - practices survival mainly based on ability to recoup your charges

What do you think of zoos?

- vets keep contact with animals to minimum e.g. target training to check lions paws (find out what else they do) - would rather have hands-on practical experience with animals - if soo used for conservation and education then good way to make positive impact on wild species and get general public involved - important for breeding programmes or safe houses for endangered species whose natural habitat or population size is under constant threat - however it's wrong if they are not doing anything constructive for species and just there for display - environment enrichment => modifying animals surroundings to improve its health or wellbeing e.g. giving it dead carcass, hiding it around enclosure

Why do you want to come to this veterinary school ?

- want to go to new area of country - reputation of school may have impressed you because of some particular specialty in which you are also interested

What is gastroscopy?

- when an endoscope (tube with optical fibres connected to screen) passed down oesophagus into the stomach to examine contents of stomach - in horse passed up nose

How do you feel about cruelty to animals ?

- while putting animals welfare first, answer should be strong and well reasoned rather than too emotional - what would you do if you thought a farmer was acting in a cruel way to some of his livestock? - go to the police straight away? Talk over difficulty with a colleague? Threaten farmer by mentioning RSPCA ? - well balanced and reasoned answer

If you had to choose one area of specialism to work within, what would it be?

- wildlife => no one is continuously watching their behavior change or determine something is wrong as quickly with pets or agricultural animals - large animals => found disease control methods employed by farmers fascinating - really interested in welfare ethics ???

When was first vet school founded?

1791

When was royal college of veterinary surgeons (RCVS) created ?

1844

When was Cattle Diseases Prevention Act passed and State veterinary department created ?

1866

When was Veterinary surgeons act passed ?

1881

When was the first sulphonamide introduced which started the drugs revolution ?

1935

Give me an example of a time when you have missed an obvious solution to a problem. How were you made aware of it, and how did you rectify it? What did you learn from this situation?

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Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done. What was the reason behind this, and what was the outcome?

???? - when you have to take matters into your own hands in order to complete a task because what is expected will not result in the task being completed

Why do you feel you are the best candidate for Veterinarian School? What can you bring to the school that makes you an ideal applicant?

Need to convey: - can do the work and deliver exceptional results - will fit in beautifully and be a great addition to the team - possess a combination of skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd - background in volunteering (horse sanctuary) => dedicated, committed, reliable - experience - drive in academics - passion for learning - remain calm, positive and passionate during all aspects of work