Veterinary Medicine - January 2008 - (Page 58)

Mind Over Miller musings from Dr. Robert M. Miller The interview: Species-specific silliness Professor A: Well, Terry—may we call you Terry?—you aspire to a degree in veterinary medicine? Terry: Yes, sir. I want to be a veterinarian. Professor A: Good! We have reviewed your undergraduate scholastic record, and it is excellent. Terry: Thank you, sir! Professor B: However, acceptance to veterinary school is competitive. Because there are many more qualiﬁed applicants than there are available spots, we must look at more than an applicant’s GPA. Terry: I realize that, Doctor B. I hope I can meet those other criteria. Professor C: On your application, you expressed an interest in food-animal medicine. Terry: Yes, ma’am. Professor C: Are you aware that a critical shortage of veterinarians has developed in that area? Terry: I’ve heard that, Doctor. I’d like to help alleviate that shortage. All three professors: Good. Yes. Good. Professor A: You come from a large city. Are you certain you’ll be happy in a rural environment? Terry: As long as I don’t have to get up early. Professor C: There is talk of opening a veterinary school devoted exclusively to food-animal medicine. If you are not accepted here, you could consider applying to such an institution. Terry: If I attended an institution like that, would I be allowed to treat other animals after I graduated? Professor C: Probably not. Terry: You mean I’d only be licensed to treat cows? Professor C: No, you could treat cows and hogs and sheep. Professor A: —and goats! Professor B:—and rabbits. Professor A: Rabbits are lab animals. Professor B: Not if you eat them. Professor A: In some countries, they eat dogs. Professor C: What about poultry? We eat them, but we usually lump avian medicine with exotics. Professor A: Well, what about horses? We consider them to be companion animals, but people in some countries eat them. If we started species-limited schools, would a graduate of an equine school be an equine practitioner or a food-animal practitioner? Professor C: What about wool production? That’s not a food. Professor B: It is for moths! Professor C: Very funny. Robert M. Miller, DVM, is an author and a cartoonist, speaker, and Veterinary Medicine Practitioner Advisory Board member from Thousand Oaks, Calif. His thoughts in “Mind Over Miller” are drawn from 32 years as a mixed-animal practioner. Visit his Web site at www.robertmmiller.com. Professor A: I’m serious. If we limit licensing in the future, who will treat wool-producing sheep? What about llamas? Students study them in exotics, but they are a domestic species. Terry: May I say something? All three professors: No! Professor B: Times change, Terry. It’s not like when I was in practice. Terry: Were you in small-animal practice or large-animal practice? Professor B: Yes. Terry: Did your practice include food animals? Professor B: It was all food animals—if I didn’t treat everything, I couldn’t afford to eat. I’d often put in 20 hours. It was tough! Terry: Twenty hours a week? What’s tough about that? Professor B: I meant 20 hours a day. Terry: Uh, may I go now? 58 January 2008 VETERINARY MEDICINE The views expressed in “Mind Over Miller” do not necessarily reﬂect those of the editorial and practitioner advisory boards or the editorial staff. http://www.robertmmiller.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - January 2008

Veterinary Medicine - January 2008 Contents Digital Extra Letters Toxicology Brief Idea Exchange A Challenging Case: Phimosis in a Young Adult Dog The Indications and Technique for Continuous Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Recording in Dogs A Review of Selected Systemic Antifungal Drugs for Use in Dogs and Cats CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - January 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.