Summer Placements

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to arrange some Summer Placements - I've already got a few weeks sorted for this year and now I've got a holiday booked, I only have a handful of free days throughout the whole of summer!

The Equine hospital I thought I was spending a week at replied and said placements are minimum of three weeks so I've booked that in for the end of August.
I've applied to work at lots of festivals this summer because the money is great and I enjoy the work, so I'm hoping my placements will fit around working.

I found a large Mixed hospital (Pets, Equine and Farm) on recommendation of a friend which is called Straiton & Partners who are in Penkridge, about 30mins drive from home. I emailed one of the vets also called Lewis and asked about placement for next year so have two weeks booked in for July 2016 - talk about organised!
It looks like a really big practice with 11 vets truly mixed so equal Pets, Equine and Farm - they have the main hospital and then another branch in Rugeley.

Twycross Zoo also replied and said I could apply for a three week placement for 2016 but it would be husbandry focused rather than in their Veterinary Centre which is newly built and looks really good online. I'm not sure what to do now as three weeks is a massive chunk of my summer and it may be better to spend time in practice, especially as I'll be going into 5th year after that!

Summer EMS Placements

I've been busy updating my CV this weekend to make it all veterinary focused and condensing it from 3 and a half to two pages in order to try and sort some EMS (Extra-Mural Studies) placements this summer.

Information I found online says UK vet students roughly have to do:
- Preclinical EMS Phase (Years 1 & 2) minimum of 12 weeks:
      2 weeks Lambing
      2 weeks Dairy
      2 weeks Pig or Poultry
      2 weeks Equine
      2 weeks Veterinary Hospital/Vet Nursing
      2 weeks free choice
- "Preparatory" Clinical EMS Phase (Year 3) around 6 weeks.
- Clinical EMS Phase (Years 4 & 5) minimum 20 weeks.

Ideally I'd like to follow that but we're limited out here in that I'd do mojority of my placements in the UK and we don't have an Easter holiday to go Lambing.
Though saying that, I've done 8 years of Lambing and quite a bit with Poultry so it would probably be more beneficial for me to get equine and large animal placements.

I've sent a few emails to vets asking for placements over summer and so far I have arranged a week in a small animal clinic, another small animal and then a week in an equine veterinary centre which will be really good as I've not really done much equine.
I'm struggling to find a Large Animal practice near home because we don't really have the demand for it in Birmingham, there are a few in Staffordshire I can email and I've love to go back to Ystwyth in Aber, would just need to find accomodation.

I've also emailed Twycross Zoo about a placement for summer 2016 and they've fully booked until February next year - that would be a three week placement, hopefully spent in the Veterinary Centre as by then I'd be approaching my 5th-post BSc year.

Acceptance Letter

It's all becoming very real now...

New Job! "Relief Stockman and Dairy Worker"

I've just had an email to say they'll offer me a job on the Uni farms as a Relief Stockman and Dairy Worker!

Most of the work will be Lambing before and during Easter but they'll also try and get me some Dairy work which would be really good. I want to try and get more experience on the Quad and Tractors - quad is easy but have only really driven the old tractor at the dairy farm to scrape out the yard. Would be good to get more experience, especially when we'll be applying for jobs once graduated this Summer.

The application form says it will "involve assistance with weekend checking and feeding of sheep, assistance with lambing, assistance in the milking rotas or with calf rearing activities."
Cody also got the job so I guess it helped that they knew us from Lambing the past 2 years!

Looking forward to starting it next year!

Uni Farm Work - Interview

I went for my interview for the Relief Stockman and Dairy Workers job at the Uni farm this morning and think it went quite well!

There were a panel of 3 people interviewing, the head of the whole Department and Uni Farms, the Farms Manager (who I know from Lambing) and our Course Director, so they kind of knew me when I went in.

Then asked about my CV and experienced, asked questions about what I'd do in particular situations etc.
I said I didn't have much experience driving a tractor but am really keen to learn, which they said is something they'd be able to help with.

They were also asking about what hours/days I could do, whether term-time or vacations (both) and if I had a car to get there.
Milking will start at 5am so I'd have to be up at 4am!

Hopefully hear sooooon

Work on the Uni farm?

I've been looking for Dairy work in Aber for ages, and Uni have just built a massive new rotary milking parlour for a few hundred cows so would be really good to work there.

I emailed the Farms Manager asking about work and work experience etc but haven't had a reply. They've just opened up a Vacancy on the Uni farms looking for Relief Stockmen and Dairy Workers, I says is for experienced people only and looks really good.
I meet the Essential Criteria and most of the Desired (I don't have Tractor driving experience - but willing to learn!). I've worked on the Uni farms for the last 2 years doing Lambing so that should help too

Will apply and see what happens! :)

More Work Experience

Think I mentioned it the other day (on my other blog), I'm getting kind of bored just being in the flat all day and with the same people. Only really recently so probs to do with exams, but thought I could try + get some work experience 'cos it'd be fun and is relevant to that there degree I'm meant to be doing :)

Applied for work exp at Borth Zoo, which is a 20 train ride from Aber (although the trains only go every 2 hours) and thought I could go on a Wednesday afternoon 'cos we have that off to do "sport".
The lady replied and said yes, when was I thinking about going but I haven't heard back for a couple of days.

Also emailed someone this morning from a Llama Trekking place, in Burton near home. A friend went and so I thought I could ask. Its about half an hour from home but Grumps works (a further) 10 mins down the same road so I thought he might be able to drop me there on the way to work! :)

Would obv have to go at Easter or over the Summer, but thought I could just ask and see what they say
Found out Lambing starts on March 17th this year, so will still be at Uni but will probably go when I'm home 3 weeks later :) Want to do some in Wales too, would be silly not to! :P

I also need to try and find a 6 week work placement for Uni which counts as one of the modules for next year. Can't really think of anywhere close to home except for a couple of farms and without having a car it'd have to be close. Did think about the vets but the one I've been to before is 40 mins away and the new one round the corner still isn't open and even though they're still working on if it you drive past, I can't see it ever being done!
On the other hand I thought I could go the opposite and go somewhere further away but stay there and do it like that.
6 weeks is a long time though!

Was asked last year to work for someone over the summer and would have loved to have done it but the distance was too far, might see if I can do it this summer and see if it counts as a work placement for Uni :)

Dates

Louise texted me earlier and said I can go to do the Turkeys again this year :)

I don't know what dates we're going yet but will know in a few weeks.
Lucy from lambing might be coming as well, because she'll be back from Uni by then so will be able to come for the dressing and selling.

Vet's Interview

I've just been for an interview at a Vets around the corner from me, and I start some time next Spring :D
I sat down with the owner (Phil) and he just asked about my Work Experience and what I've learned from it; Was I confident with horses? - they had 3 heavies, 2 horses and 3 ponies at the last farm I worked at; and then about some of the other things I do, like mentoring and charity work.
He had a flick through my Work Experience folder aswell, and asked about a few things I'd done on work experience which I explained.
They showed me around the practise and then the stables which are being built and then they said I can join the team.
It's a brand new practice, which is still being built at the moment, and they are due to open in April next year.
I think it will be a mixed practice, with a planned Artificial Insemination unit for horses on the side.
They are building a stable block to house 3 horses, they have a few paddocks, and they're also having a "menage" area to exercise the horses and observe them in.
It should be good fun, and they seem like really nice people! So far they've found a vet nurse, and are still looking for a graduate vet, so we should all start around the same time next year, which will be really good as we can get to know each other as the practise gets going.
It will be really interesting to watch the practise be completed, and then be there when it opens, I can start to see it to become a functioning practice.

New Practice

A planning application was approved around the corner from us a few months ago, and I walked round with my friend yesterday to have a look.
As we walked up, a man pulled up in his van and spoke to me and said if I was interested to go back today.
I've been back up with a letter this morning, and he's just phoned me and arranged for me to go back in 2 weeks for a chat-like-interview and to see about me getting some work experience with them.
The surgery has a stable block attached and is being built at the moment to be opened some time next year.
I've got the planning applications off the internet and it looks good, there will be 2 consult rooms, an x-ray room, as well as the others such as waiting room and reception.

One step closer - Lambing

After a few phone calls over the last few days I've finally found a Lambing placement! :D
The farm is in Hints - about 15 minutes away from here, and I've just been up to the farm to introduce myself.
They have around 600 sheep, which are all going to be brought inside the sheds in a few weeks, so we will be Lambing indoors.
I'm really excited and I'm starting on the 15th March at 6 o'clock in the morning! but it will be worth it.

Lambing ?

I've been trying to find a placement Lambing for the last few weeks, and haven't really got very far. I had a look on the internet and phoned all the places I could find, most can't take me or have already started/finished Lambing.

The only experience I have with sheep and lambing at the moment is at Ash End - I saw one sheep lamb which didn't need any help. They also take in 6 cade lambs (abandoned my their mothers) every year, so I've bottle fed those from a few days old with the help of visitors to the farm.
I asked the careers people at school who at first thought burst out laughing I was joking, and then suggested "to try a placed called Ash End Farm who had 100's of sheep" - I told them I worked there last year and they don't do Lambing as such as they only have a few sheep which are put to the Ram separately for a week at a time, so only have 1 lamb born every few weeks.

Then I tried one place called 'Lamb Farm', and when I asked about a possible lamb placement the man on the other end of the phone just laughed at me and said they didn't have any sheep!? :S
So then I found an organisation called the National Sheep Association, who I emailed and they sent me a list of all the farms who need help Lambing. After sending out about 20 emails to farms I have finally found a place in Kings Bromley (about 40 minutes away) who I can go and help, or they are asking their relatives who have a farm in Hints (15 minutes away) if they need any help.
Hopefully I'll hear something soon!