Summer VIP 2023 Veterinary Intensive Program

Students in their fourth and final year of the veterinary curriculum already have plenty of demands on their plates, but Dr. Indya Woods ’22 thought she saw one more need to be filled in the Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine before she graduated.

As a pre-vet student considering her own career several years earlier, she had attended veterinary medicine summer enrichment programs at Purdue and Michigan State Universities and found them very inspiring. Yet as her graduation approached, she noticed Auburn had nothing similar — a void she decided to help address before setting off on her own veterinary career path.

When she approached the CVM Office of Academic Affairs with the idea, Woods recalled, “the response from the very beginning and throughout the planning and execution of the first program was very supportive. Dr. Melinda Camus (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs) and Dr. Tajuan Sellars (Director, DVM Professional Program Admission) acted as my two mentors for the program and we formed a small committee for interviewing, marketing and handling the other details of the program.

“Funding was provided by working through the Dean’s office,” she continued. “A huge part of the VIP was recruiting faculty and staff to help with lectures, lab experiences and clinical rotations. Everyone was overwhelmingly supportive. The program exceeded my expectations and I was overwhelmed with how supportive the college was in helping me bring this vision to fruition. The students enrolled all described the program as an experience that greatly impacted them in a positive way.”

The result was the CVM’s very first Summer VIP (Veterinary Intensive Program), a small-group (10), week-long summer session launched in 2022 and designed to familiarize undergraduate students considering veterinary studies with the possibilities available in a veterinary career. The VIP program achieves this goal by providing a short, but intensive, behind-the-scenes look at some of the ins and outs of veterinary school as well as the profession.

The currently undergraduate participants enjoy a unique, first-hand experience inside Auburn’s Bailey Small Animal and Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospitals, as well as in the critical areas of anatomy, histology and parasitology alongside Auburn veterinary faculty and DVM students. Just as importantly, participation in the program also prepares the candidates for the application process, as the Director of Admissions discusses the details and faculty members conduct mock interviews along with follow-up feedback sessions.

That first program was an unqualified success, and in May of this year, the 2023 edition was coordinated by second-year DVM student Starr Hutcherson, who served as a student counselor in 2022. “The role of coordinator was a new experience for me, but with mentorship from Dr. Sellers and Dr. Camus, my confidence grew. The process took about eight months of planning, which included disseminating information about the program to eligible applicants, creating and processing applications, interviewing each applicant, meeting with donors (IDEXX and MERCK), and planning the week of activities for the students.”

In addition to a visit to the Critter Fixers Clinic in Bonaire, Georgia, for the second year, 2023 students also got to go behind the scenes at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta for the first time. At Critter Fixers, the students participated in surgery, anesthesia, clinical cases, a suturing lab and other activities coordinated by Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrence Ferguson, both graduates of the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Their clinic is the subject of “Critter Fixers,” a hit show on the National Geographic Channel that follows the daily veterinary routine in their combined large and small animal practice.

I enjoyed every second of it. I met many new friends and got to know some of the faculty on a more personal level, which has been very beneficial to me. As a current Auburn veterinary student, I would say the program definitely helped prepare me for what to expect in terms of being in veterinary school and how much of a responsibility we take on as DVM candidates.”

Allison Rucker

At the Georgia Aquarium, students got an exclusive tour of the exhibits and veterinary facilities; shadowed staff veterinarians as they conducted physical exams on some of the Aquarium’s most visible residents including penguins, stingrays and beluga whales; and shared other experiences throughout the day coordinated by Dr. Gregory Scott, senior associate veterinarian. The field trips were definitely the highlight of the week for most of the students.

“My expectations for this year’s VIP were high, and those expectations were exceeded,” beamed Hutcherson. “The program is meant to enrich and expose attendees to the vast world of veterinary medicine… and give them the tools to be competitive applicants in the veterinary school admission process. I believe this year’s VIP met those goals. Based on the feedback from attendees, they felt the program gave them a newfound appreciation of the profession, a more in-depth understanding of the field and the knowledge to be successful applicants in the admission process.”

Several 2023 participants enthusiastically agreed. Courtney Dunning, now a first-year student in the Auburn CVM, said it reconfirmed her desire to seek a veterinary career. “During my last semester of undergrad studies, I was looking for pre-vet summer program opportunities because I recently started pursuing veterinary medicine my junior year and I needed more experience,” she recalled. “I applied to the program because it offered a lot of hands-on large animal experience as well as panels and discussions about the different types of careers available once you have your DVM.

“The week was very rigorous and interactive,” she added. “It was filled with mini-lectures and even clinical rotations and we were introduced to many of the faculty and had the opportunity to hear lectures in subjects like anatomy and histology. I also enjoyed the clinical rotations because we had the chance to see and talk about actual cases that came to the hospital, as well as interact with the veterinarians from each specialty.”

Having now begun her Auburn veterinary studies, Dunning further noted that the program helped her to better know what to expect once she started. “I recommend the program to anyone considering a career in veterinary medicine because it really is an eye-opener to what vet school is like. Even if you are unsure about vet med, I would still apply. There are a variety of things you can do in this field, and in the VIP program, we explored so many of them in just five days.”

Fellow first-year student Allison Rucker was another VIP participant now enrolled in the Auburn CVM. Like Dunning, she found the program not only a great representation of what to expect, but also reaffirming as to her potential career choice. “I decided to apply because I wanted the chance to broaden my experiences and get a feel for the veterinary program prior to submitting my VMCAS application,” she said. “Auburn was my dream school, so the opportunity was irresistible.

“I enjoyed every second of it,” Rucker added of her VIP experience. “I met many new friends and got to know some of the faculty on a more personal level, which has been very beneficial to me. As a current Auburn veterinary student, I would say the program definitely helped prepare me for what to expect in terms of being in veterinary school and how much of a responsibility we take on as DVM candidates.”

Students and participants aren’t the only ones who have been pleased with the progress of the VIP and see a bright future ahead. “Interest in the program is expanding, for both applicants and individuals interested in sponsoring,” noted Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Melinda Camus. “As such, entry in the program is becoming more competitive and the activities in which students are participating are getting more diverse and robust.

“We would like to continue the program as it is currently, with expansion of activities,” she continued. “The number of participants will remain low, to provide for an individualized, impactful experience.” She was also quick to point out that two participants in the 2023 program — Dunning and Rucker — are now members of the Auburn DVM Class of 2027.

Veterinary Dean Calvin Johnson is another fan of the VIP and is especially proud of how the CVM community has embraced it. “The program continues to build momentum through the enthusiasm of our administration, staff, alumni and partners,” he said. “Some of our best partners have included Critter Fixers, the Georgia Aquarium, Merck, IDEXX Laboratories and the entire CVM faculty and student body. Several of our alumni have stepped up as well to assist. Dr. David Knox ’92 even traveled to Auburn from his practice in Escondido, California, to spend a week as a mentor to the campers this year.”

So what’s ahead for VIP in the future? “We are committed to promoting the veterinary profession as an exciting career option for talented and aspiring students interested in STEM-related disciplines,” Dean Johnson concluded.

“Moreover, we believe that veterinary medicine has the appeal to attract more students into STEM fields. This is a very successful program that is only beginning to reach its potential as a recruitment strategy and support network for building the veterinary profession.”

Application Requirements for the 2024 Summer VIP

• Current Alabama or Kentucky resident
• Rising sophomore, junior or senior college student or recent college graduate
• Minimum 3.0 GPA (on 4.0 scale)
• Career interest in the veterinary profession
• Unofficial college transcripts
• Personal / professional statement
• One letter of recommendation from a college advisor, faculty mentor and /or veterinarian
• Current résumé

Have a Question?

Email admissions@vetmed.auburn.edu for more information.