So, what is it really like to study veterinary medicine?
Ever wonder what a day in the life of a vet student looks like? There is so much more to the study of veterinary medicine and surgery than just your course.
University is an exciting time. You’re getting hands-on practical experience in various clinical settings, being taught by leading academics, and building the knowledge you need for an exciting career. But university is not just about studying. It’s also about meeting new people and trying out new things.
That’s why we’ve asked Roy, one of our veterinary medicine and surgery students, to share what a typical day looks like for them.
Meet Roy
Hi, I’m Roy! I’m a fourth-year veterinary student. I really enjoy life as a Nottingham vet student. The University of Nottingham adds a new level of fun to an already varied course by getting you involved with the practical element of veterinary medicine from the very beginning. Your veterinary journey at Nottingham starts from the day you arrive. Here is how a typical day looks for me.
7am
This is when I wake up on a good day. I usually keep time for myself in the mornings and chill. Depending on my mood, I would go for a morning wander around the Sutton Bonington (SB) campus listening to motivational music or go to the sports hall to dunk basketballs giving me adrenaline before the working day begins.
Living on campus allows me to take advantage of both the proximity of the SB Sports Centre and the Vet School. On normal days I can wake up at 8.50am and go directly to lectures.
9am to 1pm
My days are a mix between teaching and practicals. Some days I have lectures and workshops, that involve case scenarios. These are useful for future decision-making as a vet because it helps you to know what options you have when a case is presented to you. Lectures and workshops are usually around 45 minutes, giving us time for a quick snack break, a couple of rallies of ping pong in the vet school garden or half a game of pool in the Barn before the next workshop.
On other days, I have practicals. These vary from an in-person one-hour practical session with three hours of self-directed learning material to spending four hours practising clinical skills in different parts of the campus and the Vet School. These are usually based on what we learned in the lectures that week. Practicals themselves can vary from exploring anatomy on cadavers to clinical exams on horses or vet school cows. No practical day ever feels the same. The staff are always friendly and helpful to give a hand and answer questions.
2pm to 5pm
If I had lectures in the morning, I would usually have workshops or a practical in the afternoon. The length of the day can vary depending on what time your last practical session is. Some finish early and others later and to add flexibility the groups are often switched around and given different times in different weeks or even mixed up with different people. This allows me to meet and work with lots of different people on my course.
5pm to 7pm
Nottingham has a wide range of societies and sports clubs to choose from, they usually begin around 5pm. Some of them are based on SB, which is convenient for SB residents, like me. I run the SB Basketball Society on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I love it because it is a chance to get competitive and take your mind off the day. You get to meet students from other courses as well.
7pm onwards
By 7pm, I’m either catching up on missed work from the day or relaxing with my flatmates. Luckily the library is open 24 hours, so if I need to, I can take advantage of the quieter study times. It has also allowed me to be flexible in managing my time knowing I can use the facility whenever I please thus encouraging me to study.
