Liverpool interview

Question 1

why do you want to be a vet?

Answer 1

• strong connection to animals
• seeing strays in greece made me make a change even at a young age
• want to help those without a voice
• one health very important
• interested in conservation
• work experience showed how rewarding being a vet is

Question 2

why liverpool?

Answer 2

• vet fest on leahurst campus
• amazing high tech facilities
• met great people, students and staff
• emphasis on clinical skills compared to other universities
• professional skills module important as i want to learn how to communicate with owners as well as the vets i saw on work experience
• spiral curriculum works well for how i learn

Question 3

opportunities at liverpool

Answer 3

• research project in year 3 to focus on personal interests
• 3 month exchange program to see a global perspective and diverse cases
• 26 weeks placement is important for emphasis on practical skills

Question 4

fluid rate calculations

Answer 4

• calculated based on weight
  4ml/kg/hour for the first 10kg of mass
  2ml/kg/hour for the second 10kg of mass (11-20kg)
  1ml/kg/hour for any kg of mass above 20kg

Question 5

what skills do you have to be a vet?

Answer 5

• compassion and empathy
• good communication and teamwork- D of E
• practical skills from doing biology and chemistry and scientific knowledge
• ethical point of view

Question 6

pros of selective dog breeding

Answer 6

• reduces inheritable diseases as the genes that contain the disease can be bred out
• it makes dogs better at jobs such as hunting dogs, police dogs by reinforcing stamina
• creates unique breeds which are desired

Question 7

cons of selective dog breeding

Answer 7

• irresponsible breeders- abuse, unhealthy puppies
• reduction in gene pool if inbreeding occurs causing genetic disorders in offspring
• popular sire effect- animals with desired traits is bred repeatedly so undesirable traits spread rapidly

Question 8

what is animal welfare?

Answer 8

assessment of wellbeing related to the 5 freedoms
- free from hunger and thirst
- free from discomfort
- free from pain and injury
- expression of normal behaviour
- free from distress

Question 9

how do you plan to overcome challenges?

Answer 9

• ask other vets for advice
• if not possible, try and stay calm and communicate the information to the owner

Question 10

badger culling

Answer 10

• reduces risk of transmission to cattle
• badgers are carriers of micobacterium bovis so are shot to prevent transmission
• gassing used to be common but is now banned

Question 11

for badger culling

Answer 11

• reduction in bovine tb
• lowers costs for farmers
• science proves that badger culling does reduce bovine tb cases

Question 12

against badger culling

Answer 12

• does not eradicate bovine tb
• kills a protected species
• has consequences on the ecosystem

Question 13

alternatives to badger culling

Answer 13

• badger vaccination
• more and cattle testing
• developing effective cattle vaccines

Question 14

a case seen in a practice

Answer 14

• a cat came in with a large open wound full of maggots
• the decision to put the cat down was made and this was difficult to communicate to the owners but the cat was in a lot of discomfort
• another cat had a bladder stone low down in the urethra and had to be put down as it couldn’t be removed
• very difficult to tell owners as they weren’t expecting it

Question 15

personal strengths

Answer 15

• communication from dofe and job
• curiosity shown from mooc
• compassion one health

Question 16

personal weaknesses

Answer 16

• stressed easily- leads to high performance but not best for my mental health
• to change this i try to chill and do things i enjoy

Question 17

benefits of being a vet

Answer 17

• being able to help and improve animal welfare
• varied career opportunities
• secure profession with global demand

Question 18

challenges of being a vet

Answer 18

• emotional stress of witnessing euthanasia and animal abuse
• high workload and long hours
• physical demands from surgery and moving animals
• salary is lower than human medics which is wrong

Question 19

prefrontal cortex

Answer 19

• proven that damage to pfc can lead to exaggerated emotional response like aggression/ fear
• pfc is repsonsable for emotional regulation which is needed for bonding behaviours

Question 20

greek charities

Answer 20

• animal action greece 1959
• started working with welfare group artemis after greek wildfires
• temporary practice set up in taxarchis- -sterilisation programme

Question 21

stray animals in greece

Answer 21

• shelter on the outskirts of athens is an abandoned house set up by MALA charity
• over 3 million strays in greece
• locals don’t neuter due to costs and lack of education
• recent legislation mandates neutering and stricter penalties for animal abuse

Question 22

next steps for stray greek animals

Answer 22

• increasing public awareness
• support for shelters and organisations
• seek help from international welfare organisations

Question 23

one health

Answer 23

• interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health
• prevents zoonotic diseases by detecting and preventing early
• all 3 components are addressed to lead to better policies that benefit all species
• promotes collaboration across human medicine, vet medicine and ecology
• food safety relies on one health

Question 24

what experience do you have?

Answer 24

• 2 weeks vet practice
• cattery
• dairy farm
• beef cattle farm
• animal sanctuary

Question 25

how do you cope with stress

Answer 25

• i prioritise tasks and if i can’t get everything done then i tell myself that it’s okay, 4 a levels i’ve had to priority certain subjects during times of exams and work experience
• i manage stress by spending time with friends and family, watching movies and listening to mindfulness music and sounds

Question 26

example of working in a team

Answer 26

• D of E, worked to navigate and plan routes and problem solved when we got lost even in extremely hot weather