Currently I’m planning on attending a CLDP trip to London this spring break. We plan on seeing various cultural sites in order to get some insight into London and the United Kingdom as a whole. Other than seeing the sites, I’m looking forward to meeting a Veterinarian from the London Zoo and getting some insight into what a career as a Zoo Veterinarian would be like as well as how the Veterinary profession may differ in other countries.
I also hope to go on a study abroad trip at some point during undergrad. The trip I am currently looking at is a trip to South Africa to learn about wildlife veterinary care on animals we consider exotic. Going on a trip like this would help me gain some more experience in a completely different environment than I can experience in the United States.
Learning how practices are similar and different in various countries can give me some important insight in my future career. For example, if I were to work for a zoo, animals are often transferred between zoos and it is important to understand how the care of the animals will differ from country to country. If I were to work in research or various other veterinary careers, it is also important to know of methods that may be used in different countries because those methods may work better than your own methods in some situations. Going on a trip like this will give me a different perspective and a greater breadth of knowledge.