Five first- and second-year DVM students along with College faculty from the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences journeyed to northern Michigan to help lead the Michigan 4-H Veterinary Science Workshop in February 2018 at the Kettunen Center in Tustin, MI. The workshop was open to teens, young adults, and all MSU Extension staff interested in furthering the success of local and county livestock programs.

The workshop focused on beef, sheep, and swine veterinary medicine, as well as a variety of case studies to help expose participants to the range of veterinary medical specialties, services, and experiences. Though the workshop was only for two days, the knowledge that the College faculty volunteers provided to the participants in attendance was abundant and will be carried into their professional futures.

As volunteers for the workshop, we were asked to prepare and present interactive case studies to the youth. From puppies with diaphragmatic hernias to parasitism in small ruminants, the case studies covered a wide range of topics including a discussion about how to diagnose diseases and disorders and thoughts veterinarians may have as they work up their cases. But the learning didn’t stop there. Participants also had the opportunity to observe a collaborative necropsy by Dr. Dalen Agnew, a renowned reproductive pathologist at the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

The participants also attended educational sessions that were taught by other veterinary leaders. These sessions focused on a wide range of topics and animals of all shapes and sizes. At the end of the weekend, the participants were given the opportunity to ask the College’s faculty anything they wanted, which resulted in a lengthy discussion between the group.

As veterinary medical students who were given the opportunity to volunteer at this workshop, we were not only provided with an incredible networking opportunity, but also given the occasion to exercise the work ethic, knowledge, and skillsets that we’ve gained from our veterinary medical educations thus far. It was the most incredible feeling when a participant would ask a question and we knew how to respond to them. We thought, “Hey! I actually know that!” It was a rewarding moment to share our intelligence with the youth, while also realizing how much we’ve learned as veterinary medical students.

The teens who participated in this workshop were extremely grateful for all the volunteers’ hard work and dedication to putting on the program. We were thankful for a weekend of stimulating conversation with young minds that were hungry for knowledge and truly passionate about veterinary medicine.

“I used to attend the veterinary science workshop when I was in 4-H, so I loved returning as a veterinary medical student to help teach it” says Colleen Porter. “I had a ton of fun getting to talk to kids—hearing all their questions and relating to them through my experiences in 4-H. It was a great way to encourage youth to go into veterinary medicine.”

It also was incredibly rewarding to be able to give back to a program that instilled so much excitement for veterinary medicine in myself when I was younger. I started participating in 4H at a young age, which is when my interest in veterinary medicine began. However, I wasn’t one of those kids who knew that they wanted to be a veterinarian right away; it wasn’t until I was exposed to agriculture—through showing livestock for 4H—that I realized how passionate I am about production medicine.

Working with young aspiring veterinarians is a great way to remind myself of why I joined the veterinary profession in the first place. Seeing young enthusiastic minds working through veterinary cases was an incredible opportunity to re-ignite my own fire and re-kindle my zeal and passion for learning.

Who are the volunteers?

Kathryn Kesler, Dena Letot, Colleen Potter, Joe Sanchez, and Katie Osborne, all DVM students in the class of 2020 who helped lead the 4-H Veterinary Science Workshop.

College faculty: Daniel Grooms, DVM, PhD, ACVM, chair, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences; Kent Ames, DVM, MS, professor emeritus, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences; Marc Kinsley, DVM, MS, DACVS, assistant professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences; Melissa Esser, DVM, MS, DACVIM, assistant professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences; and Dalen Agnew, DVM, PhD, DACVP, associate professor Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation. (In addition, Laura Gurley, DVM class of 2018, assisted with the workshop).