Who is this Elliott Garber character, and why should you care enough to stick around for a while?
I am a husband, father, veterinarian, Army officer, public health practitioner, and author.
I married my beautiful wife Becca in January 2010, met my irresistible daughter in April 2011, and welcomed a new baby boy in January 2013.
I graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 2009 with degrees in veterinary medicine (DVM), public health (MPH), and comparative biomedical sciences (MS). In 2013, I passed the qualifying exams to become a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Before that, I spent four wonderful years in Charlottesville studying biology, Spanish, and religious studies at the University of Virginia.
Along the way, I have applied for and won hundreds of thousands of dollars (yes, you read that right) of scholarship and fellowship money, enabling me to pursue my far-reaching dreams of working with an incredible variety of creatures all over the world. This money took me to study zoonotic diseases in India and Mozambique, work with wildlife in South Africa and Australia, contribute to livestock and agricultural development projects in Haiti and Bolivia, learn about marine mammals in San Diego, and practice on zoo animals in Washington, D.C.
I have written for and been featured in the New York Times, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), Veterinary Compendium, Veterinary Practice News, and the Tufts University Magazine.
So what does all this mean for you? Basically, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade over the years, and I would love to share them with the world. I’ve been right where you are, whether that’s as a high school, undergrad, or veterinary student, or even a practicing veterinarian still wondering if there might be something else out there for him or her.
I’ve always loved and will always love dogs and cats, but I never wanted to spend my whole life taking care of their ear infections, skin irritations, and annual vaccines. I want to remind you of and expose you to all the other possibilities within the diverse field of veterinary medicine.
I’m going to help you stay motivated about pursuing your career goals and life dreams, and I will give you the resources you need to actually make it happen.
Don’t worry though; I’m not so conceited as to believe that I alone hold all the secrets to success. I’m really just a fellow traveler, still figuring out my own way.
This leads us finally to the most helpful thing about me, and consequently, this website: I know people who know people. Yep, and I’m going to bring them here to share their stories and secrets with you.
Get excited.
Comments
This sounds wonderful! I truly am interested in what you are doing, and how to get involved! I am an undergrad, currently going through finals week.. hearing about interesting and exciting opportunities for my future allow me to study with intent!
Thank You for sharing!
Kailyn, thanks for following along! It’s been fun to see the excitement that this information can bring for people like you just getting exposed to all the career possibilities within the veterinary profession. Good luck with your studies and let me know if and when you have specific questions.
Just had a nice visit today by Skype with Elliott. He’s the real deal! I’m currently working with Veterinarians Without Borders U.S., and have a long, very interesting, and still very exciting career in veterinary medicine. I can tell you that what Elliott says is absolutely true. Dream big, and expect that you will be able to realize those dreams. Veterinary medicine is a great profession, and really perhaps just coming into its own through the contributions it makes to One Health. Elliott, very nice job!
Thanks for chiming in, Carrie. You’re a great example for so many of us who aspire to have similarly diverse and challenging careers in the great field of veterinary medicine.
i loove your letter (sorry, my English is very bad, i´m Spanish -.-‘) . i am vet student and i´d like to world with wild animals and their conservation. So i´ll read you since now! (?)=(Sorryyyy, my English is very very bad).
Hey Mariana, thank you for your comment! Don’t worry about your English! I would be too nervous to try to post in Spanish on a blog even though I have studied it for eight years. I’m glad that you are interested in my website and in being an “uncommon veterinarian”!
Dear Elliot, you are truly amazing. You are everything I wish to become and I thank you for proving that all of this IS possible. You are a true inspiration 🙂
Wow, Maya, you are very generous! Thank you for your kind words. I still have a long way to go in fulfilling my own dreams, so it’s exciting to have a community of people here to journey alongside me.
I’m sure you’re about to do some more great and amazing things. I currently study veterinary medicine, and I’m sooo happy to have found your blog. I’ve kind of started believing being so “uncommon” in terms of veterinary experience is virtually impossible. You’ve given me some new perspective on things and I’m quite excited about this new-found motivation 😛 And I probably don’t need to tell you motivation is VERY much needed when studying veterinary medicine. Do you have a particular “dream job”, maybe, or is it just a combination of everything you participate in?
I totally understand what you mean about needing motivation as you make your way through school, and that’s a lot of what I’m trying to provide through my website and the links I share on Facebook and Twitter. There are so many inspiring stories and people out there, it’s just a matter of getting connected to them! I’m not really sure what my own “dream job” would be yet. That’s part of the reason I started this site, to help myself learn about all the different possibilities. Thanks again for reading!
Found out about you per chance yesterday and keep trawling back through more stuff. Qualified as a vet a long time to go and getting bit ‘bogged down’ by it all. I love being a vet and would love to be a full time volunteer vet to help out in less well off countries and meet people and explore places. Had started to give up on that dream, but reading your pages has re-ignited a little spark to try and make that dream reality. You seem a very driven guy, but live in the real world- inspirational!
Hey Sandra, great to hear from you. Thank you for your generous words — they are very encouraging. I can totally understand your feeling now after being in practice for a few years, and I know you’re not alone. The tough thing about volunteering full-time is that it doesn’t pay the bills very well! Ideally we would all be able to find a job that does cover our expenses and allow us to save a bit, but also fulfills our desires and dreams to serve the world with our veterinary training. Have you considered looking for a job with one of the organizations that sends veterinary volunteers to work overseas? I know that RAVS in the U.S. has several full-time vets, and other similar organizations in the States, Canada, and Australia also have vets on staff.
Stay inspired, and keep us all posted on how this evolving career of yours progresses!
Hi Elliott. Yes, am starting to look into things a bit more at the moment and trying to come up with a plan of being able to at least incorporate some volunteering work into my year for starters. Will look at the RAVS (thanks for that) and similar organisations. Am sure things will fall into place. Will keep you posted! 🙂
I love that you combine your public health training with veterinary medicine, because the two worlds definitely do intersect. And what great travels you’ve gotten out of it. Very impressive.
Thanks again for stopping by my site. I appreciate it!
Carrie, thank you for your kind comment! It’s been a fun ride so far and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. I’m looking forward to following along at your blog as I keep learning about writing and publishing a novel.
Eliot, your are a model vet that can be inspire others……thanks for your positive personality..
Thank you, Tariq, for taking the time to comment here! I appreciate your support and hope my site can be a helpful resource for you.
Dear Doc,
I will be a 45 yr old freshman this fall pursuing my Psych/Zoo Degrees. I have always wanted to work with Dolphins and/or Zoo animals. When I was a little girl growing up I wanted to be a vet and was wondering…Am I crazy for still considering this feat at my age? LOL If I don’t get that far in my academic pursuits, I still plan on getting my Masters in Ethology and still working with Dolphins or Zoo Animals.
Thanks!
Shelly
Shelly, what a cool story you have! It sounds like you have a realistic understanding of the realities ahead of you. I think it’s a good idea to shoot high but have some good back-up options too. We had some older non-traditional students in my vet school class as well. The rest of us couldn’t imagine how they were able to handle the demands of teenage kids at home with all the coursework and studying, but they made it through! So it’s definitely possible. Thanks for connecting.
Doc,
I saw your guest post over that Kris’ blog “The Murder Lab.” Nice job explaining what you do and how you impact the animal kingdom. I was never smart enough to be a doctor, I appreciate everything folks like you do to keep my animals healthy. Keep up the hard work and looking forward to reading your future novel in 2014.
I’m a pilot and if you ever have questions about aviation, please give me a shout.
rob
Hey Rob, thanks for stopping by! I’ve enjoyed getting connected with Kris and some others over the last few weeks, and I’m looking forward to even more as I get more serious about my book project. I actually already have a helicopter scene that might need a little help, so thanks for your offer!
Anytime, I will be glad to help, if I can.
Hi Elliott,
Thanks very much for providing such a fantastic resource to what is obviously a large population of ‘uncommon’ vets!
I graduated with BVM&S from Edinburgh University in 2011 with the hope of becoming a zoo/ wildlife veterinarian. I had been told that a significant amount of clinical experience was required in order to accomplish this, so I took up a job with a small animal veterinary practice near my home in Somerset, UK. Unfortunately, due to a lack of adequate support from my more qualified colleagues, in addition, probably, to a reduced interest, on my part, in pet medicine, as supposed to what I deemed to be the more exciting zoo version(!), I quickly succumbed to the stresses of working in a busy practice with demanding clients. I lost all enjoyment in my work, and rapidly moved on after only a few months. To give clinical work one last try I started a one year small animal veterinary internship in a private referral hospital, also in the UK, which I have just finished, having enjoyed my experience immensely and having made some great friends along the way.
I have now come to a distinct crossroads in my career.
I know that, at least for the moment I would like to do something other than typical clinical veterinary medicine, I have significant interest in entering into the field of research and want to go further towards achieving my career goals of playing some role in:
-Improving the efficiency and sustainability of current agricultural methods.
-Conserving and improving natural habitats and wildlife populations, whilst maintaining and further utilising the ecosystem services they provide to dependant human populations.
-Essential to both of these I have an intense interest in zoonoses and emerging infectious diseases and want to play a significant part in furthering work within the ‘One Health’ concept of surveillance and research, in order to gain insight from, and potentially reduce, the ‘spill over’ of infectious disease from wildlife to domestic animal and human populations, and vice versa.
The problem is that most of the roles I am interested in require further post grad qualifications, such as masters/ PhDs, and I dont feel ready for a PhD (since I’m unsure of exactly which field I want to go into- although I have a heavy interest in genetics/ evolution/ conservation). I would love to do a masters, and have many in mind, but I simlpl dont have the cash. (And I really dont want to go back into practice even as a locum!)
Can you offer any specific advice further to that on your site (which I’m currenty making my way through as we speak!)
Many thanks- sorry this is a bit of an essay!!
Laura
Hey Laura, you sound to me to be the typical “One Health veterinarian” at heart. There are a lot of fabulous opportunities here in South Africa in that context, especially at the Onderstepoort Vet Faculty. There is a One Health Masters programme currently running, you might wanna check that out. There is also a One Health workshop going on in South Africa as we speak, and it has attracted a lot of young folks from Europe and Africa, a sort of intercontinental melting pot of future leaders. Furthermore, you can look up Sokoine University Tanzania, they have a One Health research programme in collaboration with UC Davies California.
Thank you for this great site!! I am headed off to veterinary school this fall (after a long road of changing careers), and appreciate the wealth of resources you have provided. I was originally incited to pursue vet med due to a passion for captive wildlife, but I lost my way, coming to believe that general practice would be the most sensible option. However, after several months of backpacking South America (my last hoorah before vet school!), my love of wildlife and remote places has been reinvigorated. I am grateful for this site, a reminder that exciting alternative careers ARE possible in this awesome field!
Alison
Sounds great, Alison! Your trip through South America must have been so much fun, and I’m glad it has served to re-inspire you prior to starting off on this next step in the fall. Hope you’ll stick around!
Hey!
I’m new to the site but it’s looking pretty awesome so far. I am a Zoology undergrad with hopes of vet school and hopefully not a too big mountain of debt. I’ve been looking in the HPSP, but am not sure if it’s for me as of yet. I read your Army Veterinarian Parts 1, 2, and 3 posts, and it all sounds great except for the possibly not serving as a veterinarian part. Have you written any other posts about being a military veterinarian?
Thanks for posting about this!
I have now! You can find all my Army veterinary posts at this link:
http://www.elliottgarber.com/category/funding/army-veterinarian/
I don’t know where my dogs would be without their “common” vet who updates their shots, deals with the stuff the eat, and their ear infections, and holds my hand through all this. I admire the work you do, and was especially intrigued by the NYT article that I read this morning about Dimont and you. Thank you for writing!
Beth, thank you for this comment! You’re absolutely right about the incredibly valuable role all the “common” vets play in our world. In fact, most of my current work in the Army is doing this same basic clinical work for military families’ dogs and cats. It’s not that I don’t appreciate this role, but the purpose of my website is to help shine a spotlight on all the other options out there within the veterinary profession. The traditional small animal practitioners have plenty of resources and media attention every day: check out leaders like Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Ernie Ward, and Dr. Andy Roark. I love following those guys too. I’m just trying to provide a little window into the “uncommon” veterinary world for those who are interested in other career options.
Hi Elliott — I came across your website today…. after a very, very long weekend on-call.
I’ve been a practicing small animal veterinarian for over 13 years and hitting a wall for the 15th time, thinking about throwing in the towel. I moved back to my hometown (didn’t ever think I would) to raise my amazing kids. My husband fell in love with this area, due to his love of hunting. As an adult, my eyes opened up to the beauty of this area and I would never want to be anywhere else (South shore of Lake Superior). My husband is a busy attorney and an avid mtn. biker, skier, hunter….. I’m an athlete also (running and crossfit). Our family and sports keep us extremely busy during non-working hours. However, the stress of on-call is too much. I knew that on-call would be difficult but I was told I would get used to it. This didn’t happen and my anxiety is worse. I get angry at all the people that wait 3 days of illness to call me at 2am (yet I have to bottle it up and put on a happy face). The vet who told me I would get used to it, no longer practices ;(
The closest 24 hour emergency center is 4 hours away and our population would never support an ER clinic. We are the busiest clinic in the area. So all vets in the area take call and my boss doesn’t want to share call w/ another clinic. If I go to another clinic, I would have more on-call days (less doctors). There are only 3 clinics in our town. I would quickly start my own clinic, if I didn’t have to take call at night. Anyway… long story.
So, I’m hoping to find more opportunities or ideas to use my degree, knowledge, experience. I’ve been pretty pessimistic about being a rural vet and I hope to find a solution (soon!). Thanks for your site — I hope to get the creative juices flowing to figure this out.
Thanks for sharing your story, Kelly. Unfortunately it seems to be a fairly common one. I’m only on call for my military working dogs and really can’t imagine the stress of having to deal with emergencies on a more regular basis like you are doing now.
The geographical ties do make it more difficult to branch out into other areas of our profession, since many of these “uncommon” jobs are focused in bigger cities or at least academic centers. Difficult, but not impossible. Have you ever considered teaching? I know of a few vets who teach part-time animal courses at local community or other small colleges. How about providing your veterinary expertise in some way over the phone or internet? Not in treating individual patients, of course (that’s illegal!) but consulting in some other way?
There’s always the chance that you could find a job with APHIS or FSIS or a local health department, too.
Good luck with the search and keep us updated on how it’s going!
Hi Dr. Garber,
I am in my 4th year of veterinary medicine at a school that does not offer an MPH. I am finding myself more and more interested in an MPH or MS, but haven’t formally done anything with it because I always felt like the field was too small and I didn’t feel as “passionate” as some of my other peers who dove in right as vet school started. Now I’m feeling like I’ve missed out. Does it matter where I get my MPH? Or is there any other high demanding field that involves zoonotic diseases and possibly research? I’ve been told biostatistics are in high demand. I’m interested in getting started, but I feel like it’s too late for me since I would have almost no one who could write me a (good, relevant) rec letter since my interest has remained pretty silent up until now. Advice?
I just discovered your site today and I’m hooked! I graduated this past may with a BS in Biology and am working hard to figure out my path to a career in public health/ conservation medicine. I’ve applied to Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine for Fall 2014 and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an acceptance. Unfortunately, on paper I’m not an ideal candidate. My undergraduate GPA was thoroughly average and aside from a summer job working as a vet tech assistant last year and raising a Guide Dog puppy in training during my senior year of college, my practical experience is limited. Hands-on experience beyond working in a small animal practice is hard to come by in the Los Angeles area. I was wondering if you might be able to give me some advice as to how I might make myself a better candidate if and when I reapply for Fall 2015. Thank you again for creating this site! It was difficult to find information on alternative careers in Veterinary Medicine, and reading through the posts on this site has renewed my resolve and given me new hope that I’ll someday be able to reach my goal.
Hi Annie – I just replied more personally by e-mail but here’s some of the meat of my response:
It sounds like the hands-on experience and quality recommendations will be key in convincing admissions committees of why you are a good candidate. The best way to do this is by making whatever sacrifices are necessary to secure some unique experiences now.
A large number of the organizations and people offering externships for veterinary students will also accept other types of “interns” in certain situations. The experience might be called something different (wildlife rehab internship vs wildlife medicine externship, for example) but in reality the students will be doing pretty similar things. You might end up cleaning more cages and doing feedings instead of actually getting to draw much blood with the vet, but you’ll still be working right alongside the vets and developing relationships that can turn into quality references and connections further down the road.
I would go ahead and take a look at the externship information pages below and spend some time exploring the different types of opportunities that are out there. Then shoot a quick e-mail to the externship coordinator at each one letting them know of your interest and asking if they would consider accepting a highly motivated pre-vet. Then start submitting those applications, to as many places as you can. I applied for far more things than I’ve been selected for, so you’ll increase your chances of success by getting a bunch of early applications in now.
Given your interest in public health, you should also look into internships or even an entry-level job at the county or state public health office. I know that Los Angeles county has at least one veterinarian on staff, as she recently wrote an interesting article on rabies that I shared last week:
http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2013/11/22/when-rabid-dogs-roamed-the-streets-of-l-a/chronicles/who-we-were/
There are a few good resources that have links to all most of the formal veterinary externship programs that are out there.
The American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians has a running list of internship opportunities (scroll through the jobs first) here:
http://www.aawv.net/jobs.html
The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians has a similar list here:
http://www.aazv.org/?337
Ohio State University has a nice site at:
http://vet.osu.edu/education/electives
And the AVMA’s, which you can get through my little article about it here:
http://www.elliottgarber.com/veterinary-externships-database/
If you are willing to consider a longer commitment, you could look into programs like the Fulbright fellowship or the Peace Corps, in which you could design a program working with interesting veterinarians overseas while definitely padding your vet school application in a big way.
Thanks again for writing!
Hi Elliot,
First and foremost, thank you for this site. You are doing an amazing service for veterinary applicants and students. As such, I’d very much like to chat with you about your thoughts on recruitment of the veterinary profession, as well as some other initiatives we work on here at AAVMC. You are a positive resource, and would love to find ways to leverage that positivity.
Tony Wynne
Director of Admissions & Recruitment Affairs
Director of the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS)
Hi Elliot,
Thanks for putting up this very inspiring site, I am a veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College, London, currently doing my clinical rotations. It is my career and academical aim upon graduation to work my way into wildlife and exotics, and this year I have specialised my research paper in this field.
I wondered if you knew anyone in particular who specialises in wildlife and exotics that would be amenable to having a vet student come and work alongside them for a matter of weeks?
Many thanks for your help and again for putting up this addictive website
Adam
Love your blog! I am currently a vet student in Grenada at St. George’s University and I just came across a few of your posts today. I’ve always wanted to go into exotics but I don’t have much experience in that field. I’m only in my first year, but I’ll be taking an exotics class 3rd year I believe.
I’ve actually been trying to find summer externships so I can gain some exotics experience as early on in vet school as possible. However, it seems as though most of them are looking for more experienced (3rd year) students. Do you have any advice about what I can do this early on? Also, I want to gain more experience in the research field. As I said before, I feel as if they only want upper term vet students to work alongside them.
Thanks for sharing your amazing stories on your blog! It’s a pleasure reading them!
Maria
Good questions, Maria. You’re right that some summer internships are more interested in more senior students, but in my experience it’s definitely possible to find situations that would take you as a first or second year. You just need to convince them of why you are a good candidate. How are you going to contribute to their work? Do you have good recommendations from other people you have worked with, to prove that you will be more of an asset than a burden? Another big factor is the funding. If you can provide your own funding, through a research grant, scholarship, etc, you will have a much easier time than if you are looking to your host to cover your expenses. Good luck!
Hi Elliott,
I just wanted to let you know that I featured your about page on my blog post about writing a good About page.
Let me know if that is not alright, and I will remove it.
Thanks,
Kristie Hill
dreamyambitions.com
Thanks for featuring my page! I’m honored that you thought it was good enough to be included in the list.
Hi Elliott,
I found your blog today and it was a real encouragement. On the second try, after a year of patience and persistence, I’ve been accepted to Kansas State University to begin vet school in the fall. I am now one step closer to my career goals. My attention has now turned to setting up a successful application and becoming as competitive a candidate as possible for the HPSP Army Vet Corps Scholarship. I would love to talk with you further and glean your wisdom, helpful information, or potential contacts. Your willingness to help is fantastic and much appreciated!
Thank you,
John Brandsma
Hi Elliot,
The work you do with animals truly inspired me. Even more the fact that you love to share your experiences with other people. I am currently an undergraduate student, about to begin my junior year, living in New Jersey. It has been a long journey for me. I have always wanted to become a veterinarian, but the only thing that stopped me was my allergies to cat dander. Thus, I chose to become a pediatrician. Just recently, I truly though about what I saw myself as in 30 years. The answer was very clear to me. I did not see myself working healing humans, but healing exotic wildlife animals (at a zoo or an aquarium). I now know my true calling is to become a wildlife or aquatic veterinarian, and that is exactly what I will do. My dream has also been to travel to Australia and work with their awesome and unique animals. You have inspired me to keep going, and that my dreams can come true. One has to just keep fighting for ones dreams and never give up.
Thank You,
Kimberly Guzman
Hi Elliot
I’m just entering my clinical years of vet school (Royal Veterinary College, London) and am hoping to move into wildlife medicine, zoonoses and the wildlife-livestock disease interface once I graduate (in three years time). I have experience with smaller wildlife and some birds but would like to expand on this. Do you have any recommendations for clinical placements (anywhere in the world) where I can gain experience before I graduate? Also are there any other specialised skills I should start cultivating now in order to present a good job application when I graduate? Thank you.
Hi Elliott!
What an inspiring blog to come across!! I am hoping to enter HUMAN medical school in the fall, but am also absolutely devoted to wildlife/ecosystem conservation and public health. Do you have any input for what you think the roles of human physicians is in wildlife/ecosystem health? And One Health? I am hoping to some way, some HOW, bridge the gap between human health and ecosystem health, in whatever way I can to save our wilderness. If you have any input from your education and travels, I would appreciate it endlessly!
Kindest Regards,
Jessica Arconti (Also the social media manager for COMACO_ZAMBIA)
Hi Elliott,
I came across your blog after a few hours of intense research on the career path you chose. I am in my first year of vet school at the Nebraska/Iowa program. I would love to get your email address and ask you some questions.
Thank you!
Amanda Downey
Hi Elliot!
I heard about your blog from the APVMA Facebook page. I love your blog and am considering applying for the Army scholarship! I am only a first-year undergrad, but am trying to get a head start and look at all options available. I heard that you are stationed in Coronado, and I am originally from San Diego and will be heading home next weekend for winter break. If you are not too busy, and will still be in town I would love to get a chance to talk to you more about your experience being an Army Vet!
Sincerely,
Marisa Ellison
Hi Elliott,
Thanks for taking the time to speak with our rotation group this morning. It was great to hear you elaborate on some different opportunities available within the profession, as well as your life experiences. I have never been satisfied with only one focus, so hearing of these side projects and how you have managed them was very motivating. All the best in the future!
Cheers,
Evan
Hi Elliot am Daniel from uganda,am 20yrs a student of Vet l do have a certificate in vet currently and am planning jo join diploma this year at makerere university but l just lack tuition.Do you have any sporships?am well equiped with practical work.Thanks
Hi elliot!
I’m currently a junior in high school and would love to pursue a vet carrer in the army! Can you tell me about your vet school expirences?
Thank you Mr.garber for your wonder information about vertinary science.This is Gopinath from india,one of the leading job site published a notice that there is a job opening in Elliot garner farm.I want to know that this is a true information from Elliot garner farm.kindly revert me back if possible
(Sorry for my poor English)
Thank you,
Gopinath