Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Dr. Curtis Eng started his career in a small animal/exotics practice, but the last 20 years of his career has been spent practicing zoo medicine–from elephants all the way down to the tiny poison arrow frog. When he is not practicing medicine in private practice, Dr. Eng is busy passing along his knowledge to students at Western University College of Veterinary Medicine. Learn about how a city kid later grew up to become a zoo veterinarian for a major zoological park and what he plans to tell students at the conference.
Q. What did you like about attending Purdue University - College of Veterinary Medicine?
Being from Washington DC, I enjoyed attending Purdue University in that I got to experience a community that I was largely unaware. I'm a city kid and living in rural Indiana helped me appreciate so much about life. I learned what it means to be a farmer, I learned where the meat that I ate came from and I learned that there is nothing better than Midwest hospitality.
Purdue provided me an excellent education, both with my Bachelors and my DVM degree. While it wasn't a school with a notable exotic program, it did provide me with an excellent foundation upon which to become an experienced zoo vet. It taught me the basics of how to be a good veterinarian, experience that allowed me to apply this education to any animal challenge thrown at me. My education there instilled in me a sense of lifelong learning, leadership and a commitment to giving back to my community.
Q. What would be an interview question you would ask an applicant applying to vet school?
Why should I accept you into our veterinary school when there are so many other applicants that love animals just like you, want to "help" animals just like you and are equally smart? What makes you unique?
Q. How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
For me, I don't know that I really "stood out" as an applicant as my application was pretty typical. I had minimal animal experience, decent, but not outstanding grades, and pretty standard references. Where I may have differed was my plan for being a veterinarian. Instead of just wanting to enter private practice as most of my classmates, I entered with the intent of being either a research veterinarian or a zoo veterinarian. I knew early on that I wasn't destined to work on just dogs and cats as I enjoyed the challenge of non-traditional animals. I suspect this is what made my application unique.
But knowing this and now being on the other side of veterinary school (helping students get in), I advise all my students to "stand out". I think it is critical that applicants to veterinary schools do something to make sure they are unique and unforgettable. Getting into vet school has never been more challenging. There are still over 7 applicants for each vet school position. So separating yourself by extraordinary accomplishments, letters of reference and experiences are now mandatory to get into veterinary school.
Q. What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
My take home message for the students is that if you want to be a zoo veterinarian, it is a long, challenging road, but the rewards of obtaining this goal are just overwhelming. There is nothing comparable to being a zoo veterinarian. I am hoping to provide them a realistic sense of the challenges associated with becoming a veterinarian, specifically a zoo veterinarian. My presentation will give them a real sense of what a zoo veterinarian does for a living and will hopefully dismiss any misconceptions (we don't just sit around playing with tiger cubs).
I'll also talk about what the students need to do to get into the zoo field. They need to see what challenges are ahead of them and hopefully pick up on a few hints to help them through the process. By the end of the presentation, my hope is that each student will either think, "that's the career for me" or "that just isn't what I want to go through". I am not there to turn everyone into a zoo vet, but rather I am there to help students decide if zoo veterinary medicine is a viable career option for them. I believe they will find this presentation most rewarding, if not for the info, at least for the amazing photos.
Don't miss the opportunity to meet Dr. Eng in person at the conference for his presentation on Saturday, October 10. To register for the conference, please click here.
Being from Washington DC, I enjoyed attending Purdue University in that I got to experience a community that I was largely unaware. I'm a city kid and living in rural Indiana helped me appreciate so much about life. I learned what it means to be a farmer, I learned where the meat that I ate came from and I learned that there is nothing better than Midwest hospitality.
Purdue provided me an excellent education, both with my Bachelors and my DVM degree. While it wasn't a school with a notable exotic program, it did provide me with an excellent foundation upon which to become an experienced zoo vet. It taught me the basics of how to be a good veterinarian, experience that allowed me to apply this education to any animal challenge thrown at me. My education there instilled in me a sense of lifelong learning, leadership and a commitment to giving back to my community.
Q. What would be an interview question you would ask an applicant applying to vet school?
Why should I accept you into our veterinary school when there are so many other applicants that love animals just like you, want to "help" animals just like you and are equally smart? What makes you unique?
Q. How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
For me, I don't know that I really "stood out" as an applicant as my application was pretty typical. I had minimal animal experience, decent, but not outstanding grades, and pretty standard references. Where I may have differed was my plan for being a veterinarian. Instead of just wanting to enter private practice as most of my classmates, I entered with the intent of being either a research veterinarian or a zoo veterinarian. I knew early on that I wasn't destined to work on just dogs and cats as I enjoyed the challenge of non-traditional animals. I suspect this is what made my application unique.
But knowing this and now being on the other side of veterinary school (helping students get in), I advise all my students to "stand out". I think it is critical that applicants to veterinary schools do something to make sure they are unique and unforgettable. Getting into vet school has never been more challenging. There are still over 7 applicants for each vet school position. So separating yourself by extraordinary accomplishments, letters of reference and experiences are now mandatory to get into veterinary school.
Q. What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
My take home message for the students is that if you want to be a zoo veterinarian, it is a long, challenging road, but the rewards of obtaining this goal are just overwhelming. There is nothing comparable to being a zoo veterinarian. I am hoping to provide them a realistic sense of the challenges associated with becoming a veterinarian, specifically a zoo veterinarian. My presentation will give them a real sense of what a zoo veterinarian does for a living and will hopefully dismiss any misconceptions (we don't just sit around playing with tiger cubs).
I'll also talk about what the students need to do to get into the zoo field. They need to see what challenges are ahead of them and hopefully pick up on a few hints to help them through the process. By the end of the presentation, my hope is that each student will either think, "that's the career for me" or "that just isn't what I want to go through". I am not there to turn everyone into a zoo vet, but rather I am there to help students decide if zoo veterinary medicine is a viable career option for them. I believe they will find this presentation most rewarding, if not for the info, at least for the amazing photos.
Don't miss the opportunity to meet Dr. Eng in person at the conference for his presentation on Saturday, October 10. To register for the conference, please click here.