Dr. Bland is currently a poultry veterinarian for Cutler Associates, Inc. He attended Oregon State University for both his undergraduate and veterinary medicine degree. There, he developed his passion for poultry medicine and enjoys sharing this passion with students. Click to Read More about Dr. Bland and his passion for poultry.
Q: What factors influenced your decision to pursue veterinary medicine as a career?
A: For me, it was just growing up raising animals (goats, pigs, beef cattle, chickens etc.). When I went to Oregon State University as an undergraduate transfer student interested in veterinary medicine, I had an interview with the veterinary medicine department. It was a short interview in the sense that my GPA wasn’t good enough to apply to vet school. They suggested very strongly that I choose another career. So then I tried speaking with an animal science counselor at the university but they were pretty vague on job opportunities in animal science. But when I walked back to my truck that day, I saw the poultry science building. So I just walked in there and met Dr. Arscott who was head of the poultry science department at the time. He welcomed me with opened arms with job opportunities, scholarships and said “we’ll see you in the fall!” So that’s how I got into poultry and when I mentioned to them that I was interested in veterinary medicine, I met a poultry vet there and I was hooked!
Q: What advice would you offer a pre-veterinary student interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine or in your specific specialty?
A: Firstly, it would be helpful if you had some poultry background (either through 4H or FFA). Second, it would be helpful if you had some academic poultry science education to go along with it. Third, have a good sense of animal husbandry since you are basically dealing with populations. Try to gain any animal husbandry skills (dairy, pigs, equine, goats). Livestock background is helpful for students interested in any kind of livestock medicine. And finally, have common sense! You have to be able to listen to people and be able to handle questions. We investigate problems and you need to have common sense with that. I deal with flocks from 4000 birds to up to a million. You can’t survive in this industry trying to fight fires. Poultry medicine is like preventative medicine - we prevent problems from happening in the first place.
Q How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
A: I think the only reason I got into vet school was my because of my interest in poultry. That’s probably how I stood out since I was different. I was the only student in my class pursuing poultry.
Q: What are you passionate about in terms of your specialty in poultry medicine?
A: 1. Biosecurity – preventing the introduction of poultry pathogens into the farm, and if and when it happens, prevent it from spreading to the other facilities. A lot of what I do is food safety. Dealing with taking care of animals so that they are healthy and they get to the processing plant healthy as a very good protein source for human consumption. 2. Working with students 3. Working with the birds. Since I don’t own any chickens, I see it as heading out to take care of my birds every day.
Q: What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
Q: I would like them to understand that there’s more to veterinary medicine other than small animal practice. That it encompasses a wide range of disciplines. Also, because they will go to vet school to get a doctorate of veterinary medicine, that they will need to learn a little bit about everything in veterinary medicine. Not just dairy or small animal or poultry or general surgery. You need to be able to touch on a little bit of everything. As veterinarians, we have to know a bit about everything and know how to deal with it.
Don't miss the chance to meet with Dr. Bland on Saturday, October 10 at 11:00 am and at the Large/Small Animal Meet Ups at 5:00 pm!
A: For me, it was just growing up raising animals (goats, pigs, beef cattle, chickens etc.). When I went to Oregon State University as an undergraduate transfer student interested in veterinary medicine, I had an interview with the veterinary medicine department. It was a short interview in the sense that my GPA wasn’t good enough to apply to vet school. They suggested very strongly that I choose another career. So then I tried speaking with an animal science counselor at the university but they were pretty vague on job opportunities in animal science. But when I walked back to my truck that day, I saw the poultry science building. So I just walked in there and met Dr. Arscott who was head of the poultry science department at the time. He welcomed me with opened arms with job opportunities, scholarships and said “we’ll see you in the fall!” So that’s how I got into poultry and when I mentioned to them that I was interested in veterinary medicine, I met a poultry vet there and I was hooked!
Q: What advice would you offer a pre-veterinary student interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine or in your specific specialty?
A: Firstly, it would be helpful if you had some poultry background (either through 4H or FFA). Second, it would be helpful if you had some academic poultry science education to go along with it. Third, have a good sense of animal husbandry since you are basically dealing with populations. Try to gain any animal husbandry skills (dairy, pigs, equine, goats). Livestock background is helpful for students interested in any kind of livestock medicine. And finally, have common sense! You have to be able to listen to people and be able to handle questions. We investigate problems and you need to have common sense with that. I deal with flocks from 4000 birds to up to a million. You can’t survive in this industry trying to fight fires. Poultry medicine is like preventative medicine - we prevent problems from happening in the first place.
Q How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
A: I think the only reason I got into vet school was my because of my interest in poultry. That’s probably how I stood out since I was different. I was the only student in my class pursuing poultry.
Q: What are you passionate about in terms of your specialty in poultry medicine?
A: 1. Biosecurity – preventing the introduction of poultry pathogens into the farm, and if and when it happens, prevent it from spreading to the other facilities. A lot of what I do is food safety. Dealing with taking care of animals so that they are healthy and they get to the processing plant healthy as a very good protein source for human consumption. 2. Working with students 3. Working with the birds. Since I don’t own any chickens, I see it as heading out to take care of my birds every day.
Q: What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
Q: I would like them to understand that there’s more to veterinary medicine other than small animal practice. That it encompasses a wide range of disciplines. Also, because they will go to vet school to get a doctorate of veterinary medicine, that they will need to learn a little bit about everything in veterinary medicine. Not just dairy or small animal or poultry or general surgery. You need to be able to touch on a little bit of everything. As veterinarians, we have to know a bit about everything and know how to deal with it.
Don't miss the chance to meet with Dr. Bland on Saturday, October 10 at 11:00 am and at the Large/Small Animal Meet Ups at 5:00 pm!