OSU Veterinary Class of 2020 Moves Closer to DVM Degree

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences recently hosted the Transition Ceremony for the class of 2020. The ceremony confirms that these veterinary students have successfully completed years one through three of the DVM program and announces the beginning of their clinical and final year of veterinary college.

“The transition ceremony for the year three class signifies their move from the preclinical time into the clinics,” said Dr. Daniel Burba, head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. “This is the time where the students take their knowledge and apply it to the clinical medicine. This is an exciting time for the veterinary clinical sciences team. The clinicians really enjoy seeing the new students and they are eager to teach them the new skills and knowledge that they need to graduate.”

The class of 2020 will spend from May 2019 up to graduation in May 2020 going through 17 clinical rotations, each lasting three weeks. All veterinary students must complete core rotations such as anesthesia, food animal medicine and surgery, small animal surgery, and internal medicine (small animal and equine) to name a few. Students then select elective rotations to perhaps further hone a skill or to specialize in an area of interest. Rotations also include externships at a clinic of the student’s choice.

Marianne Caron originally from France and now of Austin, Texas, and Shannon Remerowski of Edmond, Oklahoma, both members of the class of 2020 shared their thoughts on the next leg of their journey to becoming a veterinarian.

“I’m really excited about applying what I’ve learned,” said Caron. “As we shift from the classroom dynamic to teamwork and unity, I’m excited to see how friendships are going to develop and how things can change when we’re all in charge of things. It is also a little scary but I know my classmates and all my professors are really there to support us. So it’s mostly just excitement. I can’t wait to get in there and just apply what I’ve learned.”

“I’m really excited first of all,” echoed Remerowski. “I’m really proud of my classmates and myself for all that we’ve accomplished over the last three years. I’m looking forward to getting to see everything that we’ve learned put into action in the clinics. You see all this stuff in PowerPoints and you read about it in text books and I’m ready to help some animals. I’m secretly looking forward to actually maybe getting to lance an abscess on my large animal rotation! We only have a year left with this amazing team of experts and I want to use that time to learn as much as I can from them to be the best doctor that I can be when I graduate in a year.”

Caron chose Oklahoma State for her DVM degree because she wanted to go to a school for her undergraduate work that also had a vet school.

“When I came to visit Oklahoma State, I fell in love with the campus,” said Caron. “It blew everywhere else that I visited out of the water. So in the end, it wasn’t really a competition. It was Oklahoma State for me.”

Remerowski’s veterinary college selection was based on the veterinarians she knows.

“I chose Oklahoma State because the veterinarians that I trust with my own pet’s healthcare are Oklahoma State grads,” said Remerowski. “I think that our program has such a great reputation among Oklahoma animal owners for producing competent and compassionate veterinarians and that’s the kind of doctor that I want to be. I’m grateful to have had the experience to be a part of the CVHS community as a student. I have been so overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from our faculty and administration to help me achieve my personal career goals. And I think my classmates feel the same way. It’s a really special community of people who really care about each other here and I think that’s what makes us standout as a program.”

“I would like to give the class of 2020 some advice as they move through the hospital during their clinical year,” added Burba. “I know there is going to be times in which things look tough. Long hours treating patients. Maybe disappointment on the outcomes with some of the cases. But always remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel and a year from now, you’ll be walking across the stage. Our goal for the class of 2020 is to enhance their skills and knowledge of veterinary medicine within the clinics and to develop them to be the best veterinarian they can be. We wish the class of 2020 all the best.”

You can watch the Transition Ceremony at Class of 2020 Transition Ceremony.

MEDIA CONTACT: Taylor Bacon | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator | 405-744-6728 | taylor.bacon@okstate.edu