The main reason I have dedicated my life to the profession of veterinary medicine is due to my belief in the true interconnected nature of the field to everything around us. As a veterinary student, the opportunities after graduation are endless – private practice, production medicine, research, public health, you name it. Unfortunately, something we are lacking awareness of is the necessity and opportunity for veterinary professionals in the field of public policy and governmental relations. While I have always had an interest in these things, the AVMA Legislative Fly-In that I attended this past weekend confirmed that it is truly an inherent passion of mine to advocate for both those who have no voice and for the veterinary profession as a whole, something I have dedicated my life to. Through this conference, I was able to speak with legislative officials of many backgrounds and knowledge levels in regards to veterinary medicine and animal welfare. This greatly improved my communication skills and allowed me to refine my abilities of sharing with others with no background what I am passionate about and why I care. Additionally, I had the amazing opportunity to hear from two Congressmen (Congressman Schrader and Congressman Yoho) who have their veterinary degrees but serve in Congress in different political parties and on different committees. I believe that this was a true example of how diversity can exist and should be encouraged within the field. While these two men carried severely differing opinions of things like foreign affairs and the economy, they were still able to work together to share with the rest of the world the importance of veterinary medicine and the integral role that veterinarians play in many facets of society. Together, they have been able to create and pass legislature involving things such as the outlawing of horse soring and the initiation of the One Health bill which would provide a framework for disease outbreak surveillance and monitoring. I was also able to make contacts with other veterinary students across the country who shared my passions but also brought in different views and ways of thinking. Overall, I think this was a fantastic way to promote diversity and communication in the field of veterinary medicine and I definitely see many future opportunities to share the skills I have learned at this event with my friends and colleagues around me.
Do you have an interest in lobbying, public policy, or international relations? Feel free to reach out with questions or any cool experiences you've had in these fields - I'd love to hear from you!
Be like a lion,
Heidi
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