The Vet Gazette continues its “Spotlight on Students” feature this week by focusing on Caitlin Obren, a junior in the Purdue Veterinary Nursing Program. Caitlin serves as president of the Veterinary Nursing Student Organization (VNSO) and has always loved Purdue University. Even as a child, she dreamed of working in the veterinary field and being a Boilermaker.
Most of Caitlin’s family attended Purdue, which led her to be passionate about being a Purdue student and dedicating herself to her studies. As a Purdue freshman, Caitlin began volunteering in Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s oncology service and she said that’s when she realized she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She said one thing that makes a PVM education distinctive is that students are able to spend so much time in the hospital perfecting skills. She loves how she and her classmates receive so much valuable experience before entering the workforce. Caitlin noted that by the end of her fourth year, she will have spent more than 1,300 hours in clinical rotations.
Caitlin said she appreciates how she has been able to learn about a variety of practice areas, because of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s role as a specialty referral hospital. Her experiences with hospital cases have sparked her interest in such areas as physical therapy, emergency and critical care, and oncology. She also said she loves being a veterinary nursing student because the excellent veterinary nursing instructors are so willing to help the students achieve success.
Caitlin also explained that as president of VNSO, she has been able to develop better leadership skills. “I definitely have noticed myself becoming more responsible and a better leader,” Caitlin said, looking back on her term as president.
Caitlin’s formative experiences with PVM make her excited about her future career in the veterinary nursing field. She has yet to decide whether to pursue a specific specialty area, and looks forward to starting out in general practice. As she gains work experience, she wants to further develop her skills and interests and possibly pursue a specialty designation.