|
Scott Vanderpoel, a familiar face at our service desk in Pipestone these past two years, will be a veterinary student at the University of Minnesota this fall.
|
It isn’t what he’d originally thought he’d be doing after college; Scott Vanderpoel intended to launch a career in agribusiness working on the marketing side. Then he spent a summer at Pipestone Veterinary Clinic—between his junior and senior year at South Dakota State University (SDSU)—and found a new path.
“I discovered I really enjoy the animal science aspect of animal agriculture. I realized I wanted to be a veterinarian… but I knew I’d have to make some adjustments in order to change career plans,” Scott explains.
That meant more undergraduate classes so he could meet requirements for vet school at the University of Minnesota. His major had an ag-business emphasis, and he needed more science courses.
Landing a job while taking those additional classes seemed important, too, so Scott returned to Pipestone Veterinary Clinic. For two years he’s been learning on the job while absorbing new concepts in the classroom. Scott appreciates the flexibility of working at the vet clinic. “They were nice enough to let me commute to Brookings to take those classes while working here,” he says. Scott also took a summer course in Sioux Falls through SDSU. “Throughout my time here, my passionate interest in this industry has only grown.”
While working and studying, Scott also carved out time to get married last fall. His bride, Jessie, has been working for her family’s farming operation in DeSmet, SD these past months. “We decided she shouldn’t commit to living in a new location until we had an answer about vet school,” says Scott. Now, though, Scott reports Jessie will be job-hunting in the Twin Cities and they’ll be searching for a place to live.
“It’s been a great learning experience”
Scott feels fortunate to make calls with the veterinarians in addition to his work in customer service. “What I’ve liked most about my time at the vet clinic is learning about many species and accumulating a broad knowledge of the industry. I think it would be great to come back here or to someplace like this, when I finish school. I certainly want to practice in an ag-dominant area and hope to be part of food-animal production.”
Some specific experiences stand out. For one thing, Scott didn’t know a lot about sheep when he took the job.
He feels very fortunate to encounter the sheep industry in a clinic sufficiently diverse to allow him to witness sheep procedures most clinics don’t perform. “I’m lucky to have been on hand for a ram vasectomy (this procedure prepares a ram to encourage estrus so a ewe can be successfully inseminated) and ram breeding-soundness exam!” he says.
The enthusiasm in Scott’s voice when he describes travels with professional staff from the vet clinic makes it obvious he’ll enjoy his new career path. Everyone at the clinic wishes Scott all the best in his new career path.
|