In this post, Moriah McCauley, a fourth year vet student, explains why she developed a highly successful podcast, That Vet Life, during her studies…
During my last two and a half years as a veterinary student at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, I have been granted opportunities to work alongside, and learn from, professionals in the field. As a student, you feel like you have been welcomed into a world that, up until now, was kept behind closed doors, and it makes for an exciting and inspiring experience. Through these experiences, these veterinarian professionals have become mentors and close friends, and they have taught me the life lessons that can only be provided by someone who has lived them.
One of my favorite things to do while on placement with these vets is to simply hear their stories and watch their eyes light up with excitement as they get to impart this knowledge to the next generation of veterinarians like myself. These are the vets that have Inspired, Encouraged and Challenged me thus far in my veterinary career and I wanted to find a way to share this knowledge with other vet students and veterinarians.
But how?
Podcasting
I hadn’t known too much about podcasting, other than I knew it existed, but I was completely unaware of the full scope of its sudden popularity until I did the smallest amount of research. With the rapid growth and accessibility of consumable content, podcasting has quickly become one of the most popular forms of media. This is due to the fact that people can listen to a podcast absolutely anywhere. For a content creator like myself, podcasting is the wild west in that it is so new there aren’t really any rules as to how they should be formatted for audiences, so you can make them whatever you want them to be. This is partly what drew me to choose to develop a podcast. I needed a medium through which content could be created quickly, reliably, distributed widely and could be easily consumed by the audience and podcasting offered just that.
I presented the idea of an educational veterinary podcast to my university and quickly gained support from Prof. Susan Rhind, who then provided the opportunity to apply for and gain support through the Student Partnership Agreement, which is offered through the University. My simple idea quickly became a reality and That Vet Life was created!
Each episode consists of an interview with a vet student, veterinarian or an industry professional in which we discuss their own personal story and experiences within the veterinary profession. For veterinary students it provides an insight to the profession they will soon be a part of as students and veterinarians share their stories of transitioning into their first job, as well as the variety of career options that are available within the veterinary profession.
In the six months since its conception, That Vet Life has hosted individuals from all over the globe who have shared their knowledge and experience on topics pertinent to the members of the profession. Guests have included professionals such as:
- Creator of VetX, the professional development hub: Dr. Dave Nicol
- Veterinarian and DJ: Dr. Abhishek ‘Shake’ Chatterjee
- R(d)SVS graduate: Dr. Ross Henderson
- Nightwatch, the world’s first smart halter developer: Jeffrey Schab
… and that is to name just a few.
Even in its early stages, That Vet Life has received wonderful feedback from veterinarians, vet students, and even the general public outside of the profession. It has thus far shown how the sharing of ideas and experiences can educate and unite the profession, and I look forward to continuing to provide this resource to the new generation of veterinarians.
Anchor is the main distributing platform for That Vet Life, but you can also access content on Instagram and WordPress.
Moriah McCauley is a current fourth year student at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. From an early age, she knew veterinary medicine was her vocation because of how it merged her love of working with people and animals. Outside of her studies, Moriah is actively involved in the profession through her involvement with SAVMA (Student American Veterinary Medical Association), BVA (British Veterinary Association), VetPALs (Veterinary Peer-Assisted-Learning), and other representative and community volunteer positions. Upon earning her veterinary degree from Edinburgh, Moriah plans to return to the States to practice veterinary medicine.
