Madeline Zutz

In 15 short months, I will have the letters D.M.V. behind my name. So will 88 students in my veterinary school class. How these letters are utilized will vary from student to student and yet they are a part of our legacy.
As I enter my 4th year of veterinary school, I have decided to track food animal medicine with my passion focused on dairy practice. The trajectory of the dairy industry is looking for veterinarians who can perform skills that are advanced, since farm employees are capable of many of the jobs historically done by a veterinarian. In addition, our farmers are seeking sustainable practices to both stay in business and meet the requests of consumers. Fittingly, I have a keen interest in advancing/increasing calf health screening systems to reduce morbidity/mortality rates. This niche area I’ll pursue, creates more sustainable farming practices and adds value to my veterinary role. In addition, I enjoy working with swine, poultry, camelids, and small ruminants. I am searching for career opportunities that fill community needs of rural veterinary services and will continue to keep my deep passion for dairy medicine at the heart of my career by prioritizing scheduled time for herds who want to improve their calf health programs.
When I begin my career, I will concentrate on gaining credibility with my clients, enforcing and enhancing the knowledge and skills I gained in school, and appreciating, first-hand, the relationship a veterinarian has with their clients and community. As my career develops, I believe my greatest impacts will be through education, advocacy, and advancing research. These will be achieved through volunteering my time at public education events or producer conferences, advocating for the agricultural industry by supporting/educating legislators (e.g. AVMA PAC), and providing farm individualized research trials or working with industry representatives to collect research data.
A mainstay throughout my life is my passion to serve, which is reflected in my position as the SAVMA President and back to my experience as a 4-H ambassador serving my local community. Ways I plan to continue serving is by staying active in the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association and actively offering shadowing/mentorship to students (similar to my work with CFANS mentor program) – with a focus on students from minority and/or urban populations who may lack connections to a food or mixed animal veterinarian. I have received training through The League of VetaHumanz Role Model Certification Course as a basis for future mentorship opportunities.
I am a 3rd year veterinary student with a plan to tend to the veterinary service needs of my local community, promote and advance sustainable agriculture practices, stay active in both local and national organizations that impact veterinary medicine, and facilitate mentorship opportunities. In 15 short months I will be a D.V.M.; I will have a few extra letters next to my name and these are a few ways I will utilize them towards my legacy.