Madison Baumgartner

As a member of the graduating class of 2024, I am deep into my academic studies. My main two goals while in veterinary school are to focus on learning information rather than striving for the top grades and to remember my reasoning for pursuing this degree. Now that I am experiencing the “drinking from a firehose” quote first-hand, I remind myself to not get bogged down with the vast information that is being provided to us. My goal is to focus on the important topics and ensure I am gaining a deep understanding in the topics taught. While that may not be the path to getting a 4.0, I would prefer a deep understanding of information once thrown out as a new graduate. As for my second goal, I have personally found it difficult to maintain the excitement that I had beginning veterinary school. Second year especially has been very mentally draining, but I have strived to find experiences that remind me of my reason to be in the profession. My job at St. Francis and volunteering with Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS) have provided hands-on experience which reignites my love for veterinary medicine. After May of 2024, my goal is to practice as a food animal general practitioner in rural areas in need of a veterinarian. I am thrilled to one day help the more rural areas get the veterinary care that is needed. Growing up on a beef farm in Bismarck, North Dakota, I understand the difficulty to receive good, reliable, and cheap veterinary care. I hope to provide exactly that wherever I end up. Once I feel ready, I would love to open a practice of my own. Business ownership has always interested me and having the ability to witness my father open a successful construction company has cultivated a desire to follow in his footsteps with my own career path. To prepare myself for the journey of ownership, I have become involved in the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA). I am currently the 2022 National President. In high school, I was president of Future Business Leaders of America. Owning a practice is not just for the extra paycheck as that is not guaranteed. Instead, it will provide me the opportunity to care for animals on my schedule and build strong, personal client relationships. My goal throughout my career in veterinary medicine is to be open and accepting to change. While the path towards achieving these goals may diverge away from what I spoke about above, I am open to all opportunities. Overall, I am delighted to see where the next two years and the rest of my veterinary career will take me.