Flight attendants always remind passengers to secure their own oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs. In veterinary medicine, that translates to students building a solid support system for themselves to ensure they’re able to provide emotional support to clients and patients.
For Patrick Callagy, soon-to-be graduate from OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, the sense of camaraderie among students here was one of the main reasons he chose to stay at OSU for his veterinary doctorate after earning his honors undergrad degree from the College of Science.
“I wanted a place where I could thrive academically — and OSU has such a great veterinary school — but I also wanted a place where I could thrive as a community member, not only in school but throughout the veterinary medicine industry,” he said. “Especially because vet med can be such a hard career choice, I liked how the students supported each other and were able to lean on each other in tough times.”
The field of veterinary medicine can exact a harsh toll on students and professionals, combining the strains of intellectually and physically rigorous work with the unfortunate need to, at times, euthanize people’s beloved animals. Research has shown that veterinarians are roughly twice as likely to die by suicide as the general population.
At OSU, the vet school has many initiatives in place to provide mental health support and resources for students who may be struggling, but as Callagy says, their biggest help is often each other.
“We are really good about connecting with each other, making sure we do have a support system; we’re there for each other in tough times, and there for each other in happy times,” he said. “I know for a fact these are going to be the people that I talk to years and years from now. We’ll be at major life events; we’ll stay in contact.”
Callagy has been heavily involved in giving back to the college during his four years there, helping to lead the organization of annual Pet Day events and serving as president of the OSU chapter of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association.
Each term before finals, the college holds a spirit week full of fun events to boost morale, and when he was chapter president, Callagy said one of his favorite traditions was the “rubber duck hunt,” where they hid around 200 tiny rubber ducks all over the building and awarded prizes to students who collected the most.
Having a strong community will be critical to his success and well-being as he pursues a career in emergency veterinary medicine in San Jose, Calif., where he’s moving after graduation to be closer to family.
“As an emergency doctor, I didn’t realize before I went to vet med how much I’ll touch people’s lives. I’ll be with people sometimes when they have to say goodbye to one of their oldest friends, or when they get devastating news,” Callagy said. “The opportunity to do that is a great thing and an awesome responsibility, and I hope I can bring the level of respect and humility that it deserves.”
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