Meg Butterworth grew up in Falls Church with a dog, and she always wanted to go along to the vet. Today she is a fourth-year student at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, the only veterinary school in Virginia, and her path shows how to become a veterinarian in Virginia.
Meg has also been a veterinary assistant at Town and Country for years. She tells her story in Episode 1 of The Vet School in Our Backyard, a series we made together with the college to introduce it to Northern Virginia families. Dean Dan Givens and our owner, Dr. Reed Hall, a 1996 graduate, join her.
Register for the free October 14 webinarBook a Fear Free Appointment
Call or text us at (703) 273-2110.
Where do you go to vet school in Virginia?
Blacksburg. The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine is a partnership between Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, and it is the only veterinary school in Virginia. Each class saves 50 seats for Virginia students and 30 for Maryland students.
Meg liked the distance. “Virginia Tech was just far away enough that I felt like they wouldn’t want to come visit me all the time,” she says, “and it was just close enough that I knew if I needed them to come visit me, they could.”
How long does it take to become a veterinarian?
Eight years after high school. Dean Givens says this is what surprises people most: vet school is four years on top of four years of college, and it ends in a doctorate, the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Meg started her fourth and final year this fall. In her words, that is “crazy to say.”
How do you get started before vet school?
Ask your own vet. Meg did, and the veterinarians who cared for her dog told her, “there’s a vet school at Virginia Tech.”
Then get hands-on time. A clinic took Meg on as an assistant one summer before she had ever worked at one. The first time she drew blood from a patient, she got the vein on the first try, and everybody in the room clapped. She has been a veterinary assistant at Town and Country for years.
How is Town and Country connected to the college?
Dr. Hall graduated from the college in 1996, and he still remembers almost crying over his first sutures until Dr. Spencer Johnston told him to hold his hands flat. “It was just how well the teachers taught you,” he says, “and the professors, how much they cared about you.”
He sees students from Northern Virginia go to Blacksburg and come home to practice near the people they grew up with, and he says that builds a better sense of community and trust. Meg feels the same. “I know that I want to come back to this Northern Virginia area,” she says, “because it’s what I know and love.”
What is next for the college’s teaching hospital?
The Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg sees more than 16,000 pets a year. Virginia Tech has approved a $63 million project that renovates and expands about 52,000 square feet of the hospital, with construction from spring 2027 to spring 2029.
Virginia Tech is hosting Expanding Into Tomorrow: Approved and In Motion, a free live webinar about the project, on Wednesday, October 14, from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern on Zoom. Dean Givens and members of the college, including the lead architect, will walk through the design and take questions. Dr. Reed Hall is on the panel. You can register free on the official event page.
What comes next in the series?
Episode 2, Why It Matters to You and Your Pet, and Episode 3, Building What’s Next, are coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a vet school in Virginia?
Yes, one. The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg is the only veterinary school in Virginia. Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland run it together.
How long does it take to become a veterinarian?
Eight years after high school: four years of college and four years of veterinary school, which ends in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
Is the October 14 webinar free?
Yes. It runs from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern on Zoom, and you can register free on the official event page.
Is Town and Country Fear Free Certified?
Yes. Town and Country is a Fear Free Certified Practice. Book a Fear Free Appointment online or call or text (703) 273-2110.
How do you book a Fear Free Appointment at Town and Country?
Book a Fear Free Appointment online at townandcountryanimalh.com/schedule-appointment, or call or text us at (703) 273-2110.
Register for the free October 14 webinarBook a Fear Free Appointment
Call or text us at (703) 273-2110.
Need help after hours?
Our sister hospital, Columbia Pike Animal Hospital & Emergency Center in Annandale, is open 24/7 with no additional emergency fee. Call the 24/7 ER at (703) 256-8414
Town and Country Animal Hospital, 9836 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030. Love People. Love Pets.