Chris McComiskie

5th Year Student

I grew up in a big family, the second eldest after my sister Aimee, with two younger brothers, Robert and Thomas, and younger sister, Kate. Growing up it was easy to find something to do with so many siblings…much of which often resulted in an injury, broken window or unhappy neighbours, accounting for the premature aging for the dear parentals. I had a number of jobs growing up- starting off as a newspaper boy, the becoming a burger flipper at McDonalds, flowed by a fruit and vegetable enthusiast at the local supermarket…so naturally my next career choice was to become a veterinarian. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Murdoch University Veterinary course and I have never looked back. The five years spent at university was certainly an adventure. My sanity was often questionable but I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a group of equally ‘unique’ and incredibly supportive peers.

What has been your most frightening experience at Vet School?
I think the most frightening experiences were simply end of semester exam periods. It was as so daunting and difficult to comprehend how we would manage to learn such a ridiculous amount of content in a 2 week period (at best). No matter how much study was managed I would always be equally as petrified.

What was your grossest experience while studying to be a vet?
After 5 years of squeezing anal glands, dodging projectile diarrhoea…and failing, lancing cheesy abscesses and going shoulder deep into pregnant cattle I guess we become desensitized to what ordinary (normal) people truly consider to be gross.

What inspired you to become a Vet?
My inspiration for becoming a vet didn’t come from religiously watching Harry’s Practice or fixating on the final scene of Homeward Bound or worshipping a James Herriot novel but more from a simple in-built fascination of animals as a child – the shear diversity of species, an amazement of the senses that go beyond what we could ever comprehend and their ability to communicate in a language we will never fully understand. As I became older this fascination developed into a respect and the privilege of working with animals became something that I aspired to attain.

What was your favourite part of filming?
Can’t go past my Tasmania trip! I count myself to be so incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunity to get involved in the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Program and platypus research project. Such experiences gave me an entirely new appreciation of the value of veterinary involvement in protecting and ensuring the survival of our unique species.