Abigail Hammond’s Pursuit of Veterinary Medicine: A Calling For the Health Science Majors

By Kalli Kauffman (BA 27)

In every one of us, God plants a passion that leads us to our eternal purpose. If you’re pursuing a health science major with a concentration in pre veterinary medicine, learn about alumna Abigail Hammond, a former biology major and chemistry minor who God guided into the field of veterinary medicine. 

The Transition into Grace

Hammond was raised in the Chicago suburbs of Joliet, Illinois, with her parents and two sisters. While growing up, her love for God and animals blossomed as she remained rooted in her youth group and local church.

 “I was thankful to be raised in a Christian home where I learned how to make my faith my own,” said Hammond. 

When transitioning to high school, Hammond felt passionate about teaching in elementary school. During this time in her life, she took a child development class that prepared her to teach in a preschool classroom and create lesson plans. But that summer, life took a turn. To fill her free time, Hammond was offered a job at a veterinary practice. 

“Once I realized how much I loved being able to take care of animals — and more importantly, helping families and serving their needs in the best way that I could, that’s really what solidified my calling of becoming a veterinarian,” said Hammond. 

Trusting the direction God set for her, Hammond eventually discovered Grace through a Millennial Scholar Academy (MSA), a Grace program focused on serving the Winona Lake community and providing scholarships to out-of-state students. She first settled in Winona Lake after a retreat with MSA. Eventually, she attended Grace’s Welcome Weekend, a foundational event for first-year college students to develop friendships and get involved in campus culture. 

“When Welcome Weekend came around, my family visited and became immersed in the activities they had planned for those couple of days,” said Hammond.

Over the course of the next three years, while maintaining a heavy class load, Hammond enjoyed spending time with friends and served in a variety of leadership positions; she helped lead a club called “Dance for Him” and also served as a lab assistant for the biology department on campus. In her spare time, she often studied with other peers and routinely spent her time at the campus coffee shop.

“I served quite often during my time at Grace. I was happy being able to build a wide variety of relationships with my peers, my classmates, and my dormmates,” said Hammond.

Pursuing Veterinary Medicine

After graduating with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry, Hammond felt confident to pursue a career as a vet. While she did not pursue a health science major, Hammond developed skill sets in numerous facets during her time at Grace, including communication and leadership, that prepared her to handle a rigorous profession of veterinary work. 

She went to Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Tennessee, where she continued to enhance her skills in veterinary medicine. While pursuing her degree, Hammond took advantage of an internship program to develop her skills in the field. 

“The program was mainly to see how these different hospitals function. It also helped to give me insight into what I want to do in my life long term,” said Hammond.

As Hammond continued pursuing her license, she also started working in Louisville, Kentucky. Her program at LMU didn’t have a hospital to teach students, so while working towards her degree, she went through many clinical rotations, moving to hospitals all around the country. 

One of the hospitals she was sent to during her final year was Jefferson Hospital in Kentucky. Originally a general practice, COVID-19 moved them to transition into a 24/7 emergency hospital. There, she found her next job. 

“During my rotation, I absolutely loved working there,” said Hammond. “It was wonderful in so many different ways.”

At Jefferson Hospital, she worked in emergency medicine. After working there for two years, Hammond wished to move closer to her family. McAfee Animal Hospital, a private general practice in Indiana, opened up a veterinary position. Through a set of contacts, the hospital was informed about Hammond, and she was eventually offered the job. After accepting the position, she relocated to Indiana and is now a devoted staff member of the McAfee team. 

In her new job, she works on a day-to-day basis, providing wellness check-ups for beloved pets, administering preventive vaccinations, managing chronic diseases, performing soft tissue surgeries, and more.

Advice from a Seasoned Veterinarian

When reflecting on her journey and the rigorous coursework Hammond persevered through, she acknowledges how daunting and overwhelming the process was. 

“When it comes to pursuing veterinary medicine, obtaining your degree is competitive,” said Hammond. 

According to Hammond, there are only about 30 veterinary programs in the United States. This means veterinary medicine is a challenging profession and a select field. Sometimes, this means graduates with a health science major need to be patient when pursuing their doctorate. 

“When I was going through the interview process, there was a bit of a waiting period,” said Hammond. “Everyone was receiving their acceptance letters. I still hadn’t heard anything,” 

Despite the stress and frustration, Hammond trusted that God had a plan through everything, and she was soon accepted into LMU. 

Hammond knows God used her time at Grace and multiple life experiences to help her in the professional world. For future pre veterinary students, she recommends valuing your classes, focusing on who you are, and pursuing different types of interests. 

She also believes that for the profession of veterinary medicine, multitasking is key to finding a job. For a health science major, managing stress is also essential. 

“They just want to see, ‘Are you able to withstand the stress of upholding multiple responsibilities?’ This is really the one thing that I found going through the interview process,” said Hammond. 

Whether you’re planning to pursue a health science major with a pre-medicine concentration or become a scientist, you can follow Hammond’s example and explore your interests and continue to find more opportunities to learn outside the classroom. If you’re compelled to pursue the sciences or join Hammond in the field of veterinary medicine, learn more about our health science pre veterinary concentration. For more information about our science programs, visit the School of Science and Engineering website.