José Fernandes | Veterinary Medicine

José Fernandes

Integrated Master’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine

My name is José Fernandes. I am currently a Veterinary Surgeon at the Lisbon Veterinary Hospital. I have always had a great passion for animals. I think that, in general, everyone, when growing up, likes animals a lot and their first profession is to be a Veterinary Surgeon, or to do something related to animals. I simply maintained that line of thinking until university. My second option was to be a football player, which clearly was not very successful.

Fortunately, I managed to fulfil my dream of becoming a Veterinary Surgeon. I chose Lusófona University based on the good recommendations I received, because it was close to home and, essentially, because it had people and lecturers who provided both a positive academic environment and strong teaching and learning capabilities. It had a significant impact because, without the award, my research thesis would not have been possible.

Unfortunately, costs tend to be quite high, regardless of the field of research, and therefore, without some form of support, it would not have been possible at all. This was something suggested by my master’s thesis supervisors. They already knew that I liked cardiology, and research was something I had never experienced before. Therefore, I decided to take the opportunity. It was an idea that came from my supervisors, took some time, and was demanding.

Without the research grant, it would not have been possible. However, in retrospect, I would say it was something from which I learned a great deal and a unique experience that I would not give up for anything. Throughout the programme, we are exposed to many different areas; it is a very broad degree, which ultimately is one of the great strengths of Veterinary Medicine. Cardiology simply made a lot of sense in terms of reasoning and was very clear to me. It ended up being an area that sparked my interest.

It represents a great sense of pride that all the effort I put in was recognised and was not entirely in vain. We always end up learning a great deal, both through contact with our supervisors and their teaching, and also on our own part, because we truly have to study a lot to complete a master’s thesis. It turned out to be a very meaningful culmination for me and a strong representation of all the effort and time I dedicated to it.