True cost of vet med

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Read this....
And think about your loans. they are not easy to repay. And the industry is going to hell in a hand basket. Competing with big pharmacies, competing with corporations, competing with non-profits that have donated money. This is not the profession you think it is.
Pretty soon, the profession will be filled with people from other countries that have no loans, rich yet dumb people, and people that cannot repay their loans. Sorry to be a downer, but 10 years in practice with 8 years in the industry prior to that have taught me a toen

http://vetsbehavingbadly.blogspot.com/

Do you honestly think I should take you seriously?
Because I don't have any loans, I'm dumb?

Yes, tuition is going up, but I know vets that graduated in the 90's and are still paying off loans, and seem to be doing just fine. Yes, more schools are becoming accredited and schools are increasing class sizes. Yes, the job market is bad right now. We know, we know.
Who is to say things won't turn around in the next 5 years? Hopeful, but could happen.

BUT I'M NOT STUPID.

Go troll elsewhere, jackass. We are all well aware of the cons of pursuing veterinary medicine. A simple search would have shown you that. Just because you are having difficulty with your finances doesn't mean the rest of us will have the same problem, loans or no loans.

The thing I've learned from the short year or so I've participated in this forum is that we are one hell of a smart bunch. Don't insinuate that we are naive about the profession and its risks.

It's possible that my last post was reactionary (actually, it's pretty likely). If you really intended this to be helpful, I suggest you lose the condescending tone and explain where you're coming from. Rather than accusing us of jumping into a profession about which we know little, perhaps share your experiences so we can attempt to do things differently.

Condescending tone aside, I have to say I find the sharing of this kind of info less offensive than the, debt/job market info over and over. The two blog posts from today (other than the peta one), give me info that I can't easily find from just doing research. I can do vet school debt as intelligently as possible, and pray that the job market improves. I can't change the face of the industry and where it's going, but I'd rather have as much info as possible when making my decisions.

That being said, this is not the first time SMHVET has been on here trying to scare us all away from vet med. I'd like to say I appreciate the info, but I'd already read those entries before he/she posted anyways.

Originally Posted by bbeventer

I think I'll pass on that facepalm. Those creepy things impregnate you with bizarre alien babies...

Originally Posted by orca2011

I think I'll pass on that facepalm. Those creepy things impregnate you with bizarre alien babies...

According to Ash though, the offspring are the "perfect" organisms, though scary.

Originally Posted by bbeventer

Those things gave me nightmares. Haha. My friend has a stuffed animal like it and has it in her bed. I couldn't sleep next to that thing.

Originally Posted by PetPony

Those things gave me nightmares. Haha. My friend has a stuffed animal like it and has it in her bed. I couldn't sleep next to that thing.

Why on earth would you have a stuffed animal like that??????

Originally Posted by bbeventer

Okay, now I'm curious. What is that thing?

Originally Posted by psilovethomas

Okay, now I'm curious. What is that thing?

Looks like an octopus

Originally Posted by psilovethomas

Okay, now I'm curious. What is that thing?

Haha, have you seen the movie Alien? it is like, the larval form of the species that turns into this:

Originally Posted by SMHVET

Read this....
And think about your loans. they are not easy to repay. And the industry is going to hell in a hand basket. Competing with big pharmacies, competing with corporations, competing with non-profits that have donated money. This is not the profession you think it is.
Pretty soon, the profession will be filled with people from other countries that have no loans, rich yet dumb people, and people that cannot repay their loans. Sorry to be a downer, but 10 years in practice with 8 years in the industry prior to that have taught me a toen

http://vetsbehavingbadly.blogspot.com/

Originally Posted by orca2011

Why on earth would you have a stuffed animal like that??????

I don't know! I'd never get anything like that!

Originally Posted by Dsmoody23

For some reason that made me giggle so much, I actually snorted. hahaha

Just had to follow up on DSM's post.

I don't understand why the OP had such a strange intro to the blog.

However, if you haven't read the blog it has a lot of stuff that is worth reading, unlike his post here. Sometimes you have to ignore the source and just consider the info.

And the issue of bankruptcies in SA practice (mentioned briefly in the blog) is one that isn't discussed too much, but is kind of alarming... especially because historically vet med practices almost NEVER defaulted on loans through all the economic ups and downs. That could really impact our future ability to start our own practices given the large amount of capital needed to fund a decent clinic. If banks start to get concerned about the risk of veterinary practices it would cut off the best way to actually make a really decent living in the profession - starting your own/ buying an existing clinc.

Disclaimer: I love the vets behaving badly blog. I read it a few times a week and I think it's a very honest look at the profession, and it's a bonus that it's well written, compassionate, and often hilarious.

Moronic post, but I did want to add my .02 on one thing since he/she mentioned corporations. I thought for the longest time that corporate would come in and lower prices, thus putting private practices in a tough spot...kind of like a Home Depot vs. local hardware store. My vet and I have interesting conversations every time I go and last week was no different. He said that the corporate guys (at least in our town) actually have HIGHER prices than him for services (and he's in a fairly affluent area) and that their non-routine services (ie. ear infection) prices were through the roof. So, for him, it has had the opposite effect I thought it would. Found that interesting.

And, SOV, agree with what you said. My vet still wants to eventually sell his 3 doctor practice to another vet someday. Hopefully, he will be able to and won't get swooned by a higher offering from a corporation.

Originally Posted by StartingoverVet

And the issue of bankruptcies in SA practice (mentioned briefly in the blog) is one that isn't discussed too much, but is kind of alarming... especially because historically vet med practices almost NEVER defaulted on loans through all the economic ups and downs.

Has there been a spike in SA practice bankruptcies? I hadn't heard that before. The couple of new practices in my area are not only thriving, they're killing it.

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:facefloor:

Originally Posted by 2CatMatt

Has there been a spike in SA practice bankruptcies? I hadn't heard that before. The couple of new practices in my area are not only thriving, they're killing it.

Indeed.

My clinic doubled its size my first summer there; we're expanding to our fifth location this summer. I do believe we're doing just fine.