Discouraged vet student

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Interesting side note on this... the AMC in NY is actually not-for-profit. And everyone there is well paid, and they have a fantastic (IMO) intern program. But they're also not privately owned. As an aspiring practice owner, I'm not sure how I feel about this as a standard for all practices...

Angell Memorial in Boston is also a not-for-profit institution. Angell and AMC being a couple of the best hospitals in the country.

People need to remember that making a profit and being a for-profit institution are different things. A non-profit institution still tries to be profitable. It comes down to where that profit ends up going(to share holders/owner versus staying within the institution).

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You already answered this once - even if you didn't specifically quote me, you had already done so for turnandburn's response, with which I was merely agreeing.
yep... sorry about the redundancy. i just get so worked up every time i think about that clinic!
 
Well, I think this brings up a much bigger question. Should medicine be for profit? In human medicine, you have for-profit practices but non-profit hospitals, with insurance companies making profit, but lots of government money covering people at a loss.

I don't think there is a rule that vet medicine, or human medicine, has to make a profit. I understand that this is an unpopular view, but making a salary is not the same as making a profit. I haven't worked out my whole opinion about this, but I think the assumption that practice should always be for profit is premature, and should not be a given in this type of discussion.

Interesting view. I'm not sure if what I'm about to say has much to do with it, but I'm with the opinion of Ron Paul (congressman from Tx :love:) that healthcare is not a right, so why should we (as doctors, vet or human) be expected to give it away or not make a profit with it?

That also brings up a point in one of the complaint letters I read where someone mentioned that there are not enough low cost spay and neuter clinics and vets need to be donating their time more often... why are we expected (more than any other profession) to do volunteer work. Granted, I do volunteer local and international (mission trip to India- amazing!), but I don't think that every vet is expected to donate their time more often than any other good human being ;)
 
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Interesting view. I'm not sure if what I'm about to say has much to do with it, but I'm with the opinion of Ron Paul (congressman from Tx :love:) that healthcare is not a right, so why should we (as doctors, vet or human) be expected to give it away or not make a profit with it?

That also brings up a point in one of the complaint letters I read where someone mentioned that there are not enough low cost spay and neuter clinics and vets need to be donating their time more often... why are we expected (more than any other profession) to do volunteer work. Granted, I do volunteer local and international (mission trip to India- amazing!), but I don't think that every vet is expected to donate their time more often than any other good human being ;)

Good points. Also it's important to remember that pets are not a necessity (although sometimes we think they are!) but they are a luxury. If you can't afford the veterinary costs, you should not have the pet to begin with.

I would like to write my own letter in response to the complaints, stating that when I graduate I will *gladly* provide free services, if in exchange they pay my student loans, mortgage, bills, and compensate me for the thousands of hours I've put in just to get my degree. :cool:
 
I worked at a nonprofit human hospital system.
It netted billions of dollars every year.
It turned around and put that money into building new hospitals and into community programs. It was the largest employer in Western PA, and as an employee I was paid and treated very well. Certainly possible.

I also worked at a nonprofit animal shelter than ran its own clinic. This clinic was the cheapest vet in the city, and provided good, safe medicine and surgery. The clinic not only broke even, but made up for all the money we lost on adoptions. The clinic itself was not supported by donations or by the city. The shelter did not get money from the city either - other than paying for the animal control officers (who were city employees).

Certainly possible. Nonprofit does not mean you can't break even or even "make a profit." It just means there's not a person at the top of the chain pocketing the money that is left over at the end of the year.

I do think healthcare is a right, but that's not for this debate.
 
I know it is possible to run a non-profit...but I don't think doing so should be impossed on a vet/clinic. I actually hope, if I work in SA, to run a for profit clinic, with a non-profit associated with it. That way I can reasonably do non-profit work without damaging the integrity of the clinic. It means a lot more hassle/paperwork/organization, but I am ok with that (I have already ran both types of businesses.)

While I will confess I DO judge people.... and I don't plan on changing that (sorry, it makes me really angry when someone can afford to dress nicer, live better, have more, do more than I can but want ME to cut my prices for them) but that does NOT change what options I offer them. It hasn't when I ran a training business or when I did zoo work, and I doubt it will running a clinic. My belief is to lay out all the options, outline what I would feel is ideal in this situation (what I would recommend if this was a loved one's pet) and why, and let the owner make decisions. There are things I won't do, and I am willing to say so. That doesn't mean they aren't options....but that I disagree with them in that situation for whatever reason (I would share the reason) and would not be willing to do it.

Again, that is why I am hoping to have a non profit along with the profit.
 
I could not help but hear yet another dozen or so hearts break...reality hitting? It's called a dead end, get out!

PS. Every time you mock Podiatry, God kills a kitten.
 
The return of Brodiatrist! WOOHOO!

And if God's the one doing the euthanizing, I fail to see how I can claim any responsibility. I mean... it is God. Wouldn't it be awfully presumptuous of me to assume I can control his actions?
 
I could not help but hear yet another dozen or so hearts break...reality hitting? It's called a dead end, get out!

PS. Every time you mock Podiatry, God kills a kitten.


SHUT UP! no one here gives a f*ck what you have to say about anything.

P.S. - everytime you repeat yourself, some other loser is admitted into the podiatry program.
 
if that's the case then god kills millions of kittens everyday as everyone mocks podiatry.

Chuck Norris actually confirmed that this is 100% fact. And then he roundhouse kicked 1000 podiatry students with one blow.
 
I broke my toe and was worried I would have to go to a podiatrist but no! We're just going to an orthopedic surgeon instead. I laughed a little bit, not going to lie.
 
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I could not help but hear yet another dozen or so hearts break...reality hitting? It's called a dead end, get out!

PS. Every time you mock Podiatry, God kills a kitten.

Yo, yo the name is Brodiatrist
I am attempting to become a Podiatrist
When I was little I wanted to be a vet
But it turns out I am not smarter than my pet
I am now extremely bitter
Because I can not help all the little critters
Looking at foot fungus is so boring
So I spend all of my free time trolling!
 
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Yo, yo the name is Brodiatrist
I am attempting to become a Podiatrist
When I was little I wanted to be a vet
But it turns out I am not smarter than my pet
I am now extremely bitter
Because I can not help all the little critters
Looking at foot fungus is so boring
So I spend all of my free time trolling!

LOL!! heck that must have been his personal statement
 
Yo, yo the name is Brodiatrist
I am attempting to become a Podiatrist
When I was little I wanted to be a vet
But it turns out I am not smarter than my pet
I am now extremely bitter
Because I can not help all the little critters
Looking at foot fungus is so boring
So I spend all of my free time trolling!


LOL... Ever think of a side career as a gangsta rapping about vet school woes?
 
Yo, yo the name is Brodiatrist
I am attempting to become a Podiatrist
When I was little I wanted to be a vet
But it turns out I am not smarter than my pet
I am now extremely bitter
Because I can not help all the little critters
Looking at foot fungus is so boring
So I spend all of my free time trolling!

I just laughed so hard at this that there are now peanut butter cookie crumbs on the monitor...totally made my night!
 
Yo, yo the name is Brodiatrist
I am attempting to become a Podiatrist
When I was little I wanted to be a vet
But it turns out I am not smarter than my pet
I am now extremely bitter
Because I can not help all the little critters
Looking at foot fungus is so boring
So I spend all of my free time trolling!

Pretty sure 'real rappers' use contractions :p
 
Pretty sure 'real rappers' use contractions :p

:laugh: Me too, but I would never attempt to be a 'real rapper' as you can tell. ;)

lol, how long have you been waiting to use that one?

p.s. I also "WOOHOO'd" at the sight of Brodiatrist's return... sometimes trolls are fun :D

Actully, I just kind of threw it together in about 5 minutes after the last trolling incident. I was hoping he would have actually responded to the last comments on the last post about a day or so later and I would be able to use it, but since he didn’t I just saved it for the next time (ended up only being a week and a half later). I am surprised I actually remembered it. But I agree I like some trolls they make the waiting for vet school offers much more entertaining and I get to get in touch with my creative side (which is severely lacking).

My hope was to give some people a good laugh. :)
 
If it makes anyone feel better my bf owns a towing company that he and I started from scratch 4 years ago and people are the same way with us. Always want a 'deal' or to 'meet in the middle'. No one gives us a 'deal' on fuel or our truck payments! Too bad!

The rates are the rates and that is the way it is. Then when they call around and price match they end up calling us back because we are so competitively priced.


Whenever anyone wants to barter he usually asks them if when they go to Walmart and negotiate the price for their groceries. No? Then stop doing it here.

I think anytime you charging for a service and not a physical product people think they are getting ripped off/want to make a deal.

The good part about the towing company is if they don't pay we have their car....hahahaha

Anyway this issue is not personal and it is NOT limited to vet services.
 
In my service experience, it happens a ton at vet clinics. But it does happen at grocery stores too :::face palm:::

We had one customer get angry about the price of our organic artisan cookies. She demanded that they be cheaper. She was told that they were reasonably priced for the cost of labor, ingredients -- if she couldn't afford the organic artisan cookies there were certainly cheaper stores in town that weren't organic, or that perhaps she could make her own. Sorry lady, not everyone gets to eat fancy pants cookies. No matter how huffy you may be.

Some people....
 
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Did I miss something? PLEASE tell me this is a joke. Someone that wants to be a PODIATRIST is honestly mocking pre-vets? r.o.f.l. Please accept my pity tune to the future of your career. +pity+And could you grab me a band-aid for the blister on my toe while you're at it? Thanks.
 
I could not help but hear yet another dozen or so hearts break...reality hitting? It's called a dead end, get out!

PS. Every time you mock Podiatry, God kills a kitten.
this post is pretty funny. Get this guy back.
ANd this thread was full of "classic" SDN-ers, many of them still around, some of them lamentably no longer heard from.
 
this post is pretty funny. Get this guy back.
ANd this thread was full of "classic" SDN-ers, many of them still around, some of them lamentably no longer heard from.
Why don't we have any fun trolls anymore? Sad life.
 
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