Hesitating between pre-vet and vet tech

[jadefire94]

I know there are probably questions asked like this before, but I'm just so confused and need some advice for my particular situation.

I've written posts before on mental health and being pre-vet, because I have major depression and anxiety disorder. I'm thankfully on the path to recovery now, but overall, it's really gotten in the way of my schoolwork, and I've withdrawn from several science classes. For this reason, I'm hesitating about being pre-vet. Would I be able to handle vet school? I highly doubt I'd even get in on the first try. The hard sciences are difficult for me to begin with, and I'm not sure I want to go through years of postbacc to catch up and then not get into vet school.

I'm currently shadowing a vet, and I love it! I definitely want to go into a profession with animals, but now that I've been exposed to other professions in the field, such as the vet tech, I'm starting to reconsider my path. Becoming a vet tech is only two years, and I wouldn't need postbacc work. And they are more hands-on, which I really love. There's also the less debt situation, which I have to admit is appealing.

On the other hand, I'm a highly ambitious person, and I'm not sure I would be satisfied with a career where I wouldn't get to diagnose or do surgery. But vet school does focus on the hard sciences, and although I like biology, I'm not sure it's for me anymore.

I'm graduating soon, so I need to make a decision so that I have time to apply to the postbacc school, or apply to vet tech school if I decide I want that instead.

Any advice? It's much appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I think job satisfaction based on which career path you take is something very personal so sorting that out is going to have to come from self reflection. Doctoring vs. nursing is very different. That being said, one thing you may want to consider is that there are also ways to get extra training as a technician to become a specialty tech (some with certification.

Many specialty technicians become so very knowledgeable in their respective fields (cardiology, anesthesia, dermatology, etc...), that they often times become way more knowledgeable in those fields than non-specialist veterinarians. Especially in a teaching hospital setting, many specialty technicians are very much involved in teaching, and take on an active role in advancing patient care well beyond just following orders from the doctor.

There are great aspects to being a veterinarian, but it is an extremely stressful job due to the amount of responsibility you carry (not just to the patient, but to the owner, your staff, and regulatory bodies). It brings a ton of anxiety to even those without a disorder. Handling vet school is the easy part when it comes to anxiety/depression IMO. And, you really do have to love learning, particularly the sciences, because you'll be a crappy doctor if all you do is follow algorithms to treat patients rather than thinking about the underlying biology (it happens all the time, and it's not good).

 

[Starry-chan]

Many specialty technicians become so very knowledgeable in their respective fields (cardiology, anesthesia, dermatology, etc...), that they often times become way more knowledgeable in those fields than non-specialist veterinarians. Especially in a teaching hospital setting, many specialty technicians are very much involved in teaching, and take on an active role in advancing patient care well beyond just following orders from the doctor.

Whoa. I didn't know this and right now it's sounding very attractive to me. I absolutely love school, love learning, and vet med is hands down my favorite thing to learn about....but it's hard to shake the feeling that it's pointless because I'm never going to be a vet. However, if I was getting an education in this stuff in order to one day be a speciality tech, or a teaching tech, maybe it would all be worth it.

I still have to consider the income factor, though. I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck. Do these techs typically make a living wage? If not, could I do it part time and use my programming skills to bring in better dough with the rest of my time? I'm a web developer and I've thought about freelancing.

 

[jadefire94]

Could someone expand on what being a vet is all about on a daily basis? I'm shadowing, but it's not helping me much. It seems like vets don't do much hands on work at all...

 

[jadefire94]

I think job satisfaction based on which career path you take is something very personal so sorting that out is going to have to come from self reflection. Doctoring vs. nursing is very different. That being said, one thing you may want to consider is that there are also ways to get extra training as a technician to become a specialty tech (some with certification.

Many specialty technicians become so very knowledgeable in their respective fields (cardiology, anesthesia, dermatology, etc...), that they often times become way more knowledgeable in those fields than non-specialist veterinarians. Especially in a teaching hospital setting, many specialty technicians are very much involved in teaching, and take on an active role in advancing patient care well beyond just following orders from the doctor.

There are great aspects to being a veterinarian, but it is an extremely stressful job due to the amount of responsibility you carry (not just to the patient, but to the owner, your staff, and regulatory bodies). It brings a ton of anxiety to even those without a disorder. Handling vet school is the easy part when it comes to anxiety/depression IMO. And, you really do have to love learning, particularly the sciences, because you'll be a crappy doctor if all you do is follow algorithms to treat patients rather than thinking about the underlying biology (it happens all the time, and it's not good).

Also, this was such a thoughtful post - thanks so much Minnerbelle!

 

[Coquette22]

Could someone expand on what being a vet is all about on a daily basis? I'm shadowing, but it's not helping me much. It seems like vets don't do much hands on work at all...

It varies depending on what sort of practice you're in, what species you're dealing with, etc. And what your definition of "hands on" is. I'm in a small animal/exotics practice in a small city, with not enough technicians, so I'm probably more hands on than other vets due to staffing issues (ie - I end up restraining/placing catheters/doing blood draws/taking radiographs, etc).
I get in at 8 AM
8-9ish - Call backs, check on patients who have been in recently, answer messages if people called the evening before after I had already left for the day, check on inpatients and get radiographs/blood work/call owners/figure out what I'm doing with that cat who still won't eat, finish up records that I didn't finish the evening before
9-12ish - Appointments, surgery, update the clinic's Facebook page, consult with other doctors on their cases. Appointments are fairly hands on - I use my hands for physical exams, feeling for swellings, reduced range of motion, palpating for pain, checking for coat/skin quality, looking for lumps...
12-1ish - My lunch hour.
1-2ish - Catch up time for records from the morning appointment/surgeries, more call backs if people called for me in the morning.
2-5ish - More appointments, hopefully with enough time in between to write records.

So yes, we are less hands-on than technicians. More of what we do is looking at information (what's this bright spot on the radiograph, is he obstructed, is this joint swollen, why is the ALT up, does she have a left shift, etc), problem solving, figuring out treatment plans (which drugs, which route, how often, what dose), and client education.

 

[VetMedVetMed]

Hi! Have you worked in an animal hospital as a vet tech yet? I ask because if you are shadowing, although that is good to see what the field is like, you don't really get to do much hands on work at all. Personally from my experience when I started om this route I also thought about just doing the RVT route, because I didn't want to go through all of the extra years of schooling (and have all that debt of course). However, when I started, I took several animal science classes, then started working at an animal hospital. I worked as reception staff first, and am now a veterinary technician (not an RVT though). I did this for experience so I could work hands on with the animals. Every day I get to work as a technician and see what that is like working on the animals, but also get to see how it is for the Veterinarians.

Being a vet tech, you are more like an animal nurse because you are in charge of doing all of the treatments the Vet asks you to. you work hands om with the animals including animal restraint, taking vital signs (TPR), venipuncture (taking blood), running blood work, placing IV catheters and giving fluids, doing eye testing, ear cleanings, anal gland expressions, nail trims, urinalyses, ultrasounds, radiographs, giving injections (SC, IM, IV), giving medications to patients, filling medications, preparing the patients for surgeries, monitoring anesthesia and patients during surgery, post-op care of patients, and kennel work sometimes like cleaning, sweeping, and mopping. These are all things I currently do at my hospital as a vet tech.

The Veterinarian will examine the patient, look over previous medical history of the patient to see if anything was previously done for said "problem", after examination of the patient they will discuss a "treatment plan" with the client of what they would like to do, then they hand off those treatments to the technicians to do. So for example if an animal comes in for limping, the Vet might suggest doing radiographs (x-rays). The techs would then do the x-rays on the patient, and then show the Vet once they're done. The Vet will them look at the x-Rays and determine if there is a fracture, etc. and show the client the x-Rays and go over them with the client. They would then discuss further treatments, maybe recommend pain and anti-inflammatory medications and/or injections.. Depending on the result of the x-Ray, the Vet might suggest a splint on the leg first, giving meds, and then a recheck with additional x-rays. OR they could suggest surgery which either the Vet would then schedule to do themselves, or hire an outside orthopedic Veterinary surgeon. This is just one example.. The Vet diagnoses and goes over everything with the client. So you need to be able to get along with people, and want to help people because those are the ones that will "ok" treatments, or choose to get anything done. The Vet also has to calculate dosages for medications and injections, go over bloodwork with clients, discuss nutrition with clients, call clients and ask how their pet is doing, write in medical charts, etc. On the other side of things, the Vet is also the one who has to do unfortunate and sad things like euthanasia. The vet techs prepare the patients for it, and also dispose of the body, but the Vet is the one who actually performs it. This may not happen too often, but it is part of the job. So keep that in mind as well if that is something you can do.

I hope this helps. My advice would be to definitely get a job as a vet tech, that way you can for sure see how it is being one. Shadowing you don't really get to do anything and see what it is like. At first like I said, I wanted to be a Vet Tech, but after working as one I definitely do not want to be one for the rest of my life. I want to be a Veterinarian, and it wasn't until I fully got to work for years as a tech that I knew this for sure. Vet techs are also severely underpaid. You do A LOT of work, and really aren't appreciated for it (at least that's how it has been in my experience). Even as an RVT, yes you do get a little more money, but you'd probably have to specialize or go to additional schooling because the pay is not that great.

Hopefully this helps you!

 

[that redhead]

Could someone expand on what being a vet is all about on a daily basis? I'm shadowing, but it's not helping me much. It seems like vets don't do much hands on work at all...

This depends on what field you work in, your particular practice/area/clientele/needs.

Like Coquette, I do a good amount of hands-on stuff on a daily basis. We only have a couple solid techs and the rest not very strong skills-wise so I end up doing a decent amount of blood drawing, taking rads, etc but also interpreting lab work.

I get in around 7:30am, address any pressing needs on boarding animals brought up by techs, make sure boarding animals that are leaving got all of their stuff taken care of (vaccines, etc). I check lab work and do call backs/follow ups until appointments start (8:20am). I see appointments until 12:30 or so and then have a block of time where I eat lunch, do more calls backs from the AM, write records from the morning, help with drop-off cases, etc. Appointments start again at 2, go until 7pm. I'm usually there an extra 30mins minimum at the end of the day finishing up paperwork, etc. We are assigned surgery days so none if it isn't my day. On my surgery days, I get in at the same time and get all my surgeries + drop off cases done, write records and go home.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Could someone expand on what being a vet is all about on a daily basis? I'm shadowing, but it's not helping me much. It seems like vets don't do much hands on work at all...

In most cases, I agree that technicians do much more hands on work than vets do........being a vet is much more about working with people than working with animals. There are some smaller clinics (and/or clinics with fewer staff) where vets do more "hands-on" stuff like doing treatments, taking rads, reading slides, etc - but generally speaking techs do most of the animal handling and lab work, with the exception of doing physical exams and surgeries.

What do I do in an average day? Unless it's a surgery day, most of the day is filled with appointments, in which I do exams and then recommend various tests and treatments. Then, if the client accepts my recommendations, I tell the technical staff what tests need to be done, and they draw the blood, collect urine, or take the radiographs. Some tests I do myself (skin scrapes, sampling masses) and have the staff evaluate them in the lab - occasionally I double check or evaluate if it's something unusual. If the appointment involves vaccines, I draw those up and administer them. I talk to the client about whatever issues are at hand (keeping ears clean, strategies to get the pet to lose weight, dealing with anxiety, etc), and pass them on the staff either to further discuss specific products I may have recommended (flea meds, etc) and check them out. In between appointments I write my records, interpret and make plans based on test results, and return phone calls about lab results or questions. If there are any inpatients, they also get evaluated and have plans made either before the first appointment or in between appointments.

If there are surgeries, they usually get done in the morning, and after lunch the days is primarily appointments (with rechecking surgery patients while recovering). I like having a half day of surgery and half of appointments, rather than a full day of surgery --- different clinics arrange that in different ways based on their preferences and scheduling.

 

[twelvetigers]

I just placed a catheter in a little, old, white, squirmy dog. I think I should get a cookie.