What to do now that I'm going to vet school

[CyroCap]

Just some introduction: I am going to vet school in the fall. Still not sure where. I got into Oregon State and accepted the offer but I'd rather go to VMCVM or Cornell, both of which I am waitlisted and hoping to hear soon. I've wanted to be a vet my whole life but right now I am having serious imposter syndrome/ is this really what I want to do?? Sometimes I am unsure if I am doing this because I want to do it or if its what I wanted (past tense being operative). I really only have SA and research experience but I want to go into wildlife and I have also considered radiology. I absolutely do not want to do SA general practice and I don't want to do farm animal. I want to do wildlife because I am most passionate for animal welfare and protecting the environment. I am considering radiology as a specialty because I do find it interesting but I am also concerned about money after school. I know a traveling radiologist who comes to my vet, she told me she knows of marine mammal radiologists. Also considering epidemiology but I want to finish vet school before I consider a master's in public health. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of what to start doing in terms of internships/shadowing/networking for that type of thing? Doesn't have to be marine mammal- just wildlife in general. During my tufts interview my interviewers were saying how most vet students who go in for wildlife can't find any careers and that has scared me on top of my already present doubts. So I guess after all my rambling I am looking for advice on how to resolve/figure out these doubts but also get advice for how to get started as a wildlife vet during vet school.

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[max_wildlife]

Just some introduction: I am going to vet school in the fall. Still not sure where. I got into Oregon State and accepted the offer but I'd rather go to VMCVM or Cornell, both of which I am waitlisted and hoping to hear soon. I've wanted to be a vet my whole life but right now I am having serious imposter syndrome/ is this really what I want to do?? Sometimes I am unsure if I am doing this because I want to do it or if its what I wanted (past tense being operative). I really only have SA and research experience but I want to go into wildlife and I have also considered radiology. I absolutely do not want to do SA general practice and I don't want to do farm animal. I want to do wildlife because I am most passionate for animal welfare and protecting the environment. I am considering radiology as a specialty because I do find it interesting but I am also concerned about money after school. I know a traveling radiologist who comes to my vet, she told me she knows of marine mammal radiologists. Also considering epidemiology but I want to finish vet school before I consider a master's in public health. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of what to start doing in terms of internships/shadowing/networking for that type of thing? Doesn't have to be marine mammal- just wildlife in general. During my tufts interview my interviewers were saying how most vet students who go in for wildlife can't find any careers and that has scared me on top of my already present doubts. So I guess after all my rambling I am looking for advice on how to resolve/figure out these doubts but also get advice for how to get started as a wildlife vet during vet school.

Hey! I know that stress well. As a wildlife person myself I've had similar concerns. I'm okay with large animal but I'm not a huge GP fan in general. Right now I'm planning to specialize in pathology because I'm genuinely interested in it, and I also have my Master's to give me a head start if I decide to pursue academia. Even the clin path lab I'm at now occasionally does exotics/wildlife so there seems to be some potential.
For wildlife career-specific I've been simultaneously trying to build up wildlife experience over this past decade. I've always said the dream is to teach wildlife medicine at a vet school. So I do wildlife rehab, but I'm also designing a bat acoustic monitoring study and working on a research paper that still needs to be published. I kind of wish I would've done the MPH instead of the MS because it seems to open some more doors.

Are you a member of Wildlife Disease Association and the Wildlife Society?

THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY - HOME

Our mission to inspire, empower and enable wildlife professionals starts with giving you the resources to succeed. Our website has resources for everybody in the wildlife industry and beyond.

wildlife.org

Wildlife Disease Association > HOME

I've found a lot of opportunities through these organizations. And then your state wildlife rehab council if you have one.
I've seen you post before -- but I can't remember your story -- do you have a wildlife vet that you work with/shadow already? And are there any community science wildlife research projects in your area or where you are considering going? These can help with networking too.

 

[CyroCap]

Hey! I know that stress well. As a wildlife person myself I've had similar concerns. I'm okay with large animal but I'm not a huge GP fan in general. Right now I'm planning to specialize in pathology because I'm genuinely interested in it, and I also have my Master's to give me a head start if I decide to pursue academia. Even the clin path lab I'm at now occasionally does exotics/wildlife so there seems to be some potential.
For wildlife career-specific I've been simultaneously trying to build up wildlife experience over this past decade. I've always said the dream is to teach wildlife medicine at a vet school. So I do wildlife rehab, but I'm also designing a bat acoustic monitoring study and working on a research paper that still needs to be published. I kind of wish I would've done the MPH instead of the MS because it seems to open some more doors.

Are you a member of Wildlife Disease Association and the Wildlife Society?

THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY - HOME

Our mission to inspire, empower and enable wildlife professionals starts with giving you the resources to succeed. Our website has resources for everybody in the wildlife industry and beyond.

wildlife.org

Wildlife Disease Association > HOME

I've found a lot of opportunities through these organizations. And then your state wildlife rehab council if you have one.
I've seen you post before -- but I can't remember your story -- do you have a wildlife vet that you work with/shadow already? And are there any community science wildlife research projects in your area or where you are considering going? These can help with networking too.

So I don't have any real wildlife experience. I did volunteer for this one organization one time but it was really sketchy and I volunteered on the last day their license was active before it was forcibly revoked (they also didn't tell me this until I left) so I didn't mention it in my apps. I do have 600+ hours in endocrinology research in wild sparrows, so I do have handling experience and learned about wildlife and environmental issues in the field, however the focus of the research was endocrinology the study animal just happened to be wild sparrows. I did take a gap year and planned to use it for wildlife experience, but then COVID came and ruined everything, so I worked at my GP SA clinic that I've been an assistant at since high school full time because they were understaffed and I could live with my mom and save money for vet school. I also decided I wanted to do wildlife end of sophomore year of undergrad, then I got extremely depressed and could barely function in terms of keeping up my grades so I couldn't focus on anything in terms of applying for internships, then I became ineligible for many internships because I was graduating. I also had not heard of either organization- thanks! I will definitely check those out!

Edit: the research experience was through my undergrad institution which was very small and my mentor was an academic not involved much in conservation or vet med.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I've wanted to be a vet my whole life but right now I am having serious imposter syndrome/ is this really what I want to do?? Sometimes I am unsure if I am doing this because I want to do it or if its what I wanted (past tense being operative). I really only have SA and research experience but I want to go into wildlife and I have also considered radiology. I absolutely do not want to do SA general practice and I don't want to do farm animal. I want to do wildlife because I am most passionate for animal welfare and protecting the environment. I am considering radiology as a specialty because I do find it interesting but I am also concerned about money after school.

Ok, wow. Good for you for stopping for a moment to ask these questions. I don’t think this is so much an imposter syndrome issue as it is an “is this really what you want to do” issue.

And I hate to say it, but you have really good reason to be asking this. Based on everything you’re saying here, I don’t think anyone in their right mind can reassure you and say, “yup stop overthinking this. You’re just having cold feet. Of course you want this!”

What’s worrisome to me is that all the things you want to do are totally disjointed niche fields that are hard to get into, and you have literally 0 experience in it. Wildlife in particular is very hard to make a career out of. Radiology is super competitive, even if it comes with a more straightforward career. You have to want it.

it’s hard enough to say you absolutely don’t want to go into SA GP or farm animals (and let’s face it, equine would be very difficult too esp if you have 0 previous exposure) if you knew exactly which field you wanted to go into based on years of experience and was ready to gun for it. Even then, that’s a nail biter. But for someone in your situation with no experience or connections, that’s tough.

it also sounds like you will need to earn a living and are not independently wealthy enough to have your education paid for and pursue a hobby career. If that’s the case, you are headed into a very possibly bad situation. Each year that you dip your toes into vet school to see if this is what you really want to do... it’s a LOT of money. If you ultimately decide no, that’s a bad position to be in. I know way too many people who are trapped in a career they despise because they went into vet school with unrealistic expectations for their veterinary careers. And these were people who had experience and knew what they wanted. The older you get, the more complicated life gets, and the harder it is to get out or find new paths.

While I don’t think it’s a bad thing to explore different options in vet school, ‘cause most people end up doing something different from what they entered vet school wanting to do anyway... I think your idea of going into vet school with the intent to *hopefully* find a niche field that you enjoy that will allow you to earn a living without knowing anything about it is a scary one. Especially when you feel like you wouldn’t accept a career trajectory that a majority of vets take. So though it may sound devastating after putting in all this effort in getting accepted to vet school, could you maybe put a pause on it and actually go and get experience first?

it sounds like your application package is overall good, so it may not be the worst thing to reapply when you know better what you want. Or at least what you would be ok doing in vet med and be able to map out a realistic plan moving forward.

 

[max_wildlife]

So I don't have any real wildlife experience. I did volunteer for this one organization one time but it was really sketchy and I volunteered on the last day their license was active before it was forcibly revoked (they also didn't tell me this until I left) so I didn't mention it in my apps. I do have 600+ hours in endocrinology research in wild sparrows, so I do have handling experience and learned about wildlife and environmental issues in the field, however the focus of the research was endocrinology the study animal just happened to be wild sparrows. I did take a gap year and planned to use it for wildlife experience, but then COVID came and ruined everything, so I worked at my GP SA clinic that I've been an assistant at since high school full time because they were understaffed and I could live with my mom and save money for vet school. I also decided I wanted to do wildlife end of sophomore year of undergrad, then I got extremely depressed and could barely function in terms of keeping up my grades so I couldn't focus on anything in terms of applying for internships, then I became ineligible for many internships because I was graduating. I also had not heard of either organization- thanks! I will definitely check those out!

Edit: the research experience was through my undergrad institution which was very small and my mentor was an academic not involved much in conservation or vet med.

oh yikes sorry your experience was shady and I'm sorry you've been struggling.

i've been trying to think of good advice but all i have is scattered as i've been simultaneously studying for an orgo test. i'm trying to think of like if i had to start over where would i start. how did you settle on wildlife, and do you know what kind of wildlife vet you want to be?

presuming rehab --
here's some other resources if you have time to try to get some opportunities this summer. most wildlife people i've met have been incredibly kind even if they're rejecting me or giving me advice i don't love. if you can make it happen, it do think it's really important to get some experience before you commit to wildlife even if you're settling on starting it next summer. the patient release rate can be abysmal and it does seem to burn people out kind of quick even if they don't expect it. but anyway it won't hurt to reach out and email to ask if you can shadow for a couple weeks. NWRA is the national wildlife rehabilitation association. there's also the international wildlife rehab council, plus some student programs.

https://www.nwrawildlife.org/networking/opening_search.asp

Home - International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

theiwrc.org

CROW Clinic

crowclinic.org

Rehabilitation Training at the Center

www.wildlifecenter.org

wfscjobs.tamu.edu/job-board/ - general wildlife type jobs/internships get posted here

Homepage - EcoHealth Alliance

EcoHealth Alliance is a global nonprofit leading scientific research into the critical connections between human, animal and environmental health.

www.ecohealthalliance.org

- these guys are more epidemiology but p sure they hire veterinarians as well.

look up Center for Wildlife in Maine too -- their website seems to be down right now but I've worked with them in the past and really loved it there.

beyond that it's good you at least have the sparrow experience. i'm wondering if, even if your professor was an academic and not hands-on, if they can connect you with some ornithology people who may in turn then be connected to avian med people. even just from from the iacuc for your project? i think you may to want to get creative with your connections.

also, an anecdote about cash to kind of unfortunately confirm your interview experience - my wildlife mentor is an incredible veterinarian and supports most wild species in our region. but she still worked a different gig simultaneously to make it work for like a decade or two. not exactly for lack of opportunity - more for lack of paid opportunity. she's the only wildlife vet in my area and she is constantly busy with wildlife. the first thing she said when i told her i wanted to do this was, 'that's great, and i will teach you, but you will never make money doing it so we also need to think about how you're going to make money to survive.' so finding that additional niche for yourself will be important. it's definitely hard to breathe sometimes because so much of my life has already been 'planned' - but that mentorship has been invaluable so if you can find someone -- anyone from any of those websites i listed willing to give you some guidance or direction that would probably be super helpful.

in fact i wonder if it might be appropriate to reach out to wildlife faculty at vet schools -- or at least the ones you are considering? (unless people skimming this forum think that's an awful idea which it could be i am not sure how vet professors react to that sort of thing). i really only have one experience with that and it went great but if they can advise you -- even if you're not attending their school -- it might be worth the risk of sending them an email. worst they can do is say 'no'.

lastly if you're unsure if it's what you want to do, was there an alternative career you're thinking about?

sorry for the novel. gotta get back to chem. but hopefully there is some helpful info in here.

 

[CyroCap]

Ok, wow. Good for you for stopping for a moment to ask these questions. I don’t think this is so much an imposter syndrome issue as it is an “is this really what you want to do” issue.

And I hate to say it, but you have really good reason to be asking this. Based on everything you’re saying here, I don’t think anyone in their right mind can reassure you and say, “yup stop overthinking this. You’re just having cold feet. Of course you want this!”

Thank you for the advice, you analyzed me pretty good. What you said right here is what I've been telling myself over and over again. Many vets I've worked with have tried to convince me not to do it (to the point where 2 at once corned me on a slow day). However, I am still pretty sure I want to do vet. The reason I say imposter syndrome is because I have pretty bad ADHD, so far unmedicated. I am definitely going to see a psychiatrist before vet school to try and get on some medication. Worried about grades.

What’s worrisome to me is that all the things you want to do are totally disjointed niche fields that are hard to get into, and you have literally 0 experience in it. Wildlife in particular is very hard to make a career out of. Radiology is super competitive, even if it comes with a more straightforward career. You have to want it.

it’s hard enough to say you absolutely don’t want to go into SA GP or farm animals (and let’s face it, equine would be very difficult too esp if you have 0 previous exposure) if you knew exactly which field you wanted to go into based on years of experience and was ready to gun for it. Even then, that’s a nail biter. But for someone in your situation with no experience or connections, that’s tough.

I definitely would be happy doing radiology, I have talked a lot with the aforementioned traveling radiologist, and I have considered doing radiology for a while, then switching to wildlife while I can still do consults. This has been my plan pretty much.

it also sounds like you will need to earn a living and are not independently wealthy enough to have your education paid for and pursue a hobby career. If that’s the case, you are headed into a very possibly bad situation. Each year that you dip your toes into vet school to see if this is what you really want to do... it’s a LOT of money. If you ultimately decide no, that’s a bad position to be in. I know way too many people who are trapped in a career they despise because they went into vet school with unrealistic expectations for their veterinary careers. And these were people who had experience and knew what they wanted. The older you get, the more complicated life gets, and the harder it is to get out or find new paths.

I know some too, one of whom just quit because it was too much. Another doc who knew him as a tech said he was just like me before vet school.

While I don’t think it’s a bad thing to explore different options in vet school, ‘cause most people end up doing something different from what they entered vet school wanting to do anyway... I think your idea of going into vet school with the intent to *hopefully* find a niche field that you enjoy that will allow you to earn a living without knowing anything about it is a scary one. Especially when you feel like you wouldn’t accept a career trajectory that a majority of vets take. So though it may sound devastating after putting in all this effort in getting accepted to vet school, could you maybe put a pause on it and actually go and get experience first?

It is devastating, which is why I've put it off. I debated not posting this thread but I'm glad I did. You've opened my eyes a little. I'm going to call a close friend who is also a PhD student and get some more advice.

it sounds like your application package is overall good, so it may not be the worst thing to reapply when you know better what you want. Or at least what you would be ok doing in vet med and be able to map out a realistic plan moving forward.

Did you look at my post in the successful applicants page? Just curious as to how you came to this conclusion.

Overall I am really glad for your post and I will definitely consider postponing. My primarily plan thus far has been to do radiology, then possibly try wildlife on the side down the road. I have had long discussions with the traveling radiologist while doing ultrasounds, and it's a path that I am fully down with taking. I am worried about my grades with my ADHD to be competitive in a residency. I realized I did not explain this well in my original post, my brain is in crisis mode rn and its now after midnight so it's a little rambley. Would your advice change with this new information? Reason I would still want to do wildlife internships and why I was asking in my original post was to get a feel for it in vet school. I am being pulled in too many directions! Sorry If this post is incoherent.

 

[DVMDream]

Just some introduction: I am going to vet school in the fall. Still not sure where. I got into Oregon State and accepted the offer but I'd rather go to VMCVM or Cornell, both of which I am waitlisted and hoping to hear soon. I've wanted to be a vet my whole life but right now I am having serious imposter syndrome/ is this really what I want to do?? Sometimes I am unsure if I am doing this because I want to do it or if its what I wanted (past tense being operative). I really only have SA and research experience but I want to go into wildlife and I have also considered radiology. I absolutely do not want to do SA general practice and I don't want to do farm animal. I want to do wildlife because I am most passionate for animal welfare and protecting the environment. I am considering radiology as a specialty because I do find it interesting but I am also concerned about money after school. I know a traveling radiologist who comes to my vet, she told me she knows of marine mammal radiologists. Also considering epidemiology but I want to finish vet school before I consider a master's in public health. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of what to start doing in terms of internships/shadowing/networking for that type of thing? Doesn't have to be marine mammal- just wildlife in general. During my tufts interview my interviewers were saying how most vet students who go in for wildlife can't find any careers and that has scared me on top of my already present doubts. So I guess after all my rambling I am looking for advice on how to resolve/figure out these doubts but also get advice for how to get started as a wildlife vet during vet school.

If your passionate about animal welfare and protecting the environment becoming a vet is not really a path I'd take to focus on those, there are way better careers that can be considered if that's what you want to focus on in life.

Also, wildlife vet med isn't a side gig, it is impossible to get as a full time gig, you aren't going to be able to do radiology full time and then pop into wildlife medicine on occasion. It takes a boat load of training and work to break into wildlife medicine.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I’m really not sure if having rode with one traveling ultrasonographer is really reason to commit the next 4 years plus another year for internship and quite possibly another year of radiology internship plus if you’re lucky enough 3 years of residency... AND a boatload of debt. Obviously I don’t know you or your situation so this may not apply, but kinda sounds like you were just latching on to this mobile sonography idea because it’s what floated by and it’s something you could see yourself doing and it’s the one thing you can see *working*, rather than diagnostic imaging being a passion... which is really what it takes to become one. You haven’t even started vet school yet, so if at this point already you’re scrounging for a super niche field that you can settle with, I’m worried you’re in for a major reckoning as you move forward. That in itself isn’t an issue. It’s just that moving forward has huge costs associated with it. I just don’t know it’s a good idea to plan on going into vet school to force yourself to be super involved in diagnostic imaging extracurriculars as a vet student when you don’t know what the specialty even entails (cause spending all of your time making wildlife connections ain’t gonna get you a radiology residency either).

that being said, you don’t need to convince me or anyone else - which it kinda sounds like you’re trying to do. The only person you need to convince is yourself. If it’s going to take mental gymnastics to justify it to yourself, really think about it. And seriously try to resolve any mental health or undiagnosed disability issues before going to vet school. Don’t assume just getting help over the summer is going to do it. Vet school is not the time to start working on it.

 

[CyroCap]

If your passionate about animal welfare and protecting the environment becoming a vet is not really a path I'd take to focus on those, there are way better careers that can be considered if that's what you want to focus on in life.

Also, wildlife vet med isn't a side gig, it is impossible to get as a full time gig, you aren't going to be able to do radiology full time and then pop into wildlife medicine on occasion. It takes a boat load of training and work to break into wildlife medicine.

I know it's not a side gig, that's not what I meant. I meant I will do radiology for a while, then go swap to wildlife full time, possibly after another residency. As a side gig while doing wildlife i would do things like radiograph consults on the weekend. And this would be waaay down the line after getting secure financially. I used welfare and environment to try and get to do wildlife, but I don't see myself in a career such as policy or research.

 

[allygator13]

I know it's not a side gig, that's not what I meant. I meant I will do radiology for a while, then go swap to wildlife full time, possibly after another residency. As a side gig while doing wildlife i would do things like radiograph consults on the weekend. And this would be waaay down the line after getting secure financially. I used welfare and environment to try and get to do wildlife, but I don't see myself in a career such as policy or research.

Agree with @Minnerbelle 's sentiments about the radiology path. Especially after this comment. It definitely seems like radiology is not your passion, and a means to an end for you to make a lot of money fast then do what you think you ACTUALLY want to do. Which is not the way to treat a specialty. Even with a radiologist salary, paying off the huge student loan debt will still take years, especially if you are single and also live off that income (obviously don't know your relationship status/financial situation). Do you find radiographs fun and exciting? CT? MRI? Ultrasound is a very small part of the field that you have been exposed to at this point. And I agree that a traveling sonographer is not what the majority of DACVR's are doing.

 

[CyroCap]

Agree with @Minnerbelle 's sentiments about the radiology path. Especially after this comment. It definitely seems like radiology is not your passion, and a means to an end for you to make a lot of money fast then do what you think you ACTUALLY want to do. Which is not the way to treat a specialty. Even with a radiologist salary, paying off the huge student loan debt will still take years, especially if you are single and also live off that income (obviously don't know your relationship status/financial situation). Do you find radiographs fun and exciting? CT? MRI? Ultrasound is a very small part of the field that you have been exposed to at this point. And I agree that a traveling sonographer is not what the majority of DACVR's are doing.

Yes I do find it fun and interesting, i also find the scientific basis behind them all fascinating. But you are right in saying a means to an end and I shouldn't treat a specialty that way.

 

[battie]

If your passionate about animal welfare and protecting the environment becoming a vet is not really a path I'd take to focus on those, there are way better careers that can be considered if that's what you want to focus on in life.

Also agree with this.

Animal welfare is also a passion of mine and I could not find any open positions right out of vet school. I'm going into small animal GP/ER to start. Over the next few years, im going to branch out and network at conferences and such. But it may be a situation where I end up in academia.

 

[CyroCap]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am seriously considering not starting school this fall. I just really needed an outside perspective on my situation. I still need to think about it, discuss it with my friend, and find out what the heck I'm gonna do in the meantime before I give up my seat.

 

[turnandburn]

I'll echo what others have said... radiology is very competitive. If you didn't get a residency and had a hard time getting a job as a wildlife vet, how happy would you be as your next backup option, like if you needed to go into SA GP or something else? It's hard to predict what the job market will be like in the next 4 years.

 

[CyroCap]

I'll echo what others have said... radiology is very competitive. If you didn't get a residency and had a hard time getting a job as a wildlife vet, how happy would you be as your next backup option, like if you needed to go into SA GP or something else? It's hard to predict what the job market will be like in the next 4 years.

I would be happy going into SA/exotics emergency.

 

[max_wildlife]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am seriously considering not starting school this fall. I just really needed an outside perspective on my situation. I still need to think about it, discuss it with my friend, and find out what the heck I'm gonna do in the meantime before I give up my seat.

is deferring an option at your school? this also seems like a big choice -- maybe see if you can get in touch with faculty.

i was in a similar spot in like 2018ish. my only love at the time was wildlife medicine, so i was advised against vet school. this was fair. but then i messed up; i blew 30k on tech school thinking of it as a compromise. was not a good choice. i'm still an ecologist and a wildlife biologist and i do love it, but i've again never made more than $15/hr with a Master's and additional certs. i've been doing fieldwork since 2014, and i earn more from freelance writing.

as much as i love it, the field of wildlife conservation as a whole is pretty chaotic. if you have your heart set on it in some way and decide to pursue it through non-veterinary means, there will be some element of financial risk on that path. far less debt, but still little if any stability.

and whatever you choose, different paths can sometimes lead to the same destination. without my own break i might not have figured it out, but i also lost a lot of money doing that. so whatever it is you want to do, try your best to get your head and heart to agree on your choice.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

I know it's not a side gig, that's not what I meant. I meant I will do radiology for a while, then go swap to wildlife full time, possibly after another residency. As a side gig while doing wildlife i would do things like radiograph consults on the weekend. And this would be waaay down the line after getting secure financially. I used welfare and environment to try and get to do wildlife, but I don't see myself in a career such as policy or research.

I would not bank on becoming a boarded radiologist then starting ANOTHER residency. I think the chances of getting into a residency program as an already-boarded radiologist is slim to none. It would be hard in general to go from radiology to something else because radiology is pretty narrow. You'll maintain your license but I can't imagine being comfortable going back to practicing medicine after years of not doing physical exams, not doing surgery, not running bloodwork... etc etc. If you don't use it you lose it right?

 

[allygator13]

I would not bank on becoming a boarded radiologist then starting ANOTHER residency. I think the chances of getting into a residency program as an already-boarded radiologist is slim to none. It would be hard in general to go from radiology to something else because radiology is pretty narrow. You'll maintain your license but I can't imagine being comfortable going back to practicing medicine after years of not doing physical exams, not doing surgery, not running bloodwork... etc etc. If you don't use it you lose it right?

Also agree with this. Lots of people will come from other specialties into radiology, but I don't know of anyone who has gone from radiology into something else. And only 9 months into residency, I already feel very uncomfortable when someone hands me a syringe of medication to give into an IV catheter and can barely remember dosages of drugs I used to give all the time as an intern. Sad, I know haha.

 

[turnandburn]

Also agree with this. Lots of people will come from other specialties into radiology, but I don't know of anyone who has gone from radiology into something else. And only 9 months into residency, I already feel very uncomfortable when someone hands me a syringe of medication to give into an IV catheter and can barely remember dosages of drugs I used to give all the time as an intern Sad, I know haha.

Radiology is such a cushy specialty no one leaves

 

[Minnerbelle]

I mean... if staying somewhat clinically oriented was the goal, the same could be achieved becoming an internist and doing mobile ultrasound/IM consults. I know way more mobile internists doing ultrasounds than radiologists doing mobile ultrasonography. Now of course, the quality of the ultrasounds vary quite a bit between each internist and it’s a bit more buyer beware, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s necessarily the OP’s goal to become the best radiologist either...

 

[PippyPony]

I mean... if staying somewhat clinically oriented was the goal, the same could be achieved becoming an internist and doing mobile ultrasound/IM consults. I know way more mobile internists doing ultrasounds than radiologists doing mobile ultrasonography. Now of course, the quality of the ultrasounds vary quite a bit between each internist and it’s a bit more buyer beware, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s necessarily the OP’s goal to become the best radiologist either...

I had the same thought, although I don't know that it's an easier road to become an internist. Doesn't strike me as a career path someone picks just for funsies.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Radiology is such a cushy specialty no one leaves

So true. And it’s like the dream destination for those who are trying to claw their way out of clinical practice. Doesn’t usually go the other way around.

There are definitely double boarded specialists out there but every one I know are in two clinical specialties, that are somewhat connected. ECC/Anesthesia; ECC/cardio; ECC/IM, etc...

 

[Minnerbelle]

I had the same thought, although I don't know that it's an easier road to become an internist. Doesn't strike me as a career path someone picks just for funsies.

I mean... neither is getting boarded as a radiologist. Just entertaining a thought here. At least more of your skills are transferable. And I’m pretty sure at least your chances of getting a residency spot is higher for IM than it is for radiology. It sounds absurd because it is, and it really is impractical. An internist isn’t likely to secure a wildlife residency as a mid career transfer eithert. If anything would be much more likely to be a volunteer here and there in wildlife for funsies if that passion doesn’t fizzle out (I know a lot of tufts grads due to geographic location - so many LOVED wildlife going in. None of them do anything with wildlife now that they’re in practice).

the most practical thing to do if you like working with wildlife honestly is to pursue a more lucrative career or one that gives you summers off or a flexible remote job, and do wildlife rehab on the side and into retirement. You don’t need a DVM to do a lot of cool stuff with wildlife, as long as you’re not expecting to get paid for it. Things like surgery and prescribing actual drugs aren’t the end all be all, and actually not that huge a part of wildlife medicine/rehab. And to be someone doing wildlife surgeries, it’s going to take a helluvalot more training and commitment than is possible for most people.

 

[allygator13]

I mean... if staying somewhat clinically oriented was the goal, the same could be achieved becoming an internist and doing mobile ultrasound/IM consults. I know way more mobile internists doing ultrasounds than radiologists doing mobile ultrasonography. Now of course, the quality of the ultrasounds vary quite a bit between each internist and it’s a bit more buyer beware, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s necessarily the OP’s goal to become the best radiologist either...

Just in general I don't really understand how internists doing ultrasounds has become such a huge thing. They get minimal ultrasound training/scan time during their residencies, if any. Not sure if it's the practices they work at that push them to do scans if there is no radiologist or how this has come to be, but it's odd to me.

 

[PippyPony]

Not sure if it's the practices they work at that push them to do scans if there is no radiologist or how this has come to be, but it's odd to me. And frustrating.

I worked in a rural practice before vet school. It was either the traveling internist doing the U/S and echoes every other week, or it was no one.

He'd been doing it for decades as his primary mode of income; not the same as a residency, but also not someone like me who's just out of school & spends 5 minutes trying to figure out which way to orient the probe indicator.

We sent out rads but for the ultrasounds, sometimes there just isn't the option to have a radiologist do it.

 

[allygator13]

I worked in a rural practice before vet school. It was either the traveling internist doing the U/S and echoes every other week, or it was no one.

He'd been doing it for decades as his primary mode of income; not the same as a residency, but also not someone like me who's just out of school & spends 5 minutes trying to figure out which way to orient the probe indicator.

We sent out rads but for the ultrasounds, sometimes there just isn't the option to have a radiologist do it.

Yeah there was one who did scans at the hospital I did my rad internship at last year who would sub when our radiologist was on vacation, and he was very good and also did it as his full-time job. If they're good they're good, which is great. But if they're not it's suboptimal, which can be said for anyone doing ultrasounds. My frustration also lies with people who are not as practiced in ultrasound as radiologists charging the same price, if not more, as radiologists. That becomes exponentially frustrating for owners who then go elsewhere for referral or further work-up, and the scan gets repeated anyway because you just can't trust what that person saw or interpreted without knowing their skill level and capabilities. In general I don't know why this is a theme across the profession specifically for internists. Obviously ultrasound is just a skill, and anyone can become very good at it with dedicated time and practice. But that's the key - you need dedicated time and practice.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Just in general I don't really understand how internists doing ultrasounds has become such a huge thing. They get minimal ultrasound training/scan time during their residencies, if any. Not sure if it's the practices they work at that push them to do scans if there is no radiologist or how this has come to be, but it's odd to me. And frustrating.

there’s certainly a boom, I think in a big part by how few AUS slots are available with radiologists. I would imagine in some locations the nearest radiologist might be 200 miles away. And mobile at your primary’s clinic seems so much more appealing to clients than going to a teaching hospital or large referral center.

There are really only one or two that I truly trust because they are pretty good at it and also know their limitations and also provide superb IM consults, and even then I’m pretty careful about case selection. The rest I discourage clients from working with, because an unreliable ultrasound report is less than worthless... and it makes it impossible to get the client to pursue a real study later on. Some are truly shockingly horrible. like... I feel more comfortable with myself scanning these for a super nominal fee because I know what I know and I know what I don’t know. Like FAST scans, simple bladder scans, splenic mass scans, Obvious HCM/LAE scans in cases where referral isn’t an option and what I can see actually makes a difference in decision making for me (often euth vs referral) since I hate sending people to the ER only to have their pet euthanize for something I could have told them myself.

and those services where they have the gp or some noncredentialed person scan the pet and a radiologist (if you’re lucky, but sometimes not) interprets it. I mean, the human sonography technicians are actually amazing at what they do. Like the fetal anatomy scans are mind blowing, so no disrespect there. But dude... how is this a thing?

 

[allygator13]

there’s certainly a boom, I think in a big part by how few AUS slots are available with radiologists. I would imagine in some locations the nearest radiologist might be 200 miles away. And mobile at your primary’s clinic seems so much more appealing to clients than going to a teaching hospital or large referral center.

There are really only one or two that I truly trust because they are pretty good at it and also know their limitations and also provide superb IM consults, and even then I’m pretty careful about case selection. The rest I discourage clients from working with, because an unreliable ultrasound report is less than worthless... and it makes it impossible to get the client to pursue a real study later on. Some are truly shockingly horrible. like... I feel more comfortable with myself scanning these for a super nominal fee because I know what I know and I know what I don’t know. Like FAST scans, simple bladder scans, splenic mass scans, Obvious HCM/LAE scans in cases where referral isn’t an option and what I can see actually makes a difference in decision making for me (often euth vs referral) since I hate sending people to the ER only to have their pet euthanize for something I could have told them myself.

and those services where they have the gp or some noncredentialed person scan the pet and a radiologist (if you’re lucky, but sometimes not) interprets it. I mean, the human sonography technicians are actually amazing at what they do. Like the fetal anatomy scans are mind blowing, so no disrespect there. But dude... how is this a thing?

I'm not sure how case selection works in Telerad-land, but I am going to try VERY HARD to avoid reading any ultrasound studies that get sent in. I guess in reality, really all you can say is what you can say with what you're given, but it's just so hard. The quality of a lot of radiographs that get sent in are questionable, I can't even imagine how ultrasounds may look. Even in our weekly KCC exams (essentially mimicking boards with writing cases in an allotted time) when they give us ultrasounds that have been done by radiologists and residents they're so difficult to interpret.

At least in human medicine, ultrasonographers are trained to always have a standard approach to the study and standard views and clips they get depending on what they are looking for. That's just not the case in veterinary medicine. Even amongst radiologists, everyone has a different scan pattern and depending on what you are seeing during the study, you might interrogate things more or throw Doppler on or whatever. Nothing is really standardized aside from the "list" of abdominal organs that should be evaluated in a complete scan.

Anyway, I have derailed this thread. I'll go back into my dark room and be quiet

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Just in general I don't really understand how internists doing ultrasounds has become such a huge thing. They get minimal ultrasound training/scan time during their residencies, if any. Not sure if it's the practices they work at that push them to do scans if there is no radiologist or how this has come to be, but it's odd to me.

I think that is something that definitely varies hospital-hospital. The internist mentor of mine told me that IM did all of their own ultrasounds during her residency, so she had a lot of exposure there on top of additional training afterwards. And then every place since then she has worked the IM team usually handles their own imaging (minus CT/MRI) unless they want a radiologist opinion. We have a mobile board-eligible radiology guy in town that handles part of the ultrasound caseload, and she generally handles the rest of the referral ultrasounds. A new radiologist also just started in town though.

 

[Trilt]

and those services where they have the gp or some noncredentialed person scan the pet and a radiologist (if you’re lucky, but sometimes not) interprets it. I mean, the human sonography technicians are actually amazing at what they do. Like the fetal anatomy scans are mind blowing, so no disrespect there. But dude... how is this a thing?

So my ER actually does this through Oncura. I'm certified. You have a standard set of images you're expected to acquire in a set order, end with a technician reviewing what you've done and walking through/getting more images of any areas of difficulty or interest that they think will be wanted, then it's read out by usually a radiologist, sometimes IM.

While I'm sure we miss some things, I think it's much better than not having ultrasound availability and I've been pretty happy with the results with my patients. Notably better results than when we just had a random dude come in for scans to send to teleradiology at my previous GP - which, again, I would argue was still better than nothing (and being more rural, the people willing to go to specialty hospital and hospitalize their pets for an ultrasound were pretty minimal).

I reaaaaally loved when our local specialty hospital would do outpatient ultrasounds, but it stopped when COVID hit and they turned Blue Pearl.

 

[DVMDream]

I don't even think there is a radiologist in our state and I know sending out ultrasound images is kind of iffy at best. So what do you do? Send out to radiologist knowing that often the images can be iffy and that the active scanning is what is helpful at times with interpretation or stick with IM who has been doing it for all of their cases for years because there just isn't a radiologist floating around to provide an ultrasound?

The closest radiologist is probably one of the vet schools-- Davis? maybe CSU? eek, I honestly wouldn't even know where to send a patient to get an ultrasound done by a boarded radiologist. They just don't tend to be hired in private practice settings, from what I have seen.

 

[Minnerbelle]

So my ER actually does this through Oncura. I'm certified. You have a standard set of images you're expected to acquire in a set order, end with a technician reviewing what you've done and walking through/getting more images of any areas of difficulty or interest that they think will be wanted, then it's read out by usually a radiologist, sometimes IM.

While I'm sure we miss some things, I think it's much better than not having ultrasound availability and I've been pretty happy with the results with my patients. Notably better results than when we just had a random dude come in for scans to send to teleradiology at my previous GP - which, again, I would argue was still better than nothing (and being more rural, the people willing to go to specialty hospital and hospitalize their pets for an ultrasound were pretty minimal).

I reaaaaally loved when our local specialty hospital would do outpatient ultrasounds, but it stopped when COVID hit and they turned Blue Pearl.

So that’s the thing, we all do the best with what we’ve got. And often times I’m left with me scanning for something I can fix myself vs. let’s me feel good about nuking the animal. And standard of care is quite variable with a number of things. Dentistry, exotic care being two huge ones, and I would argue this is another. There’s something to be said for something is better than nothing. That something can be pretty reasonable - especially if you know your limitations and have a beyond average level of training. Or that something can be worth less than garbage. I’ve done a lot of AUS CE training and I feel good about the things I find, and a lot of the outcomes I have, so I’m not knocking on you for that at all. But I still have a ton of cases that need to be referred, and that’s where it gets sticky.

The real issue comes when you actually have a lot of options and the standard of care in your area is very high, and you still perform subpar things AND pass them off to your client as equivalent options AND even worse if you charge accordingly. That happens a lot around me. I have at least three referral centers within an hour of me that have boarded radiologists, and a couple of out patient radiologist AUS options. If I want a radiologist AUS, I can get one with or without an IM consult attached. And we have a ton of IM options as well that all scan, stand alone as well as in the same facilities as the radiologists. Sooo... if I’m referring something rather than scanning myself, it’s not going to be to anyone who does what you do even if it were a little cheaper. My last boss started offering it, and asked me if I wanted to come on board. I told him if he expected me to charge $400 for this rather than referring and/or expected me to refer to him rather than a radiologist or IM, over my dead body. Typically my referrals are for scans for nonspecific lab or PE abnormalities, or chronic GI type things that warrant a scan but I suspect will come back with NSF on the report, and that NSF report just means a lot more coming from a trusted source... especially if the client is a doer and that pet is going to pursue more care down the line. I’ve done a lot of AUS CE and would love to do more, but not for the purpose of being involved in this in the referral climate I’m in.

It really hurts my soul when I refer a patient to a referral center precisely because the patient will need specialty care to fix/manage the issue and the owner wants to pursue it (e.g hyperparathyroidism, PDA, shunts, ectopic ureter, etc...) and they tell me, “dr. X said they can do the same exact thing and it’ll be reviewed by a specialist anyway, and it’ll be easier to schedule, and fluffy already knows you guys and not that money is a big factor, but it IS $100 cheaper and I guess every penny counts!” Except what dr. X doesn’t tell the client is that then when the pet goes to the referral center for treatment, they will do their own scan anyway cause they sure as hell won’t trust dr. X’s scan even with pictures. Ugh... that’s the worst. And the clients who get an inappropriate referral to dr. X who gets no answers in a scan that I don’t trust... I unfortunately can’t help them further. It sucks when I then refer them for IM consult and they repeat a scan and find the something that I had suspected and wanted a scan for in the first place, and the owner is pissed. The owner is pissed but can’t prove that it was necessarily missed... Or when dr. X diagnoses a bladder stone and that doesn’t exist (I know cause I’m watching the scan) and doesn’t use the review service to save the client money, and the owner insists I do surgery because the report says so. So freaking awkward.

 

[Trilt]

So that’s the thing, we all do the best with what we’ve got. And often times I’m left with me scanning for something I can fix myself vs. let’s me feel good about nuking the animal. And standard of care is quite variable with a number of things. Dentistry, exotic care being two huge ones, and I would argue this is another. There’s something to be said for something is better than nothing. That something can be pretty reasonable - especially if you know your limitations and have a beyond average level of training. Or that something can be worth less than garbage. I’ve done a lot of AUS CE training and I feel good about the things I find, and a lot of the outcomes I have, so I’m not knocking on you for that at all. But I still have a ton of cases that need to be referred, and that’s where it gets sticky.

The real issue comes when you actually have a lot of options and the standard of care in your area is very high, and you still perform subpar things AND pass them off to your client as equivalent options AND even worse if you charge accordingly. That happens a lot around me. I have at least three referral centers within an hour of me that have boarded radiologists, and a couple of out patient radiologist AUS options. If I want a radiologist AUS, I can get one with or without an IM consult attached. And we have a ton of IM options as well that all scan, stand alone as well as in the same facilities as the radiologists. Sooo... if I’m referring something rather than scanning myself, it’s not going to be to anyone who does what you do even if it were a little cheaper. My last boss started offering it, and asked me if I wanted to come on board. I told him if he expected me to charge $400 for this rather than referring and/or expected me to refer to him rather than a radiologist or IM, over my dead body. Typically my referrals are for scans for nonspecific lab or PE abnormalities, or chronic GI type things that warrant a scan but I suspect will come back with NSF on the report, and that NSF report just means a lot more coming from a trusted source... especially if the client is a doer and that pet is going to pursue more care down the line. I’ve done a lot of AUS CE and would love to do more, but not for the purpose of being involved in this in the referral climate I’m in.

It really hurts my soul when I refer a patient to a referral center precisely because the patient will need specialty care to fix/manage the issue and the owner wants to pursue it (e.g hyperparathyroidism, PDA, shunts, ectopic ureter, etc...) and they tell me, “dr. X said they can do the same exact thing and it’ll be reviewed by a specialist anyway, and it’ll be easier to schedule, and fluffy already knows you guys and not that money is a big factor, but it IS $100 cheaper and I guess every penny counts!” Except what dr. X doesn’t tell the client is that then when the pet goes to the referral center for treatment, they will do their own scan anyway cause they sure as hell won’t trust dr. X’s scan even with pictures. Ugh... that’s the worst. And the clients who get an inappropriate referral to dr. X who gets no answers in a scan that I don’t trust... I unfortunately can’t help them further. It sucks when I then refer them for IM consult and they repeat a scan and find the something that I had suspected and wanted a scan for in the first place, and the owner is pissed. The owner is pissed but can’t prove that it was necessarily missed... Or when dr. X diagnoses a bladder stone and that doesn’t exist (I know cause I’m watching the scan) and doesn’t use the review service to save the client money, and the owner insists I do surgery because the report says so. So freaking awkward.

Absolutely agree. Our guy at the GP would do echos, and at a certain point I stopped recommending him to clients for cats because he didn't have any guidance, would have the views slightly askew on the images he submitted, and the cardiologist would basically be like "this is not interpretable, this is probably OK, etc" which just sucked. If you're going to spend a bunch of money on a diagnostic, it's gotta be done freaking right. And the cost ended up basically the same as just getting an appointment with cardio (although obviously less than going through the ER back door).

Same as cruciates. I always had fairly detailed conversations about our boarded surgeon who could come do ex-caps vs. referral for TPLO and the pros/cons, but I knooooww my bosses didn't. Which is frustrating af.

Especially with ultrasound, I just really wish there were easy options elsewise.

 

[allygator13]

I don't even think there is a radiologist in our state and I know sending out ultrasound images is kind of iffy at best. So what do you do? Send out to radiologist knowing that often the images can be iffy and that the active scanning is what is helpful at times with interpretation or stick with IM who has been doing it for all of their cases for years because there just isn't a radiologist floating around to provide an ultrasound?

The closest radiologist is probably one of the vet schools-- Davis? maybe CSU? eek, I honestly wouldn't even know where to send a patient to get an ultrasound done by a boarded radiologist. They just don't tend to be hired in private practice settings, from what I have seen.

That's interesting, the vast majority of radiologists these days are in private practice. There has been a mass exodus of radiologists out of academia and into private practice, whether that's in a specialty hospital or into telerad. There are many vet schools now that do not have any radiologists on faculty. Just a factor of your location I guess.

 

[allygator13]

I think that is something that definitely varies hospital-hospital. The internist mentor of mine told me that IM did all of their own ultrasounds during her residency, so she had a lot of exposure there on top of additional training afterwards. And then every place since then she has worked the IM team usually handles their own imaging (minus CT/MRI) unless they want a radiologist opinion. We have a mobile board-eligible radiology guy in town that handles part of the ultrasound caseload, and she generally handles the rest of the referral ultrasounds. A new radiologist also just started in town though.

That is an interesting point. I hadn't considered how residents trained at hospitals without radiologists would deal with that and if that would increase the amount of experience they would get during their residency. I've only ever been in institutions with radiologists since I obviously planned it that way, and at those hospitals the internal medicine residents get hardly any training or hands on scanning time.

 

[allygator13]

It really hurts my soul when I refer a patient to a referral center precisely because the patient will need specialty care to fix/manage the issue and the owner wants to pursue it (e.g hyperparathyroidism, PDA, shunts, ectopic ureter, etc...) and they tell me, “dr. X said they can do the same exact thing and it’ll be reviewed by a specialist anyway, and it’ll be easier to schedule, and fluffy already knows you guys and not that money is a big factor, but it IS $100 cheaper and I guess every penny counts!” Except what dr. X doesn’t tell the client is that then when the pet goes to the referral center for treatment, they will do their own scan anyway cause they sure as hell won’t trust dr. X’s scan even with pictures. Ugh... that’s the worst. And the clients who get an inappropriate referral to dr. X who gets no answers in a scan that I don’t trust... I unfortunately can’t help them further. It sucks when I then refer them for IM consult and they repeat a scan and find the something that I had suspected and wanted a scan for in the first place, and the owner is pissed. The owner is pissed but can’t prove that it was necessarily missed... Or when dr. X diagnoses a bladder stone and that doesn’t exist (I know cause I’m watching the scan) and doesn’t use the review service to save the client money, and the owner insists I do surgery because the report says so. So freaking awkward.

Exactly.

 

[SkiOtter]

I would imagine in some locations the nearest radiologist might be 200 miles away.

Closest place with a radiologist to my parents in northern Michigan is a blue Pearl in southeastern Michigan (4hours/almost 300 miles away and they’re not even in the UP of Michigan). The ER an hour and a half away from them didn’t even have the capability to do a full ultrasound.
Michigan state may have been slightly closer but iirc they were essentially closed last summer because of COVID.

 

[DVMDream]

That's interesting, the vast majority of radiologists these days are in private practice. There has been a mass exodus of radiologists out of academia and into private practice, whether that's in a specialty hospital or into telerad. There are many vet schools now that do not have any radiologists on faculty. Just a factor of your location I guess.

Sorry forgot telerad is considered private technically. Yeah I'm sure there are rads working with idexx around here, not of any help with getting an ultrasound as they are just telerad if with idexx or antech.

 

[DVMDream]

And it isn't like my location is the boonies. I live in the fifth largest metropolitan city in the US... and I've still never seen a vet radiologist in this state.

 

[allygator13]

And it isn't like my location is the boonies. I live in the fifth largest metropolitan city in the US... and I've still never seen a vet radiologist in this state.

You're in Arizona, right? For some reason that is in my head from your past posts but I could be totally wrong If you are in Arizona, I know of at least one radiologist in Tucson at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson. They used to do a radiology internship there in the past, not sure if they still do.

 

[SkiOtter]

And it isn't like my location is the boonies. I live in the fifth largest metropolitan city in the US... and I've still never seen a vet radiologist in this state.

Okay so I am bored and couldn’t believe there are n o n e in that entire state and I have discovered there’s actually apparently like 5 DACVRs plus a resident in the two big cities

 

[DVMDream]

You're in Arizona, right? For some reason that is in my head from your past posts but I could be totally wrong If you are in Arizona, I know of at least one radiologist in Tucson at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson. They used to do a radiology internship there in the past, not sure if they still do.

Interesting, definitely closer than another state. Still a solid 3 hour drive from Phoenix.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

That is an interesting point. I hadn't considered how residents trained at hospitals without radiologists would deal with that and if that would increase the amount of experience they would get during their residency. I've only ever been in institutions with radiologists since I obviously planned it that way, and at those hospitals the internal medicine residents get hardly any training or hands on scanning time.

Yeah, at our school IM has radiology do all of the ultrasounds. So my academia experience has been similar to yours.

Her reasoning for IM doing their own ultrasounds at the time (and in the current hospital she is in), is that it takes way longer to book in separately or find space in a radiology schedule vs just sticking a probe on the patient yourself when you already have them there. Obviously that benefit wouldn't apply if you didn't have sufficient skill to do the ultrasound.

I agree with the other statements about it being repeated; when I worked in IM with her last summer if the ultrasound wasn't done by herself or the board-eligible guy, she would insist on having it redone during the appointment. So a number of clients had wasted money on ultrasound before referral.

 

[DVMDream]

Okay so I am bored and couldn’t believe there are n o n e in that entire state and I have discovered there’s actually apparently like 5 DACVRs plus a resident in the two big cities

I looked again, just a year ago there weren't any, now they've appeared... like magic. I'm pleasantly surprised. That wasn't an option when I was still in practice.

 

[SkiOtter]

I looked again, just a year ago there weren't any, now they've appeared... like magic. I'm pleasantly surprised. That wasn't an option when I was still in practice.

Apparently they’ve all realized they want to be in AZ in the hot

 

[DVMDream]

Apparently they’ve all realized they want to be in AZ in the hot

Yeah, people ignore the heat because the pay is very good and the COL is low compared to other big cities.

I want to get out, I miss cool weather, but I bought a house 3 years ago so I'm stuck for a bit. Plus the current housing market sucks for buying so it would be hard to find something in another state in order to move.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Closest place with a radiologist to my parents in northern Michigan is a blue Pearl in southeastern Michigan (4hours/almost 300 miles away and they’re not even in the UP of Michigan). The ER an hour and a half away from them didn’t even have the capability to do a full ultrasound.
Michigan state may have been slightly closer but iirc they were essentially closed last summer because of COVID.

I mean I just pulled the 200 mi out of my ass to mean too far to refer. I bet if you’re in a rando place in Alaska, it may be waaaaaay more than that and a medflight away.

 

[JaynaAli]

Plus the current housing market sucks for buying so it would be hard to find something in another state in order to move.

Truth...I’m hoping to buy a home in my home state between now and August-ish and even in a rural area homes are selling within a couple weeks. It’s not as crazy as some of the cities where I see people talking about 50 offers worth tens of thousands of dollars over asking price with no contingencies within hours of a home going on the market, but it’s still remarkable. And I also considered buying land and having a home built but lumber is so expensive right now I don’t know if that’s a good choice either.

 

[DVMDream]

Truth...I’m hoping to buy a home in my home state between now and August-ish and even in a rural area homes are selling within a couple weeks. It’s not as crazy as some of the cities where I see people talking about 50 offers worth tens of thousands of dollars over asking price with no contingencies within hours of a home going on the market, but it’s still remarkable. And I also considered buying land and having a home
built but lumber is so expensive right now I don’t know if that’s a good choice either.

Yeah it is insane, I'm hoping in the next year or two when all these extra government payments from covid stop that things will settle down. Both for housing and for vet care.

 

[SkiOtter]

I mean I just pulled the 200 mi out of my ass to mean too far to refer. I bet if you’re in a rando place in Alaska, it may be waaaaaay more than that and a medflight away.

I know, I was agreeing with you that in some places (that aren’t even *that* sparsely populated) it is incredibly far to actually get to one for an ultrasound