Need advice, am I nuts to start vet school?

[basl]

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My apologies to anyone who may find this thread to be too long, but would really appreciate your opinion! I need a reality check in my struggle.

My first passion in life has always been dancing/singing and I am talented in mimicking/impersonating animals/people. Where I grew up dancing/singing was not considered valuable by the culture and was banned by the government. When I moved to the US I pursued it as a semi-professional activity but now that my body is older (I'm 38), and because of the uncertainties of the profession, I thought that maybe I should follow my second passion, nature and animals, and pursue dancing on the side as a hobby. As a kid I loved nature and enjoyed being around animals and had various pets growing up, though looking back I feel that some of things I did to them were abusive. Nonetheless, I used to adopt hedgehogs and cats off the street and care for them, and would medicate/treat any of my various pets with however limited knowledge/resources I had whenever they got sick. I also feel happiest whenever I am surrounded by the natural world.

Ever since I have gotten accepted to vet school, however, looking deep down I find that throughout my life there has been very little evidence of me showing an affinity towards the field of medicine. Anything related to drugs and medicine feels somewhat alien to me. In school, although, I did acceptably in my science classes, I did so not because I was very curious about the subjects, but because it was important to me to do well. I showed some curiosity in high school towards the anatomy of animals, though I've never been required to study the subject for 10 hours a day to put my tolerance level to the test.

My question to anyone is if they thought it'd be possible for my curiosity and interest for vet med courses to grow once I start school. I've just been trying to figure out, having my stated background, if it'd be remotely likely to like a job as a vet and become successful at it. Off course, this is very hard for me to do because essentially I'm trying to see into the future. My instincts tell me that I'm crazy to start vet school, because, first, right now I am hugely intimidated by the science subjects, and second, there has not been enough evidence in my life to show that I'm curious enough about the field of medicine (my parents are pharmacists). Therefore, I'm inclined to conclude that it'd be unlikely for me to succeed in the field even if I did manage to graduate.

On the other hand, there is a part of me that wants to go against my instincts and hopes that something may happen in vet school or beyond that might spark an interest in me. Honestly this ambivalence stem from feeling kind of lost as to how I can find my niche in life. Additionally, I tend to think that the degree would bring with it job security and feelings of accomplishments and pride, which I'd consider fulfilling. Lastly, my family thinks that I'd be crazy if I didn't take the opportunity I've been presented with?

If I'm being completely myopic, how can I knock some sense into me before getting myself out of a frying pan into the fire?

Thank you

 

[Shrike Pilgrim]

If you got accepted to a legitimate vet school, then odds are you're at least intellectually smart enough to learn and practice medicine competently. That's no guarantee you'll enjoy it, of course. But whether or not you'll find it satisfying and fulfilling is a very difficult question for anybody but yourself to answer. Just realize that in vet school you don't just get to love on and be with animals; you have to learn everything about how an animal works and how to care for it down to the most minute details. You should probably have at least some degree of curiosity about science and medicine before you get into it. That being said, significant parts of the curriculum are tedious even for the most medically-inclined students. But if you don't feel excited about pursuing science and medicine right now, that might be a problem. Sometimes that drive is the only thing that keeps you going through the long days of studying.

Also, you can have job security and self-satisfaction in many, many jobs that aren't as hard to get into as vet med. That alone is not a good enough reason to get into this profession.

 

[basl]

Thank you for your reply! What you stated is what I've come to conclude also. I am obviously placed in a difficult predicament right now and I have a very tough decision to make. I've even entertained the idea of starting school and seeing how I do/feel for a semester, but that would be a huge risk for me financially if I decided vet med isn't for me, as I would have to pay non-resident tuition. I got an offer from the University of Edinburgh (The dick vet school), accredited by AVMA, RCVS, and EAEVE, as you may know. I will start my extra mural studies next week, required by the school's 4 year program, which entail working at various animal husbandry establishments. I also plan on starting back with volunteering at an animal clinic to get better perspective and help me in my decision making.

 

[CynicKitten]

Have you been shadowing veterinarians?

 

[basl]

Have you been shadowing veterinarians?

I worked at a huge animal hospital as a kennel worker/assistant many years ago. We had a wonderful young veterinarian. Did not get to shadow her a whole lot, though, due to working mostly in the back.

 

[Osudairy]

I do see where you are coming from, but I agree with Timo. There is a great deal of work and learning to do in order to become a veterinarian. There will be days when even the most sure students will question their decision to attend veterinary school. It is more of a life decision than just a career. You should have interest/excitement in the subjects taught in vet school (anatomy, histology, microbiology, etc) or I fear your time there will be very hard to endure. You should really do some soul-searching to decide if this profession is right for you. Get some quality time shadowing vets and ask yourself if you would be okay doing this for the next 30+ years. Remember, most students could not picture themselves happy in any other career but veterinary medicine and that is why we do it.

 

[CynicKitten]

Did not get to shadow her a whole lot, though, due to working mostly in the back.

I would call/email your local small animal clinics inquiring about shadowing a vet, so that you get to see them go into rooms with clients, treat the animals, etc. Doesn't have to be more than a couple days, because it will likely show you if you're interested in it at all.

I disagree that most vet students could not picture themselves in any other career. I think that it should be something you're passionate for and ready for, definitely. So call around and take a look!

 

[Osudairy]

I disagree that most vet students could not picture themselves in any other career. I think that it should be something you're passionate for and ready for, definitely. So call around and take a look!

Yeah, that may have came across a little presumptuous. I was meant to say that most students are not in it just for money, security, etc. They do it because they have a drive and passion for it. There are many other better paying jobs with good job security.

 

[CynicKitten]

I definitely agree with that. 🙂 If the medicine doesn't excite you (or doesn't interest you at least a little), it will definitely be difficult to succeed, I think.

 

[Shrike Pilgrim]

It's important, however, to make a distinction between enjoying vet school and enjoying being a vet. While we all find aspects of vet school interesting, there's a ton of boring stuff too. We just deal with it because we know school is temporary and we'll hopefully enjoy the actual job.

That's why shadowing is so important. If you can get any time shadowing a vet as they do their job, I think you'll have some more clarity.

 

[VetMedVetMed]

My apologies to anyone who may find this thread to be too long, but would really appreciate your opinion! I need a reality check in my struggle.

My first passion in life has always been dancing/singing and I am talented in mimicking/impersonating animals/people. Where I grew up dancing/singing was not considered valuable by the culture and was banned by the government. When I moved to the US I pursued it as a semi-professional activity but now that my body is older (I'm 38), and because of the uncertainties of the profession, I thought that maybe I should follow my second passion, nature and animals, and pursue dancing on the side as a hobby. As a kid I loved nature and enjoyed being around animals and had various pets growing up, though looking back I feel that some of things I did to them were abusive. Nonetheless, I used to adopt hedgehogs and cats off the street and care for them, and would medicate/treat any of my various pets with however limited knowledge/resources I had whenever they got sick. I also feel happiest whenever I am surrounded by the natural world.

Ever since I have gotten accepted to vet school, however, looking deep down I find that throughout my life there has been very little evidence of me showing an affinity towards the field of medicine. Anything related to drugs and medicine feels somewhat alien to me. In school, although, I did acceptably in my science classes, I did so not because I was very curious about the subjects, but because it was important to me to do well. I showed some curiosity in high school towards the anatomy of animals, though I've never been required to study the subject for 10 hours a day to put my tolerance level to the test.

My question to anyone is if they thought it'd be possible for my curiosity and interest for vet med courses to grow once I start school. I've just been trying to figure out, having my stated background, if it'd be remotely likely to like a job as a vet and become successful at it. Off course, this is very hard for me to do because essentially I'm trying to see into the future. My instincts tell me that I'm crazy to start vet school, because, first, right now I am hugely intimidated by the science subjects, and second, there has not been enough evidence in my life to show that I'm curious enough about the field of medicine (my parents are pharmacists). Therefore, I'm inclined to conclude that it'd be unlikely for me to succeed in the field even if I did manage to graduate.

On the other hand, there is a part of me that wants to go against my instincts and hopes that something may happen in vet school or beyond that might spark an interest in me. Honestly this ambivalence stem from feeling kind of lost as to how I can find my niche in life. Additionally, I tend to think that the degree would bring with it job security and feelings of accomplishments and pride, which I'd consider fulfilling. Lastly, my family thinks that I'd be crazy if I didn't take the opportunity I've been presented with?

If I'm being completely myopic, how can I knock some sense into me before getting myself out of a frying pan into the fire?

Thank you

I'm sorry to be the debbie downer, but shouldn't you have had all this experience working with animals prior to applying to vet school? Then you'd have years behind your belt actually working with them and the vets to make sure this is what you want to do? Medicine is ever changing, and the "science" part of vet med will never go away. So if diagnosing pets, and doing surgery, and all the different things that come along with being a vet does not interest you, that is a real problem. There are people who went through 3.5 years of vet school and then dropped out. Don't let that be you and have all that debt! I don't get that.... to go through allll the struggles of taking these classes and then to get an acceptance, that should be a person's dream to finally accomplish that! Vet school will be insanely hard and tough. I'm not in it yet, but many of my friends are currently, and are vets. They had other careers beforehand, but you better bet they spent years working in hospitals, volunteering, etc. before they applied so they knew for sure.

This is not something any of us can answer. It is on you, and the $$ debt you will go into if you decide to go to vet school and then quit. If you don't quit, and stick through 4 years of vet school though, and then decide you don't want to be a vet... that is no better. Can you defer??

 

[JJ1019]

I'm sorry to be the debbie downer, but shouldn't you have had all this experience working with animals prior to applying to vet school? Then you'd have years behind your belt actually working with them and the vets to make sure this is what you want to do? Medicine is ever changing, and the "science" part of vet med will never go away. So if diagnosing pets, and doing surgery, and all the different things that come along with being a vet does not interest you, that is a real problem. There are people who went through 3.5 years of vet school and then dropped out. Don't let that be you and have all that debt! I don't get that.... to go through allll the struggles of taking these classes and then to get an acceptance, that should be a person's dream to finally accomplish that! Vet school will be insanely hard and tough. I'm not in it yet, but many of my friends are currently, and are vets. They had other careers beforehand, but you better bet they spent years working in hospitals, volunteering, etc. before they applied so they knew for sure.

This is not something any of us can answer. It is on you, and the $$ debt you will go into if you decide to go to vet school and then quit. If you don't quit, and stick through 4 years of vet school though, and then decide you don't want to be a vet... that is no better. Can you defer??

Coming from another career I don't think it's entirely fair to say that shadowing a vet and being a vet assistant will let you know for sure it's a career for you. I know several vets who enjoyed vet school and all the pre-vet stuff but hate being a vet. It's a lifestyle that isn't for everyone and you don't know until you work it. I liked school way more than I enjoy my current job despite the good pay, hours, and benefits. Truth is that jobs and school are just different.

As for the OP, it does sound like you might be lacking a bit on the experience side of things (I am too), so it doesn't ever hurt to go and learn as much as possible right now about what you are getting yourself into. Ask the hard questions you might not want to hear the answers to.

 

[chickenlittle]

. I know several vets who enjoyed vet school and all the pre-vet stuff but hate being a vet. It's a lifestyle that isn't for everyone and you don't know until you work it.

Count me as one of those people, although I've never really met anyone else who admitted to being in the same boat. I LOVED vet school but, after 10 years as a vet, I find this career incredibly unfulfilling. It's just not interesting or challenging. And, as I once heard from a vet assistant that I was training, "I thought we'd be doing a lot more saving lives." I had a considerable amount of experience prior to vet school (in small animal practice, mixed practice, and zoo/aquarium medicine) but it just didn't prepare me for how boring the work would be and the extent to which veterinary medicine is a retail / customer service type job. The challenges I encounter at work are almost never medical challenges, but instead situations where I need to defuse threatening/hostile clients and kiss their butts so they don't file a complaint with corporate. My work has a lot more in common with my high school retail jobs than it does with vet school. I wasn't prepared for that.

ETA: I also wasn't prepared for the extent to which (as someone who doesn't want to own a practice) I'd always be regarded as "just an employee." I had always assumed that, as a doctor, I would receive some degree of respect/autonomy at work and wasn't prepared for the fact that I'd spend my entire career punching a time clock, trying not to get written up, etc. May sound silly, but again it just wasn't something I expected. I just finished taking a survey on an anesthesia app that a company is considering developing... it sounds like a great app and I was excited to provide feedback! Anytime they asked about situations in which I would use the app, though, I found myself typing "none - we are not allowed to use cell phones on the clock." Yep, for real. Smartphones weren't a thing when I went to vet school, so obviously I never really had reason to consider that, but I had always assumed that a doctor would be granted a level of respect that allowed them more freedom during their day and I never would have dreamed of doctors 'getting in trouble' for being caught with their phones out. I'm sure that there are practices where they don't.... but my last few jobs have all placed associate doctors under the same rules as the other employees, including no cell phones or personal calls on the clock.

 

[basl]

Thank you folks for your insightful suggestions! I will shadow to get more clarity.

I'm sorry to be the debbie downer, but shouldn't you have had all this experience working with animals prior to applying to vet school? Then you'd have years behind your belt actually working with them and the vets to make sure this is what you want to do? Medicine is ever changing, and the "science" part of vet med will never go away. So if diagnosing pets, and doing surgery, and all the different things that come along with being a vet does not interest you, that is a real problem. There are people who went through 3.5 years of vet school and then dropped out. Don't let that be you and have all that debt! I don't get that.... to go through allll the struggles of taking these classes and then to get an acceptance, that should be a person's dream to finally accomplish that! Vet school will be insanely hard and tough. I'm not in it yet, but many of my friends are currently, and are vets. They had other careers beforehand, but you better bet they spent years working in hospitals, volunteering, etc. before they applied so they knew for sure.

This is not something any of us can answer. It is on you, and the $$ debt you will go into if you decide to go to vet school and then quit. If you don't quit, and stick through 4 years of vet school though, and then decide you don't want to be a vet... that is no better. Can you defer??

Thank you for the reply, but I must disagree with your assumption that every single vet student has had years of experience in the profession, at least not where I got an offer from. The school is world renown and where Dolly the sheep was cloned, so it's one of the top universities; but a great number of vet students start there, and at other top ranking uni's in Europe, at 18, which makes it almost impossible for them to have a ton of experience before starting and therefore be fully knowledgeable about the profession.

As to whether or not I can defer, "selectors don't normally offer deferred places," but If need be I may try my luck and see if they're willing to make an exception. However, I intend to get as much volunteering experience shadowing a vet as possible in the short space of time I have to get more clarity.
Thank you all for all the words of wisdom you offered!

 

[CynicKitten]

didn't prepare me for how boring the work would be

Have you only done small/large animal practice? Have you considered anything else?

 

[chickenlittle]

Have you only done small/large animal practice? Have you considered anything else?

I've definitely considered other options, but I'm married with a kiddo and relocating isn't an option (due to husband's career, wanting to be near family, etc).... so that rules out most alternative careers. Currently working on a career change to medical writing, because it will allow me to utilize my medical knowledge while working from home.

 

[Shrike Pilgrim]

Just out of curiosity, do you work for a chain clinic? Your statement about "letters to corporate" made me wonder.

 

[chickenlittle]

Just out of curiosity, do you work for a chain clinic? Your statement about "letters to corporate" made me wonder.

At the moment, yes. I've worked for a total of five clinics since graduation - four private, one corporate. (Six months at a private practice that was a terrible fit, 2.5ish years at a private practice that was a better fit but I tired of being bossed around by the hostile/abusive head tech, 1 year at a clinic that was an better work environment but failing financially, 2.5ish years corporate, 2 years at a private practice that seemed great on interview & working interview but tried to push me out when they thought I may be pregnant, now 1 year back at the same corporation because at least there I'm covered under FMLA if I do get pregnant.)

Corporate & noncorporate clinics have slightly different headaches.... in private practice, it was less a concern about a letter to corporate and more a concern that they may write a negative online review or complain to my boss... but still, the issues that I griped about in my post have pretty much been a constant everywhere.

 

[Minnerbelle]

How common is it for there to be a policy for doctors to not be allowed to use their cellphones? I've been at three hospitals since graduation including the new grad mill of horrors, but even then, I was never told I couldn't be on my phone. No one cares as long as I get my work done and am not bothering anyone else.


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[chickenlittle]

How common is it for there to be a policy for doctors to not be allowed to use their cellphones? I've been at three hospitals since graduation including the new grad mill of horrors, but even then, I was never told I couldn't be on my phone. No one cares as long as I get my work done and am not bothering anyone else.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I only know from my own experience but...
- At my current corporate job, it's no cell phones for anyone. It's left up to each individual hospital's practice manager to make a decision for their location..... my medical director feels that including doctors in that guideline is excessive, but supports each practice manager's authority to make a decision for their own hospital.
- My last job allowed me to use my cell phone in the doctor's office but it was not allowed in treatment unless I had informed my boss of a specific reason for it (ie. waiting for important results from my MD, etc).
- The job before that was the failing clinic - boss was never there and therefore he didn't care.
- In the job before that, I was specifically called out by the owner (in the middle of a crowded treatment area) for pulling out my phone and checking it on the clock. I was informed, at that time, that cell phones were to stay put away in our desk drawer until lunch break or the end of the day. This clinic was staffed only by longer-time doctors when I started there, but during/after my employment there it has definitely become our area's new grad mill.

Maybe it's a local trend or maybe I just have really crappy luck in choosing practices? 🙂 This area is oversaturated with vets, so there's not a lot of incentive for bosses to be associate-friendly because associates can always be replaced very quickly and typically by a lower bidder. It may be different elsewhere, because I've read on VIN that owners in some areas of the country have a hard time replacing vets and therefore are more willing to be flexible with the ones they have.

 

[that redhead]

How common is it for there to be a policy for doctors to not be allowed to use their cellphones? I've been at three hospitals since graduation including the new grad mill of horrors, but even then, I was never told I couldn't be on my phone. No one cares as long as I get my work done and am not bothering anyone else.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

There's a policy for staff but for doctors I think so long as you aren't on it all the time texting/talking/whatever it's not a big deal. I'm not attached to my phone like a lot of people are so I'll check it only if I'm expecting something or if I hear it go off while I'm writing records but pretty much it just stays in my bag on vibrate or quiet.

 

[dyachei]

How common is it for there to be a policy for doctors to not be allowed to use their cellphones? I've been at three hospitals since graduation including the new grad mill of horrors, but even then, I was never told I couldn't be on my phone. No one cares as long as I get my work done and am not bothering anyone else.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

The banfield I used to work for didn't enforce one.

The private practice I own we have a few simple rules: Your phone must be on silent/vibrate and only to be answered for important calls. That's for techs and doctors. If it gets out of hand, we have told the techs we will restrict cell use. I use my phone primarily as a calculator at work, so I keep it on me all the time.

 

[Osudairy]

The banfield I used to work for didn't enforce one.

The private practice I own we have a few simple rules: Your phone must be on silent/vibrate and only to be answered for important calls. That's for techs and doctors. If it gets out of hand, we have told the techs we will restrict cell use. I use my phone primarily as a calculator at work, so I keep it on me all the time.

Same for the practice I work for. We mainly use the calculator and if we need to Google something real quick 😉

 

[CynicKitten]

The clinic I work at does not regulate cellphone use at all. 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

We have a written "cell phones in lockers and only taken out on breaks" policy for all staff. But it isn't enforced and I regularly use mine. And I don't really get a scheduled break anyway. I think the policy is there in case it were to become a problem but it typically isn't. In the er world, staff are either too busy to use their cell phone or slow enough it doesn't matter.