Popular blog post - harsh reality of vet med

[pinkpuppy9]

even in those cases you can volunteer at shelters on saturdays or certain clinics. Hell, I take shadows whenever they want. It is for their learning that we have them come in, not for our free labor.

yes, it sucks, but it is possible if it is something you want to pursue.

You are a diamond in the rough. I didn't come across anyone who didn't require me to devote, say, each Wednesday every week in order to be allowed to shadow. Because of that, I could never do it.

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[dyachei]

You are a diamond in the rough. I didn't come across anyone who didn't require me to devote, say, each Wednesday every week in order to be allowed to shadow. Because of that, I could never do it.

Well, I want to give back to my community. Same reason I moderate SDN.

Look, I get what you're saying about keeping. However, there are ways to get experience there, too, without an unpaid internship. Of course they are going to prefer that. It shows commitment, you give them free labor, etc, etc.

You can still get the job other ways.

 

[DVMDream]

I didn't have to twist a single thing, I just took your statement at face value. And later gave you the opportunity to clarify how you actually meant it. You don't have to get so worked up any time I disagree with you. It's nothing personal.

"And if you are really being pushed to your "breaking point" by working 40 hours a week and gaining 2-5 hours of experience a week, then something else is not right..." "That "something else" could be anything... finances, health, etc..."
Directly implying that there is an underlying problem that this 'person' has that is not allowing them to cope with overflowing responsibilities. You later stated that it could be health, financial, etc. (even though we already know that the financial problem is not a secret).

We aren't talking about a specific person, we are talking in general. I don't know where you are getting that we already know this specific person has financial problems.

Most, normal adult people work about 40 hours per week and raise kids. If what is normal for society is causing you to reach a "breaking point" then yes something else is going on there. That was the example lyragardenia used. That is who I was commenting to. Let's define "breaking point" because I think you are getting confused by that. I'm not talking about someone being frustrated by work one day. Or someone having a difficult week. I'm talking about when you are so run down that it is affecting your life and ability to function. That is breaking point. If you are hitting that by ONLY working 40 hours and raising kids, something else is probably going on. That could be that maybe you have financial problems too. Maybe you have the kids in too many activities and are spreading yourself thin. Maybe your boss is an ass. You are telling me that someone with "overflowing responsibilities" isn't doing anything wrong. Well, you answered in that statement what is wrong. If you take on more than you can handle then yes, you might hit that breaking point. I'm not saying they are "wrong" or less of a person for not coping well with their "overflowing responsibility". I'm saying they are taking on too much.... it isn't bad. And yes, underlying health problems can also make a very normal schedule hell. That isn't saying that people have health problems or that those health problems are bad or make them bad, it is just saying they might have them. Hell, that is what caused me to hit breaking point and fall fast. It isn't being mean, rude, inconsiderate, or lacking empathy. Read the words. If you have normal, average for society responsibilities and you feel you are hitting a breaking point, you need to evaluate and figure out what else is there. People don't want to acknowledge when they are taking on too much or when they just aren't feeling right. I'm the last person who would tell someone they are bad for not coping (unlike you have done to people on here with test anxiety), I would however suggest just as I did here, that there is probably something else going on that that person might not notice. It isn't a bad thing.

 

[DVMDream]

I agree with you for the most part. My point is just that needing to work full time limits one's shadowing opportunities. Yes, in all but the most extreme of cases it's still possible to get some hours in, but it's often not as simple as "find the room in your schedule and there will be a clinic in your area willing to accommodate you." Maybe your one day off a week is Sunday, so your only choice is the local emergency clinic (not ideal if you don't want to go into ECC). Or maybe clinics want you to commit to a set day each week, but your work schedule varies too much for that. Or maybe you're like me and work two jobs, so you tend to have weird chunks of free time from say 11am to 1pm. There are factors outside of one's control, and it can be hard to get all of that across in an application, especially if you're struggling just to get an interview. It's also hard to say when the answer to "could I fit this experience in my schedule?" goes from "it'll be tough, but yeah, it's feasible" to "nope, not possible" unless you're in that person's shoes.

Again, you aren't even arguing with me. Nowhere did I say a vet clinic will just be sitting there waiting for you. Not once. I never said it would be easy either. Never. Actually I've said multiple times that it might not be easy, but it being hard isn't an excuse. That is what I'm saying. Just because it is hard doesn't an excuse make. I'm not arguing that all the vet clinics will jump up and welcome you with open arms, so to even say something like that clearly shows you are missing my point.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

This ENTIRE time has been me discussing someone with more than just a full time job. If you missed that part, I'm not going to keep repeating myself. It's absurd that you literally try to argue anything I post. Differing opinions are everywhere. Maybe you should take your own advice and try to relax.

On another note, lol, what? I don't even care enough to figure out what you're talking about.

Back to vaccines now?

 

[DVMDream]

This ENTIRE time has been me discussing someone with more than just a full time job. If you missed that part, I'm not going to keep repeating myself. It's absurd that you literally try to argue anything I post. Differing opinions are everywhere. Maybe you should take your own advice and try to relax.

On another note, lol, what? I don't even care enough to figure out what you're talking about.

Back to vaccines now?

First off, you took offense to something I said to lyra, not you. I used her example which had nothing to do with whoever you are talking about.

Secondly, EVERYONE has been talking in general terms for a while now. Sorry you missed it but no one is discussing some random person that only you know besides you.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

First off, you took offense to something I said to lyra, not you. I used her example which had nothing to do with whoever you are talking about.

Secondly, EVERYONE has been talking in general terms for a while now. Sorry you missed it but no one is discussing some random person that only you know besides you.

 

[LyraGardenia]

We aren't talking about a specific person, we are talking in general. I don't know where you are getting that we already know this specific person has financial problems.

Most, normal adult people work about 40 hours per week and raise kids. If what is normal for society is causing you to reach a "breaking point" then yes something else is going on there. That was the example lyragardenia used. That is who I was commenting to.

No, we aren't talking about a specific person, but this line of discussion started with the assertion that people who need to work full-time to make ends meet may have difficulty taking on unpaid obligations. But maybe you're defining "financial problems" as working 40 hours a week and still struggling to pay the bills.

Also to clarify, I didn't mean to imply in my first post that just working 40 hours a week and raising kids should put anyone close to their breaking point. I was thinking of people who have other constraints as well, e.g. going to school full-time, not having support from a partner/family, and then on top of that trying to fit in pre-vet shadowing. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Again, you aren't even arguing with me. Nowhere did I say a vet clinic will just be sitting there waiting for you. Not once. I never said it would be easy either. Never. Actually I've said multiple times that it might not be easy, but it being hard isn't an excuse. That is what I'm saying. Just because it is hard doesn't an excuse make. I'm not arguing that all the vet clinics will jump up and welcome you with open arms, so to even say something like that clearly shows you are missing my point.

I wasn't trying to argue with you, just to add an adjacent point to the discussion. I just thought statements like "nobody works 7 days a week, go in on your day off. Problem solved" were oversimplifying things a bit. Like I said, if your only day off is Sundays, about your only option in most areas is an emergency clinic.

I wish I had more time to get in more equine/LA experience. (And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I absolutely don't have time, because I know I could and probably should be trying harder.) This past fall I contacted a local equine clinic several times, but they never got back to me, and then I ended up starting a second job because I needed the money. Now my availability during the week is very inconsistent and limited, often just one or two days a week before 3. I feel bad asking anyone to let me come in when I can't give them much advance notice, or a set day of the week that I could be there, or a full day of my time. Also I'll be honest, this is the first year in my life that I'm working full time, and I relish every bit of free time that I get. Saturdays aren't an option either, because I work almost every Saturday morning. I don't know of any clinics in this area open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays other than the emergency clinic, which is an option, but not equine/LA, which is where I'm hurting for hours. Maybe the emergency clinic is something I should pursue, but I have over 1200 hours of SA vet experience, and I definitely don't want to go into emergency med, so I don't know if it would be worth it.

 

[DVMDream]

N

I wish I had more time to get in more equine/LA experience. (And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I absolutely don't have time, because I know I could and probably should be trying harder.) This past fall I contacted a local equine clinic several times, but they never got back to me, and then I ended up starting a second job because I needed the money. Now my availability during the week is very inconsistent and limited, often just one or two days a week before 3. I feel bad asking anyone to let me come in when I can't give them much advance notice, or a set day of the week that I could be there, or a full day of my time. Also I'll be honest, this is the first year in my life that I'm working full time, and I relish every bit of free time that I get. Saturdays aren't an option either, because I work almost every Saturday morning. I don't know of any clinics in this area open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays other than the emergency clinic, which is an option, but not equine/LA, which is where I'm hurting for hours. Maybe the emergency clinic is something I should pursue, but I have over 1200 hours of SA vet experience, and I definitely don't want to go into emergency med, so I don't know if it would be worth it.

Yup, equine/LA can be harder than SA...

Took me months to find somewhere for equine experience and once I did, I had to drive 45 minutes to an hour to get there.... and that was just animal experience.... took me another number of months to find an equine vet and that ended up falling through and I only went once for 8 hours (the clinic just was not busy enough so they saw no need for me to come in and sit around).

Trust me, I have been there before. I get it. It isn't always easy.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I wish I had more time to get in more equine/LA experience. (And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I absolutely don't have time, because I know I could and probably should be trying harder.) This past fall I contacted a local equine clinic several times, but they never got back to me, and then I ended up starting a second job because I needed the money. Now my availability during the week is very inconsistent and limited, often just one or two days a week before 3. I feel bad asking anyone to let me come in when I can't give them much advance notice, or a set day of the week that I could be there, or a full day of my time. Also I'll be honest, this is the first year in my life that I'm working full time, and I relish every bit of free time that I get. Saturdays aren't an option either, because I work almost every Saturday morning. I don't know of any clinics in this area open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays other than the emergency clinic, which is an option, but not equine/LA, which is where I'm hurting for hours. Maybe the emergency clinic is something I should pursue, but I have over 1200 hours of SA vet experience, and I definitely don't want to go into emergency med, so I don't know if it would be worth it.

Is this a thing with equine vets? The same thing happened to me on multiple occasions. I was 2 hours away from the 'Horse Capitol of the World' down there in Florida and could afford the gas. I was hoping to cram in like 50 equine hours before submitting my VMCAS. I got three vets to say yes and that they'd let me know when they had appointments. Long story short, they never contacted me. I did get one to invite me out who basically said the exact three vets I contacted were known for that, but still....