Should I leave veterinary school?

[vetstudent00]

I’m a second year veterinary student. I have always wanted to be a vet. Specifically, my dream was to become a “farm vet” and own my own practice. Getting emergency calls, working all the time, etc used to excite me! However, right when this year started I really started to think about my goals and them being realistic. I want to have a family, have land with a lot of animals, and travel. I grew up with someone who owns their own business that gets emergency calls and runs the place by themself and I couldn’t tell you the last time they took a day off or went on vacation. I understand vets can have “the best of both worlds” but this wouldn’t work out as well with my original plans. I also understand plans change, but honestly I’m sort of specific about where I want to live, so this narrows down where I could work. Also I don’t believe I would be super happy with working on small animal (I’d be fine doing it on occasion, but not solely). It’s not all about the money, but I wouldn’t make as much as a large animal vet. I’ve seen some jobs that I’m qualified for now that have comparable pay to what I would make if I was a DVM.

I know this may sound dumb, but I’m trying to decide if finishing veterinary school is worth it. I’ve learned a lot these past few years about how life can end at any minute, and I don’t want to spend any time unhappy. I don’t want to get into a lot of debt and “waste” three more years if this isn’t what is going to make me happy anymore. There’s so many other jobs I can do that still involve animals and medicine that would make me happy. Plus, I could always go back to school if I withdrew.

Honestly, I think I’ve found myself lying to myself and others about hen asked about vet school and being a vet. I say I love it and can’t wait, but I don’t feel the same passion. If vet school wasn’t such an expensive and long process, I would totally finish it. I just don’t want to force myself to and not be happy with the outcome. When I think about leaving vet school, my main concern is “what will everyone think/what will I tell everyone?” I don’t want everyone to think I failed out or I’m not cut out for it. I’ve been hearing that my whole life regarding vet school so I want to prove those people wrong, but that’s not a reason to stay in school. I’m more worried about regretting staying in school than regretting leaving. I’ve been stressing about this so much I am making myself sick. I pretty much have cried from stress everyday.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get all of my thoughts out. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Advice? Know anyone who withdrew from vet school?

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[pinkpuppy9]

I’m a second year veterinary student. I have always wanted to be a vet. Specifically, my dream was to become a “farm vet” and own my own practice. Getting emergency calls, working all the time, etc used to excite me! However, right when this year started I really started to think about my goals and them being realistic. I want to have a family, have land with a lot of animals, and travel. I grew up with someone who owns their own business that gets emergency calls and runs the place by themself and I couldn’t tell you the last time they took a day off or went on vacation. I understand vets can have “the best of both worlds” but this wouldn’t work out as well with my original plans. I also understand plans change, but honestly I’m sort of specific about where I want to live, so this narrows down where I could work. Also I don’t believe I would be super happy with working on small animal (I’d be fine doing it on occasion, but not solely). It’s not all about the money, but I wouldn’t make as much as a large animal vet. I’ve seen some jobs that I’m qualified for now that have comparable pay to what I would make if I was a DVM.

I know this may sound dumb, but I’m trying to decide if finishing veterinary school is worth it. I’ve learned a lot these past few years about how life can end at any minute, and I don’t want to spend any time unhappy. I don’t want to get into a lot of debt and “waste” three more years if this isn’t what is going to make me happy anymore. There’s so many other jobs I can do that still involve animals and medicine that would make me happy. Plus, I could always go back to school if I withdrew.

Honestly, I think I’ve found myself lying to myself and others about hen asked about vet school and being a vet. I say I love it and can’t wait, but I don’t feel the same passion. If vet school wasn’t such an expensive and long process, I would totally finish it. I just don’t want to force myself to and not be happy with the outcome. When I think about leaving vet school, my main concern is “what will everyone think/what will I tell everyone?” I don’t want everyone to think I failed out or I’m not cut out for it. I’ve been hearing that my whole life regarding vet school so I want to prove those people wrong, but that’s not a reason to stay in school. I’m more worried about regretting staying in school than regretting leaving. I’ve been stressing about this so much I am making myself sick. I pretty much have cried from stress everyday.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get all of my thoughts out. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Advice? Know anyone who withdrew from vet school?

I know a very small handful people who have withdrawn within the first few weeks/months of first year - most were due to the realization of impending financial doom. One person in particular had 'always wanted' to be a vet, but when it came down to actually being in school and experiencing the workload, they realized they didn't want it that badly anymore. I personally don't know anyone who left after first year.

I don't think you'll get the answer to your questions from anyone but yourself. As a general piece of advice, if you are not 100% sure, don't do it. I would not be surprised if most of us have asked ourselves 'Is this really worth it?' at some point during vet school (or even after...), but you will have to do some soul searching on your own to get the true answer to that question. I will tell you that I have asked myself this question a lot, both during and after vet school. As recently as last week, lol. At the end of the day, I still can't see myself in any other career. If you feel you could be happy and fulfilled in any other career, then that should tell you something.

With that being said, there are SO many different options for DVMs, some of which don't even touch animals. A lot of these jobs come with a better quality of life automatically - industry, government, research, etc. You are right that a large animal solo vet often does not get a great work-life balance. I also know several vets that work relief that travel the globe between work commitments, which you are in full control of. You could, in theory, live anywhere you wanted while picking up shifts in any state you were licensed in. Maybe not practical while raising kids, but before/after kids?

Does your school offer student counseling services? Can you talk to a trusted clinician/professor/other that might be able to guide you on a more personalized level?

Final bit of advice: Who cares what everyone else thinks? I was recently reminded that tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us - life is too short to make choices based on the potential reactions of others. Do what is best for you, and what makes you happy. At the end of the day, being a vet is still just a job. Even if it is your 'true passion,' that doesn't make rolling out of bed on a Monday morning any easier.

 

[JaynaAli]

There should be no shame in deciding this field isn’t for you anymore. Plans and priorities change. Your support people should support you regardless. I know a handful of people who no longer practice much (like a day a week) or not at all, and I admit I have thought “such a shame they paid for and finished the whole degree and aren’t using it” but if they’re happy, who cares. If you’re sure you don’t want to do it any more, then yes, I think it’s fair to quit before you accumulate two more years of debt. It’s not a degree that’s gonna benefit you if you don’t plan to use it.

You bring up excellent points to consider about rural vet med. All my life I thought I’d return to my hometown area and do rural mixed vet med. I started working in a pathology lab during undergrad but still thought I’d do rural mixed clear until second year. Then that summer I worked half the weeks doing rural mixed and half the week in the pathology lab, and I realized I really wanted to pursue pathology…much for reasons you describe. Didn’t want the on call, I wanted better pay, better hours, more freedom. I’m not saying the path to being a pathologist was easy, but now that all of diagnostic pathology for the major diagnostic labs is done by computer and remote work, I’ve gotten the best of both worlds. I had to go away for residency and a little while afterwards, but I’ve been back home in the middle of nowhere for three years now. I make an excellent salary for my rural area (literally over three times what my rural mixed vet med best friend makes), I can set my hours to an extent, it’s easy to take PTO and travel. Sure, sitting at a computer all day doing cytology or histology isn’t for everyone, but it put me in a financial position (even as a single person) to put an offer in to buy 80 acres of land this week and I’m planning to build a house and barn in about two years. I’m not a mixed animal vet in my hometown like I always imagined, but now I’m going to be a pathologist with their own farm in my hometown and that’s even better. I say all this to encourage you to be sure to consider other potential aspects of vet med before dropping out. It doesn’t necessarily just have to be large animal or small animal and nothing else. Our field and world is changing and there are other options. They might not be easy options and may take even more training so maybe they’re not the right options for you or not something you’re interested in, but they exist.

Also, my friend is a second associate as a rural mixed clinic and she takes vacations twice a year. She also doesn’t do on-call, but that’s much more rare…she drew a line and was willing to walk away and find a small animal job if her boss made her do call even though cows were her favorite, and her boss wanted the money for call-ins so it’s worked for them. They do share holiday call but she doesn’t regularly do call. So again, situations outside the norm do happen. Might be harder to find, but possible. My cousin also does rural mixed as a solo practitioner with no staff except her little brother who helps on occasion, and she just shut her practice down for a week to take vacation. She does do on call but It’s about your priorities, especially if you’re the owner.

My advice is to really evaluate whether it’s just burnout or if you’ve actually lost the spark and need to pursue something else. Maybe even talk to a professional. But if you’re sure, then do what you want to do.

 

[battie]

Want to echo PP's point that what others think doesn't matter. I actually failed first year and had to repeat. Never heard rumors of people talking bad about me for having to repeat. And if you were to actually leave, you'd likely never see or hear from a significant amount of the people from your school regardless. Their opinions would never effect you cause you'd likely never hear them.

Likewise, agree with PP and Jayna that vet med is just a job. In hindsight, I wish I'd branched out more in high school and college in regards to career options; I probably wouldn't have gone on to vet med. I also don't regret my path either because I did get everything else I wanted: family, home, great job, great work-life balance. Comes down to your priorities and what you're willing to do or not do to get your top priorities.

You have some time to make a decision before you don't get a refund for the semester. Actually talk about your feelings with people inside and outside the vet med world.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Just wanted to offer you another perspective. First of all there is nothing wrong with leaving if you truly believe it's the right decision for you, but I do encourage you to go to counseling before withdrawing. I was definately the prevet that was very similar to you. I knew I was going to go to vet school. Planned to go back home, buy out the mixed vet I worked for before school, was excited to do all the ER call and LOVED cattle medicine, could not care as much for the smallies. Work all the time who cares. I figured out when I was shadowing I had a pretty significant equine allergy, but that didn't matter to me I was going be the person who "saved the day" in rural america. So I went through school. Planned to get out and make pennies, but I had a plan working in a VMLRP area and had gone to my cheapest option. A few things happened along the way.
1) Covid made it so alot of clinics quit doing on call...even LA only ones. 2) My now husband finally talked some sense into me and it was not easy believe me- I took advanced equine med because I was determined to work with equnines, even went through 4th year taking equine rotations. It wasn't until my husband finally begged me to at least talk to future employers about limiting my equine work and then going to a Dr apt 4th year after an equine rotation and having labs drawn with sky high eosinophils that I realized maybe I should limit my equine work. 3) I interviewed at 10 different practices. 4) my mom ended up in the ICU with pulmonary embolisms following a knee replacement sx
I still ended up "going home" so I could be close to family, still ended up doing mixed in a VMLRP area, but I didn't take the job that required me to work all the time and I didn't go buy my old vet out. I also ended up at a job that does WAY more small animal than I ever intended- it ended up actually being something I enjoy alot more than I thought I would (love me complex IM cases). I've also done things I've never imagined I would do and ended up practicing on different species I never thought I would (production pig vet here somehow). However, I also just landed the main position for the new calf ranch. I also only do horses on emergency and simple things like coggins and HCs so I don't die because my husband was right and it's not worth my allergies handling them frequently. I ended up taking the job that I don't work all the time- 4 day weeks and on call 8-8 every other weekend. I found a place were I was able to surround myself with amazing people. I took the job that basically lets me travel as much as I want-just got back from Japan and planning my 3rd international trip this year as we speak, leaving to IL in 2 weeks. I took the job that is family friendly if my husband and I ever do have kids. I'm still working on getting my land and load of animals, but we will eventually get there (finding anything less than a tract of land is hard where we are). This job was NOT where I ever wanted to live-hello tornadoes. There are days where I want to quit. There are days I want to be a banker or go work a low-end job and make minimum wage. Then there are days where I have clients who invite me to have coffee with them, or invite me ot their 80th birthday party, or bring me back a bracelet from their vacation, or the days where I'm the only vet for 100+ miles working and I'm drowning but help alot of animals and people. In the end I think it's a wash. I tell all my pre-vet students and new grads-your happiness is defined by the things you do outside of your job, because at the end of the day it is just a job. Good luck on your decision!

 

[Doctor Ham]

I’m a second year veterinary student. I have always wanted to be a vet. Specifically, my dream was to become a “farm vet” and own my own practice. Getting emergency calls, working all the time, etc used to excite me! However, right when this year started I really started to think about my goals and them being realistic. I want to have a family, have land with a lot of animals, and travel. I grew up with someone who owns their own business that gets emergency calls and runs the place by themself and I couldn’t tell you the last time they took a day off or went on vacation. I understand vets can have “the best of both worlds” but this wouldn’t work out as well with my original plans. I also understand plans change, but honestly I’m sort of specific about where I want to live, so this narrows down where I could work. Also I don’t believe I would be super happy with working on small animal (I’d be fine doing it on occasion, but not solely). It’s not all about the money, but I wouldn’t make as much as a large animal vet. I’ve seen some jobs that I’m qualified for now that have comparable pay to what I would make if I was a DVM.

I know this may sound dumb, but I’m trying to decide if finishing veterinary school is worth it. I’ve learned a lot these past few years about how life can end at any minute, and I don’t want to spend any time unhappy. I don’t want to get into a lot of debt and “waste” three more years if this isn’t what is going to make me happy anymore. There’s so many other jobs I can do that still involve animals and medicine that would make me happy. Plus, I could always go back to school if I withdrew.

Honestly, I think I’ve found myself lying to myself and others about hen asked about vet school and being a vet. I say I love it and can’t wait, but I don’t feel the same passion. If vet school wasn’t such an expensive and long process, I would totally finish it. I just don’t want to force myself to and not be happy with the outcome. When I think about leaving vet school, my main concern is “what will everyone think/what will I tell everyone?” I don’t want everyone to think I failed out or I’m not cut out for it. I’ve been hearing that my whole life regarding vet school so I want to prove those people wrong, but that’s not a reason to stay in school. I’m more worried about regretting staying in school than regretting leaving. I’ve been stressing about this so much I am making myself sick. I pretty much have cried from stress everyday.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get all of my thoughts out. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Advice? Know anyone who withdrew from vet school?

All of your feelings are valid.

There are people for whom veterinary medicine is just a job, and there are people for whom it is a calling. Both of those people can thrive in this career. It's not unusual to be questioning your career choices at this stage - vet school is a marathon, and many people start cramping partway through.

The beauty of vet med is that you can take this career in many different directions. If what you want is to set up in your hometown, but make it different than the current "old-timer," then you can do that. If your biggest reason for NOT leaving vet school is that you're worried about what people think, then maybe you need to do some soul searching with a counselor to decide if you should stay.