When did you guys know

[sally24]

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that you wanted to be veterinarians? Any stories?

Also, when did you actually begin volunteering and collecting service hours?

Thank you! 🙂

 

[PetPony]

I'm not sure when exactly it started, but I remember talking about it in elementary school.

I volunteered for the humane society in my junior year of high school and started shadowing half a year ago in my freshman year of college.

 

[orca2011]

I'm pretty much a cliche in that I have kind of always wanted to be a veterinarian. That or work with killer whales.

And I got pretty much all my experience during college and this past year in my gap year. I didn't have time during high school since I did sports pretty much year round. It was even hard to fit in college cause I did two club sports and worked PT throughout the week.

 

[bbeventer]

I am like Orca, before I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, I knew I wanted to be an animal doctor. 😉

I started gathering experience when I was 16 shadowing over the summers in a mixed practice clinic.

I should add though that I also wanted to be an astronaut. Both of these "dreams" started in first grade, obviously, astronaut faded fairly quickly.

 

[orca2011]

I am like Orca, before I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, I knew I wanted to be an animal doctor. 😉

I started gathering experience when I was 16 shadowing over the summers in a mixed practice clinic.

I should add though that I also wanted to be an astronaut. Both of these "dreams" started in first grade, obviously, astronaut faded fairly quickly.

Haha. I also had a fascination with space. Still kind of do actually.

 

[Marsala]

I was 6 years old and my grandfather had given me a beagle puppy that apparently had parvo. She had strained so much (nasty diarrhea) that her intestines came out. We went to the emergency vet and he proceeded to try to shove it back in. While I was standing there, and the puppy was not sedated or anything. I remember the screaming of the puppy (rather vividly, unfortunately), I remember being sent out of the exam room, crying my eyes out, and decided at that moment that I wanted to help animals and I did NOT want to be like him at all.

I wish that the story was a made-up one.

As for experience, I did 4-H and I started working with lab animals when I was 18. Got a lot of experience when I dropped out of college and worked full-time as a vet assistant/tech.

 

[equineconstant]

I can't remember a time when being a vet wasn't a possible career choice for me. I actually decided that yes, I was going to do all the prereqs and apply to vet school the summer after my freshman year. That was when I first started getting vet experience, volunteering at a small animal clinic. I also did a program at UPenn that summer, which was really helpful in making my decision (and also gave me some info about application, not that I was paying super much attention since I was only a rising sophomore then).

 

[bbeventer]

Haha. I also had a fascination with space. Still kind of do actually.

It is the final frontier.

 

[SocialStigma]

I was 8 and *insert cliche story about "saving" first animal* (it was actually an insect lol).

Started getting animal experience when I was 16 at the SPCA, vet experience once I turned 18.

 

[Trilt]

Haha. I also had a fascination with space. Still kind of do actually.

Oh god me too. Blows my mind.

On OP's question: wanted to be a vet as a kid, 180'd away through tween/teenage years, started reconsidering it during college, cemented the decision again sophomore year when I started getting experience.

 

[orca2011]

I was 8 and *insert cliche story about "saving" first animal* (it was actually an insect lol).

Started getting animal experience when I was 16 at the SPCA, vet experience once I turned 18.

I also had a insect saving experience in 6th grade. Kept it alive for about a week and then it died. I think that was when I really, really, started thinking about it and then having my guinea pig die in my hands pretty much solidified it. I still wonder if it was something I missed. =(

 

[bbeventer]

I also had a insect saving experience in 6th grade. Kept it alive for about a week and then it died. I think that was when I really, really, started thinking about it and then having my guinea pig die in my hands pretty much solidified it. I still wonder if it was something I missed. =(

Guess I am the odd kid, never had the saving animal experience, quite the opposite I guess. When I was younger pre-K- K my mom did some home schooling. One time she stopped by the butchers and picked up some cows eyes for us to dissect, best school experience ever (for that age, at least) 😍

 

[squirrelsrule]

I wanted to be a vet or a dentist when I was in kindergarten/ first grade (I loved going to the dentist, still don't mind 😀). The dentist dream faded quick as I realized that I definitely wanted to do something with animals. Free Willy came out and I was hooked on killer whales for a LONG time and realizing more of what being a vet involved, I started leaning more towards animal care. My dream job from about 3-4 grade and the end of college was being a killer whale trainer at Sea World. Had an internship set up with Six Flags, but then they closed and I ended up at my backup plan of interning with a wildlife center. Then got hooked on wildlife rehab and realized that I could handle being a vet and that is more of what I want to do than animal care. So, I just decided about 2 years ago to go for it and become a vet. Seems like forever ago, though, because I've been working at an electronics place doing computer work for the last 6 years just wondering what I want to do with my life, knowing I didn't want to work there forever. Finally decided to become a vet.

 

[Whyevernot55]

Since birth.

Just kidding. Really, I think I wanted to for a minute when I was a kid and liked kittens and butterflies, then I did other things for a whooooole long time. Finally came to vet med during my senior year in college when I owned 3 horses, and my equine vet took pity on me and hired me. That's when I started collecting hours, though I was completely clueless and had no idea what I was doing. Also I was an English Lit major.

 

[ViaBea]

I started saying that I wanted to be a vet when I was six, and we took my puppy in. He peed on the vet, but I thought that waiting in the waiting room with the other people's animals and talking to the doctor was wonderful.

I've mostly stuck with that. There have been a few times when I changed my mind such as when one of my animals that I was close to died and I had a horrible experience watching a c-section on her (the baby died and she died of complications from the surgery). After that, I waffled back and forth for a while because I was not ready to give up on vet med, but that experience along with the financial aspect scared me. I never really switched my career path, but I considered other careers although none of them felt right. However, this past winter another one of my animals had a similar situation, and this time her and one of her babies lived even though no one including the vet thought that the baby would live because of the length of her labor. So, that renewed my passion for veterinary medicine.

I started getting experience my junior year of high school, and I've continued getting it pretty consistantly even though its unfortunately only small animal. The only time I really stopped was when I had to switch clinics.

 

[StartingoverVet]

After 4 decades of life on this planet.

 

[wildcatj]

When I was probably 9-10 I wanted to be a vet, but then gave up on that thinking it wasn't a real career choice. I never really considered it again until I started fostering kittens 3 years ago, had one that was dying, handed it over to the vet I work with and voila it was magically cured in 48 hours. For whatever reason that triggered it for me. And literally just as I was about to bring it up with the vet she goes, "So you want to be a vet now don't you?" I swear she knew exactly what she was doing haha.
As far as experience goes I started that right before my freshman year with volunteering at a wildlife rehab center, got moved up to working there, got a job as a SA tech and now shadow a zoo vet.

 

[primatevetjess]

Yeah I'm a little different. I always loved animals, of course. But I grew up in the deep South and unfortunately my parents did not take our animals to the vet. I don't think I even knew what a veterinarian was for quite awhile as a little kid. When I went to college the first time, I decided there that I wanted to be a veterinarian. But then I dropped out after 2 years, had crappy jobs for about 5-6 years, then decided I needed to return to the idea of working with animals. I enrolled in an RVT program, thinking I was too old and too stupid to actually pursue vet med. The pre-vet adviser knew this, talked to me about it, and we made a deal: I would take OChem, and if I passed, I would switch from the RVT program to pre-vet. Well I passed OChem, and the rest is history 😀 I didn't start getting experience until I started the RVT program, in my mid to late 20's.

 

[DVMDream]

I had a good idea that I wanted to be a vet when I was fairly young around 7 or 8. (I had wanted to be a ballerina before that. 🙄).

I started gaining experiences at 12 (volunteering in the cattery of an animal shelter). And I started working in a vet clinic at 17. I am now 24 and am finally going to be starting school to accomplish my dream! 😀

 

[OH Bunny Girl]

Growing up I had no idea what I wanted to be. In my 6th grade graduation book (I don't know why we had these?) I said I wanted to "Go to college and be rich." All through high school I wanted to become a graphic designer, but I changed my mind when I took honors Anatomy and Physiology and dissected a cat. There were lots of girls in my class, but I was one of the few who could handle all the "yucky" stuff. I remember telling my best friend that I had made my decision, and she said, "You're crazy! You have to go to college for 8 years. You should just become a nurse like me."

I didn't start shadowing until the summer between my junior and senior years in college. Which was far too late IMHO.

 

[devyn]

Really young - from the moment I learned the career existed I wanted to be one. I used to read James Herriot books and dream of being an animal doctor. I loved the movie Dr Dolittle (the original). Every career day I set up my stand as a veterinarian and even was able to go in and shadow a vet for a day starting as young as grade school. I was obsessed with animals and helping them from a young age. I started working at vet clinics in high school, I had volunteered at the animal shelter prior to that.

 

[Jamr0ckin]

My mom says she knew I'd be a vet from the age of 2, when I would be obsessed with frogs, turtles, worms, etc. she taught me the world veterinarian, and I started telling people I was going to be one at like 4.

But it became concrete when I did a mentorship in 8th grade. My first day we went on a farm call and I got to watch a fetotomy on a down cow. It was amazing!!!
😍

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[FutResearchVet]

When I was 11 years old. I had just started volunteering at a veterinary hospital on Saturday mornings because I didn't make the cut for the local youth orchestra. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian the first time I observed surgery being performed on a dog to remove multiple tumors. The vet I volunteered for was an excellent mentor and always made an effort to explain cases to me.

 

[nyanko]

I wanted to be a vet when I was a little kid because I was obsessed with dogs specifically. Even though I didn't have one, and was never allowed to have one as a kid, I loved them. I was so jealous of my friends who had dogs and I spent all of my time at their houses. I volunteered at the local shelter for a couple of years starting at 14 and did all kinds of stuff for them but then I went through a really, really strong "school is dumb I'm not doing any more of it than I have to" phase and gave it up. Didn't come back until I started volunteering at a shelter again at age 22, then it took me awhile to sort myself out enough to get serious about it.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

I've known I wanted to be a vet since I realized as a 5 year old that I wasn't going to grow up to be a dog. 😛 On a serious note, though, as soon as I started working as a vet tech (my first "real" exposure) I knew that this field was where I belonged. It's corny, but it's true. Since then, I've gotten more experience in different areas of vet med and realized that I probably want to do something in ECC. I remember the first time seeing CPR on a dog... AWESOME.

 

[SnowyRox]

I blame my Dad for reading me James Herriot stories when I was a kid instead of normal children's books.

But seriously, I've always wanted to be a vet. I tried really hard to find a different career that would suit me due to the terrible debt: income ratio... but it didn't work. I want to enjoy my job and vet med is the best fit for me. I only get jealous when my friends tell me their starting salary as an MD until I realize that they have to treat sick humans, yuck. Give me the puppy with exploding diarrhea over the human with sniffles any day.

 

[Coquette22]

I knew I wanted to work with animals around the age of 18 (originally started university to be a journalist, left after a year). I saw a sign advertising a 1 year vet assistant course. It was honestly a lightbulb moment, which was weird, because until then, I'd never shown any interest in medicine. I'd loved animals since I was a kid (we had dogs, and cats, and a budgie and hamsters and a rabbit and a horse...), but I don't ever recall as a kid saying, "I wanna be a vet when I grow up!" I think mostly I wanted to be a paleontologist, then I wanted to be a writer, and that stuck until I got to university.

Anyway, after about a day of being a vet assistant, I realized I didn't want to be an assistant. And that just left the vet part!

(Seriously, I'm glad AVC didn't require personal statements, because I could not write one. I honestly don't know why I ended up in this path. I just know I love it 100% and I can't imagine ever doing anything else.)

 

[Trilt]

I blame my Dad for reading me James Herriot stories when I was a kid instead of normal children's books.

I definitely had never heard of James Herriot until I started university (and joined this forum). Read my first book well after I decided to pursue vet med. I feel like I missed out on that!

 

[Skids]

Inspiration struck me from the US Department of Labor website. I was desperately trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up (i.e. retire from the military) and it was like a bolt out of the blue. Shadowed our vet for a day and a few surgeries and now I am hooked.

 

[hopefulinva]

There is no "aha" moment for me.

For a while in high school I thought about doing art school and pursuing graphic design, but I quickly decided I much prefer art as a hobby.

Probably about junior year of high school is when I started seriously considering what it takes to become a veterinarian (the science and hard work portion; my fascination with animals spans my entire life). I identified my undergraduate school based on the strength of its science and pre-vet programs, and by freshman year of college I had identified the two vet schools I wanted most to attend.

My summers in high school were spent working at a zoo and a pet shop; I worked in a research lab in undergrad; I finally landed a clinical position after my junior year in college (I was a 5-year senior, so I had 2 summers of experience at this clinic - plus some winter breaks - before applying).

 

[OH Bunny Girl]

I definitely had never heard of James Herriot until I started university (and joined this forum). Read my first book well after I decided to pursue vet med. I feel like I missed out on that!

I had never heard of James Harriott until I was shadowing at my current animal clinic. The two vets "yelled" at me and told me I was slacking. Then one vet drew me as her secret santa in the clinic Christmas party and gave me the first book as my present. And "yelled" at me again for not already having it.