I'll talk you out of it! (Squeamish warning)

[KobaOregonherper]

What you think becoming a vet looks like,

what it actually looks like (bottoms me)

(not me, student I'm in servitude with. Neuter and Spay oppertunity we did out of Alpine Animal Hospital...it's 2 am.)

Truth be told its been great, hard to adjust and a ton of work but definitely worth it. Was it worth not getting my PhD? No idea. If anyone wants advice feel free to ask, it's not all this gross. There's a lot they don't tell you before you start school to become a vet, things I wish I'd known. If anyones thinking about trying to get into vet school, please, feel free to send me questions. I have some things I'll send you and some videos to watch that might change your mind.

 

[Millz&Jukka]

I’ve already applied soooo I can’t really be talked out of it now otherwise i won’t have anything to do at uni next year? did get to watch multiple surgeries at my work exp tho so i know what i’m getting myself into

 

[nightanole]

"people who drop out out vet school, apply for med school"

 

[Rose:)]

What you think becoming a vet looks like,View attachment 283913what it actually looks like (bottoms me)View attachment 283914
View attachment 283915(not me, student I'm in servitude with. Neuter and Spay oppertunity we did out of Alpine Animal Hospital...it's 2 am.)

Truth be told its been great, hard to adjust and a ton of work but definitely worth it. Was it worth not getting my PhD? No idea. If anyone wants advice feel free to ask, it's not all this gross. There's a lot they don't tell you before you start school to become a vet, things I wish I'd known. If anyones thinking about trying to get into vet school, please, feel free to send me questions. I have some things I'll send you and some videos to watch that might change your mind.

What do you wish you knew before you started? Can you send me the videos and stuff. Thanks!

 

[salty dog]

having to know the anatomy of x amount of animals as opposed to 2 male and female human...hats off to you smart cookies veterenarians!!!

 

[KobaOregonherper]

What do you wish you knew before you started? Can you send me the videos and stuff. Thanks!

Sure! The mental stress. The surgeries are something thats hard to learn, but something that never gets easy are the people. Vets have the 2nd highest suicide rate of any profession just after police officers. 70-80 hour work weeks for less than half the pay of an MD probably doesnt help.

Edit: also take into account if you're planning on doing exotics, 90% of the people who come in are 100% sure theyre experts.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

"people who drop out out vet school, apply for med school"

Oh I thought about it. Did well enough on the MCAT to apply.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

I’ve already applied soooo I can’t really be talked out of it now otherwise i won’t have anything to do at uni next year? did get to watch multiple surgeries at my work exp tho so i know what i’m getting myself into

Have you done any long term shadowing?

 

[JacksJill]

If you aren't squeamish then it's the emotional toll that gets to you eventually.
This scenario has stuck with me for years. Clients that want their pet put to sleep for completely treatable problems like a urinary tract infection because the 200 hundred and change for a urinalysis and antibiotics is too expensive so they want the 125 euthanasia option for their very sweet little poodle. We declined and they drove off in their brand new Mercedes with a ring on their finger with a gem the size of a pigeon egg. I hope that dog is OK we offered to rehome it but they wouldn't surrender it. That would be to cruel. I hope she survived but I doubt it.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

If you aren't squeamish then it's the emotional toll that gets to you eventually.
This scenario has stuck with me for years. Clients that want their pet put to sleep for completely treatable problems like a urinary tract infection because the 200 hundred and change for a urinalysis and antibiotics is too expensive so they want the 125 euthanasia option for their very sweet little poodle. We declined and they drove off in their brand new Mercedes with a ring on their finger with a gem the size of a pigeon egg. I hope that dog is OK we offered to rehome it but they wouldn't surrender it. That would be to cruel. I hope she survived but I doubt it.

This. Multiple times a day. ? For me it's the completely solvable situations but the owner refuses to properly care for their animal or an animal is being physically abused (usually cats) and you can't say anything or do anything about it.

 

[JacksJill]

Edit: also take into account if you're planning on doing exotics, 90% of the people who come in are 100% theyre experts.

I'm sure my vet starts eye rolling the minute she sees my name on the appointment list. I ask irritating questions like "how will this test change the course of treatment? " and say "I want to treat for coccidia even though it can be considered normal flora in chameleons".

 

[nightanole]

"is it a good lizard or a bad lizard?" Thats code for if the vet tech needs to wear gloves.

"how do we get him to open his mouth?" Im like "theres a corn snake in the waiting room, that outa do it".

 

[KobaOregonherper]

"is it a good lizard or a bad lizard?" Thats code for if the vet tech needs to wear gloves.

"how do we get him to open his mouth?" Im like "theres a corn snake in the waiting room, that outa do it".

Out of the 126 students in my class theres only 3 of us that I know of willing to even look at a reptile let alone make one pissed enough to force a medical syringe into the back of its mouth.

 

[JacksJill]

I remember wearing butchers metal mesh gloves to treat a Gila monster with mouth rot. It had been kept at improper heat and humidity. It may have been in from the zoo but I think it was a private owner. This was decades ago and they may have still been legal to own.

 

[kinyonga]

Now that would definitely have scared me!
Wow!

I watched Bondi Vet last night and there were, I think, 8 keepers trying to stop a huge python from coiling around them and the vet while the vet checked it out. It was coming out of hibernation and wouldn't eat. In the end it ate a whole goat. I couldn't believe e how strong it was and how fast it moved!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

"people who drop out out vet school, apply for med school"

I always heard it as, "People who can't get into vet school apply to med school."
But at that time, there were less than 20 vet schools in the whole country (today there are 32), and a policy that if you lived in a state that had one, you could only apply within that state (which put kids who lived in states without schools at an advantage—they could apply to all of them). AFAIK, this has changed.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Vets have the 2nd highest suicide rate of any profession just after police officers.

??? I don't find that on any of the published lists/sites.
suicide rate by profession

 

[kinyonga]

https://time.com/5670965/veterinarian-suicide-help/

 

[CasqueAbove]

This is not the ugly hard part. You get use to this.

Why I stopped was because of people. It is when you get the non caring owner that is the killer. Like the guy who won't pay to set a broken leg because he only paid x dollars for the dog in the first place.
This is what stopped me. I do not know how I would deal with these people. We always picture people like us that care and love our pets, but sadly there are many , especially things like small animals and reptiles, that simply see it as an item maybe a cool plant or something. This was the part I could not deal with.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

.

https://time.com/5670965/veterinarian-suicide-help/

I don't question the fact that suicide among veterinarians is disproportionately high, and there's no question that suicide is a growing problem in our culture.

I just don't find that, "Vets have the 2nd highest suicide rate of any profession just after police officers."
and the article cited doesn't say that either.

I found only one list that put vets even in the top 4, and that list did not correspond with the others I looked at, nor with the most recent figures I could find from CDC.