Becoming a veterinarian?

[cjsmith]

"Veterinarian" is one of those "maybe-somedays" I've had in the back of my head for a long time -- probably ever since I've considered changing careers out of high tech, and that's been well over a decade.

It will take an awful lot of work to get there. Students admitted to the veterinary medicine program in Fort Collins have at least 1000 hours of working with animals in a veterinary setting and at least 1000 more hours of working with animals in some other setting (humane society, perhaps?). That adds up to a full-time year of work right there. They've got excellent foundations in chemistry and biology; I'd probably be looking at two years to beef up my science background (and not so incidentally my GPA). Then the vet program itself is four years and not exactly a cakewalk.

It's now or never. The oldest student ever admitted there was 45. If we don't move from here for at least a year I'll be a minimum of 44 when I attempt to apply. Admission to these programs is very competitive and schools would be completely reasonable to want to give the slot to someone who will likely be in practice for longer. In fact, after those three years of prep, it's quite possible I won't get admitted at all, and I don't have years to re-apply.

Am I trading one high-stress job for another? At least for the first seven years, probably I am. The academic workload will be a lot of buckling down and not much time to relax or goof off. Is it worth that much time spent, now that I'm middle-aged and a little spoiled? What about afterward? How stressful IS the job? Will I be able to go home and forget, or will I pour too much of my heart into it? Will I constantly want to stay late because it might make the difference for THIS one? Will there always be another THIS one?

Could I handle all of it emotionally? Would it rip me up to perform euthanasia when the options are running out? (Actually, probably not; I'd dislike it, but I've been there with my own and I do believe in quality of life.) How often will I face giving only the care a family can afford to an animal they honestly don't have the money to keep healthy?

Would I just start to hate neglectful pet owners? Just as some teachers will say the worst thing about their job is the parents, some veterinarians out there must be saying the worst thing about the job is the owners. Can I patch up some dog or cat One More Time and let him go home with the family that will only let him get hurt again or eat chocolate again? Would it rip me up to perform euthanasia when the family just doesn't feel like keeping the pet any more? Can I, God forgive me, do a declawing operation -- even the one I'd maybe need to do in my third year in surgery class just so I'd seen one?

Am I doing it for the right reasons? The first thing that always, always, always comes to mind is the number of animals at shelters who can't get good care because it's costly. I could volunteer for low-cost spay and neuter programs. I could work with animals the shelter feels could be adoptable with just a little bit of medical attention. These are great motives. (But, tellingly, I haven't been down there to volunteer in years. I've been insanely busy and haven't made time for it. What IS my motivation level here?) I've also always been fascinated by medical schtuff. That's a fine thing and a great indicator that maybe this is a good fit for me. But am I also doing it for approval? Do I fear losing whatever social status or family approval comes with my current salary? Does my ego want to hear someone say "Doctor CJ"? Am I scared of being the receptionist in a family of lawyers... or even in a clinic where everyone else outranks me? Am I doing this because when I was in high school I thought I wanted to be a doctor (for humans) and got intimidated and turned away from the idea?

Lots to think about.

I think it's time to take a local vet to lunch.

Comments

[platypus]

When I began college, it was as a pre-veterinary student. I was warned in advance that admission to veterinary school was extremely competitive and even students with farming backgrounds or extensive volunteer experience often failed to get in (all of which, of course, was on top of the requirements of GPA and coursework and such; it was about the extracurriculars that people would try to use to put themselves over the top). I didn't have either, and failure to get in would have left me with a Meat and Animal Science degree of uncertain usefulness. I'm easily discouraged, though, so what I did is not necessarily the right thing. I'd just suggest asking for information on admissions statistics, to see how big a hurdle it really is. Out of high school, I was solicited by a college with a vet school somewhere in Texas -- in a letter that went on to disclaim itself that it had actually filled all its available slots completely with Texas residents for the past n years. I never had a hope there. It's crazy. But that was fifteen years ago; I don't know what the landscape's like now.

More than that, though, I got discouraged during my first semester about the realities of the coursework. There's no way to get through vet school without causing the deaths of animals for study, or at least there wasn't at UW, and after one course in MAS I'd had enough of docking pigs' tails and castrating goats without anaesthesia and, well, treating animals like objects. The stress, the emotional realities, the likelihood of failure; I cut my losses. It's a hard field to break into, all around, but really good vets are a rare and amazing thing, and I don't want to discourage you from becoming one.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's a lot of good information. Thank you!

I agree that I'd have to beef up my extracurriculars a bunch, to make up for all these years I've sat in my cubicle trying to work my way into early retirement. And I might never get in. I'm nearing too old to start as it is; I'll get one shot or MAYBE two. I'd need to be willing to put in a couple of years on chem and bio knowing that I might not be able to do anything with it.

The realities of the coursework are something I can accept intellectually. If there is no better way to learn how to prevent pain and death during years and years of practice than by causing some of it while learning, then maybe it is a good tradeoff. But accepting it emotionally is going to be tough, very very tough.

I too can be easy to discourage, at times. If I turn away from this am I doing it because of fear of rejection, or because I don't know if I can get over my squeamishness, or because it really isn't the right thing for me? Dangit, it's hard to figure this stuff out!

Thanks again for your response. Lots of good food for thought.