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

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

As soon as you can, get a job in a veterinary practice. It doesn't matter in the short term what the job is -- receptionist even. What matters that you have a chance to look for yourself at what it's like on the inside.

An acquaintance of mine wanted to go to divinity school to be a UU minister. Her minister strongly advised her to get a job in a church and work for awhile before she applied to divinity school, so she could see what it was like to be on the inside, where everything looks very different. The only job she could get was as a quarter time (10 hours a week) director of religious education, so that's what she took, and struggled to survive on the meager salary. She eventually decided she did want to go for it, applied to school, and became a minister herself.

She always said taking that DRE job first was the smartest thing she ever did. Even though she wasn't a minister, she worked with one on a daily basis, and saw what it was like to interact with the congregation from a staff point of view.

She had more time than you do, because she had just finished college, so she could afford to wait to get at least some kind of professional job. Otherwise even being a church secretary would have helped. That's why I'm suggesting you get a short-term job in a vet's office -- not to accrue vet tech hours for your application, but to help you decide if you want to fill out that application.

If you work in a vet's office, even as a receptionist or secretary, you'll find out how you feel about some of the things you're concerned about. When you schedule appointments for euthanasias, can you find equanimity making the appointment or do you hate even writing it down? When an owner comes to check out and pay, and declines to make the follow-up appointment the vet ordered -- because they don't want to bother, or because they genuinely can't afford it -- how will you handle that? Spending six months as a receptionist in a vet's office will give you a really good idea about how well you can deal with situations like that.

And of course you'll have vets you can talk to about real cases. You can ask them how they dealt with Mrs. Richbitch and her poodle, and what it would have taken to give Mr. Poor's cat a few more years instead of euthanizing her, and how they felt about it.

Consider doing this while you're still living there, so you'll have a better idea of whether you want to choose a new location because it's close to a good vet school. If you do, and you find yourself hating to go to work every day because you can't stand typing "euthanasia" one more time ... or you find yourself sitting in the front office dying to perform the procedures -- even the emotionally difficult ones -- instead of just setting up appointments for them -- you'll know whether that's the road you want to set out on.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

What matters that you have a chance to look for yourself at what it's like on the inside.

I COMPLETELY agree. This would answer quite a few of my questions. Even if I take a few veterinarians out to lunch & I get all fired up & decide this looks like a good goal, I still need to do this before being certain. I honestly think it's smart that veterinary programs require it for admission. There are not many schools and they may as well admit only the people who know for sure that they want to forge ahead with this.

The one catch-22 I have is that if I ditch the high-tech income I have to move Right Effing Now. I can't be a vet receptionist and pay the mortgage on this house, at least not for long and not if I ever want to pay tuition. That leaves me deciding where to move when I don't yet know for sure whether I'm going for veterinarian.

One thing we can do is decide where we want to go -- some With and some Without vet schools -- and rent for a while, tossing me into a vet clinic for the first year. THEN we could decide "are we buying our house here and going to school, or doing one of the Plan Bs?" But that does complicate the whole process.

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

It might be a good idea to rent for a while anyway, to make sure the city's where you want to stay regardless of the vet thing. Or, if you're sure about the city, to start getting a handle on what different neighborhoods are like before you decide where exactly to buy.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely. In fact, we might rent even after buying, if we find a house in the perfect location on some lovely land but we want some work done before we move in. But it'd be kinda nice to be able to choose the city *first*. Ach, it gets complicated! Meanwhile, behind door number 2 is "Goof Off And Semi-Retire," which has a lot of advantages...

a comment for you...

[justetthon.livejournal.com]

this is a really good idea, giving it a try in some capacity before sinking your mind and soul

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this is a really good idea, giving it a try in some capacity before sinking your mind and soul <and lack of income you're used to now> into it for about 10 years of intense academic and practical training before you can even BE a vet.

I told my buddy at work (director of Organizational Development and Training) your story, and she basically said "Tell her to go for it. She has 30 years of working life, if she wants to do this and contribute in a way she cares about... DO IT." This lady does not pull punches and tells it like it is... she is a great person.

so, go for it, says she.