Hey /an/,
I need some advice. I've been slaving away at an office job for the last 5 years and I want to make a change. I've thought about going to school to pursue something in the veterinarian field.
Anyone have any insight into the pros/cons of the job? (ie, vet tech, vet technologist, veterinarian)
Vet is least money of all med shit
>>2090405
Vet student here. Also britfag, so some of this might not be relevant.
I decided to go back to Uni after being a carer. Vet school is bloody competitive, everyone has the grades, I believe you need a 3.8+ GPA as an american, they wanted AAA at A-level for us brits (chem, bio, another science.) You're also expected to have shed loads of work experience, everything from farms to shadowing vets. We had 2500 applicants for 125 places the year I was accepted if that gives you any idea of how competitive it is: everyone has the grades, so they tend to separate people by work experience.
However, that said, if you really do think vet is your cup of tea, I would STRONGLY suggest you go shadow an actual vet. Go do your work experience, go work at a rescue center, go spend time working your ass off at a farm, shadow a vet for as much time as possible and then if it's still your dream then I say go for it. I bloody love my degree, I spend my entire time doing what I love.
The job at the end is stressful, you don't get paid enough, and the debt (esp for americans) is unreal but in my mind it's the best job in the entire world.
Do you have any more specific questions? Happy to answer any you have!
On a side note, don't be a vet if you "just" love animals, you need to love science, not animals. You need to love the problem solving of client's pets and love learning (lifelong learning and all that jazz in our oath). Veterinary is not fluffy, we do not get to cuddle puppies all day.
>>2090405
This, >>2090412 if you're looking at DVM.
If you're thinking about a technician position, check to see what kind of laws and regulations are involved in your area.
I applied for an accredited tech program in my area and they required you to shadow a vet for a certain number of hours before they'd even admit you. I'm fucking glad, because it turns out that I live in a region that doesn't require techs (who are essentially nurses, and do everything we expect human nurses to actually be trained and certified for) to have any formal training or certification. The DVM I shadowed- and it took me far too goddamn long to find one who cared enough to let me- was amazing, but I was the laughing stock of the office while I was there. All the techs around here started off as kennel grunts and were trained on site. No vet's office in my area wants to pay extra for a "know it all" (in the words of one of the DVMs) upstart with actual education in the field. That office didn't even accept my application for kennel work after I'd been there several months helping out in that capacity for free.
I ended up dropping the program even though they accepted me after that. It might be better in places where certification is a requirement, or if you go into it realizing that you're going to start as a minimum wage, poop-mopping, disposable set of hands and will maybe luck out and move to a slightly more respected position after a couple years.
TL;DR- This field isn't going to be as happy and rewarding as you probably think it is.
>>2090441
>>2090472
well shit, I expected it to not be gumdrops and fairies...but man that's bleak.
I didn't really have anything in specific to ask about, since I just recently starting thinking about the vet field as a possible career path. But from the sounds of it, it almost seems like more trouble than it's worth, even if the competition and unpaid work doesn't throw you.
>>2090705
just be a chemist
>>2090705
If you're good at it. Go into research. Especially farming/agriculture. Tons of money to be made.
Not OP. I have a 3.19 undergrad GPA. Molecular biology. Am I fugged? I've pretty much given up on vet school and am currently just floating around trying to latch on to biotech companies these days and endlessly postponing a masters.
>>2090737
If my American vet school contacts are to be believed, then with that GPA, yes you are. The problem is that if America is anything like the UK they expect you to have the grades, so you'll be removed on the first screening of applicants without even looking at anything else on your application.
That said, I also like to say never say never. Is there anyway you can get that GPA up? If you can get that up and have the work experience behind it, then go for it!
>>2090705
I'm sorry it's not what you expected. As I said before, I love my degree dearly: where else could I say spend my monday morning on cranial nerves, tuesday dissecting those nerves, wednesday doing nerve tests in the live dog and thursday practicing a hemilaminectomy on a cadaver. (This is with more lectures packed in, we have a full timetable 9-5 weekly, and I also have to write up notes most evenings/weekends- aka bye bye spare time!)
However, I understand it is not for everyone, which is why I suggest for any person wanting to go into the field to go get some work experience shadowing. Nine times out of ten vet is not want people think/want, and for those one out of ten they apply with a better chance of getting in for the work exp.
But here, have a fluffy set of lambs I've been looking after all week on my compulsory animal husbandry placement.
>>2090705
>>2090472 here.
Definitely do some research before you give up completely. Most of the techs I've met like their jobs, but it tends to be thankless, dangerous (bites, infections, shit... Cancer from being repeatedly exposed to xrays since you end up in the line of fire as you hold struggling pets still) and low paying, at least for the amount of skill and knowledge needed.
Also, it seems like a lot of people look at the veterinary field as a way to avoid working with people. You'll be dealing with owners and coworkers all day every day, and if you can't handle Dr. House level antisocial bosses, careless or stupid owners that'll make you want to punch them, or if the thought of comforting a grown man who's sobbing uncontrollably as his dog dies in his arms makes you cringe...yeah.
(Fun fact: the nice vet I was shadowing was out that day and I got punted off to another one. She left me alone to comfort that guy for about half an hour so I wasn't in her way. Turns out he was the fucking mayor. Nice dude, really loved his little dog. He told me some sweet stories.)
Any farm or large animal vets here? I think I might like to do that.
