I wish they had told me before......

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Eamon McAllister — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 20:58:10 GMT

A well known racehorse trainer found himself in the same predicament having been asked to speak to the students at his old school. He asked Lester Piggott “ what should I tell them?” Lester thought for an instant and replied “tell ‘em you got ‘flu”.

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Jill Butterworth — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 19:01:31 GMT

Have you seen the 'Vet Team in a Box' resource for schools?

www.lboro.ac.uk/study/he-unboxed/success-box/vet-team-in-a-box/

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Julie Innes — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:37:25 GMT

Be honest about the pay! I'm sometimes amazed that EMS students are 3 years into the course and are seriously deluded about what they can expect to earn....

Be honest about the stressful aspects of the job. My daughter wanted to be a vet at one point, but soon realised she would struggle with some areas

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Neil Wheadon — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:16:57 GMT

Unlike a GP, you don't need to re certify every 5 years which has certainly pushed a GP friend into early retirement. Therefore you have freedom to pursue whichever direction you choose, dropping in and out of the profession at will. I can think of few other 'good' professions that allow you to do this

Neil

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Silvia Maldonado — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:01:10 GMT

RE: I wish they had told me before......

Silvia Maldonado — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:45 GMT

RE: I wish they ahd told me before......

lisashaul — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 17:54:37 GMT

The obvious point:-

Don't become a vet (just) because you love animals. You have to really enjoy working with people, first and foremost.

The profession still poses challenges for females once they have kids or caring responsibilities, and also for men. And for both sexes, injuries and health challenges occur. Be prepared to consider adapting or moving to different roles than you originally planned, to accommodate how your life changes.

Like every job, much of the work can be considered boring or repetitive after a while. This is where enjoying people really comes in. Getting satisfaction from completing a piece of work that helps your clients and their animals - whether it is the 10th anal gland that week, or 5th retained fetal membrane in a cow - helps change how you see that particular job.

And of course, find something about what you do that you love.

Finally, don't let the identifier of "I'm a vet" become your main/sole identity in life. It is the gateway to a lifelong susceptibility to anxiety or depression if and when you come up against the knocks in life that require a change of course.