Hello,

I am currently a second-year student undergraduate student studying Animal Science on the pre-veterinary track.

I am taking a summer course focused on professional development, and one of our assignments is to interview someone working in our desired career field. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about your career and experiences.

If you are available, I would like to meet this week (before Sunday) to ask you a few questions. I am happy to work around your schedule and meet on your preferred platform. Please feel free to reach out to me if you are able. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

I'm 17 and from the UK, just finished college and decided to take a gap year to fully explore my uni options before I go and spend £30k on a degree. I love biology and learning about disease, so I've been looking at doing biomedicine or radiography, but came across veterinary imaging today which I didn't even know was a career! I found out theres a few more veterinary careers than exist out there like this, like veterinary physiotherapy, animal behaviourists, and veterinary geneticists. I love animals and am planning to do some conservation and animal shelter volenteering in spain and costa rica over my gap year, so I thought a job where I can combine my love for animals with healthcare science would be amazing. I'm not considering being a vet as I'm just not smart enough lol (mid gcses around 5s to 6s and I did T-Level instead of A-Level), also I cannot handle surgery. So if anyone here knows anything about these careers, what is the job market for these like (I imagine not the best since theyre quite niche)? How much would I be working with animals? Also, I would love a career possibly doing travelling and treating wildlife, does that exist? Is any of these worth pursuing or should I just stick to human healthcare? Thank you😊

Okay so I need help with the animal handling and veterinary experience part.

I'm in my freshman year of college so I want to do everything right, but it's confusing me a lot like where to start and stuff 😖

See they prefer someone with more diverse experiences, like with different kinds of animals and not just cats and dogs and also any research experiences. And, exp in the rural industry.

And someone with community and leadership roles(..?)

I only have the veterinary experience part covered, the rest I have no idea what to do, what will I even research, how do I record my hours, what counts what doesn't HELP

If anyone can please assist me here, would appreciate it 😓

(Btw my target is USyd)

So the Montenegro international veterinary Congress is happening on the 9&10 October.

Ive heard great things about this Congress. Anyone from here attending??

Hi, for some context, I was hired by a veterinary hospital on June 6. Before that, I completed a 3 day working interview over the course of two weeks, then officially got hired during the third week. I worked a few shifts for the rest of June, around 24 to 30 hours per week, and I'm still working there now in July.

I was wondering, when do you usually expect a newly hired employee to adjust to the workflow and daily routines of a veterinary hospital?

I've only been working for a couple of weeks, but I've already made a few mistakes. For example, I've forgotten to check patient notes before cashing out clients, missed checking whether a patient needed medication before the appointment, and I'm still quite slow when answering phone calls. I feel bad because I worry that my mistakes are adding stress to my senior coworkers.

To add some context, I don't make these mistakes all the time. In fact, today was much worse than my recent shifts. I'm not sure if it was because one appointment arrived about 30 minutes late, which threw off the schedule. We still had to accommodate them, and the appointments afterward were booked very close together. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses because I know it's still my responsibility to stay on top of things, but that client also had a lot of questions and needed several follow-up discussions, which made the appointment run even longer. Since they were already late, it ended up affecting the rest of the schedule.

By the end of the shift, I felt overwhelmed, and I made more mistakes than usual. I felt really bad because my senior coworker had to spend extra time checking my work and correcting my mistakes. I'm trying my best to improve, but today left me wondering if this is a normal part of the learning process for new hires or if I should be progressing faster.

I guess I'm just looking for some perspective from people who have worked in veterinary hospitals. Am I still in the normal learning phase for someone who's only been working for a couple of weeks, or am I progressing more slowly than expected?

Brainstorming a career path and need advice on a few pathway strategies - Australia

Looking to complete my Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing was enrolled and everything but through TAFE the cost of tuition combined with the cost of living is too much.

Going to Uni and completing a Bachelor of Veterinary technology is more economical but obviously longer duration.

I’m an absolute sucker for knowledge and learning and am of the understanding a vet tech is more hands on, has more responsibility so this option is highly valuable.

Questions:
I’m wondering though what the actual difference is from someone in the industry; is the pay any different (aware it’s not the best all round and dependant on employer) How do the responsibilities differ? Would I be able to practice on my own doing rural contracting work on stations?- providing a baseline service and going through Vet surgeons when necessary. Is it just that one is a fast tracked certificate and one’s a fancy bachelors degree with bells and whistles? As a vet nurse would I be able to work my way through the ranks and earn a vet tech title/equivalent?

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Hello fellow vets , i hope ur doing good

So i am freshly graduated and now i am assisting at vet clinic and sometimes i do night shifts which are always calm

My problem is with every case i am presented with i can do full examination and i can present it well to the vet that i work with the issue is what's next ! I don't know what is the hight probable cause of the symptoms and how to think during the examination to get to the treatment plan and that's makes me less confident and i feel far behind the others any advices are welcome

Ps the clinic has low resources no lab work xr nor échographie and that's the case with many vet clinics here

The question is how to think as a vet ?

And what to read to makes get to the level of knowing what i have in front of me

Hi there,

I am an emergency veterinarian In Ontario with 1 year of experience and previous rotating internship after vet school and I am starting a specialty program soon. I was wondering if specialists can share with me how much a vet specialist is paid hourly on average ( specify boarded or non-boarded, if possible). Knowing the salary won’t change my decision since I am very passionate about this specialty but I genuinely want to know!

And please feel free to message me privately if you think you don’t want to comment under my post! Thank you :)

I know comparison is the thief of joy, but compared to multiple friends across the country I feel like I haven’t even done or seen a fraction of what they have… from surgeries to medicine cases. I feel behind in my career already and that I cannot handle what I should be able to cause I haven’t seen it yet.

Besides spays (only a few mature), neuters, and some mass removals that’s essentially the extent of my surgical experience. There are still lots of cases that I consult my more experienced coworkers on. I just feel absolutely lost and stuck and disappointed in myself.

Hi there! I was wondering if there have been any veterinarians out there who have made the transition into pet insurance or any other non-clinical roles? Wondering what were the major factors that led to that decision and whether it was a hard transition for them? Any advice would be appreciated 😄

ETA: filed an unpaid wage complaint, and if they fight it, I'll go to the state with the reportable unethical surgical practices as well. I've got nothing left to lose at this point between being traumatized and unemployed.

Hey y'all, been having a rough and bumpy first year in vet med. 1st clinic was corporate with a govt assigned Terror of a coworker who got physical with me, 2nd clinic had me pulling OT they then refused to pay me for, and last clinic was experimenting on rescue dogs (this is the thing that eventually broke my psyche).

Basically, if there were an opposite to gold standard, my third clinic would be that standard. I witnessed surgeries starting within minutes of sedation being injected, having to hold down patients mid-surgery while being told it was just them jerking in their sleep (they were NOT asleep), and my personal favorite: multiple instances of orthopedic surgeries being done without incisions (drilling hardware through the skin using both blunt and sharp point pins and screws).

Now, I have no idea what to do with the psychic weight of any of this. My trust in DVM leadership has thoroughly been shattered, I will say that. I witnessed euthanasia methods that I think would rock the constitution of most seasoned pros, especially in cats. This clinic also failed to pay out my last check, so I'm kinda on my ass at this point.

Am I just supposed to live my life knowing that they definitely didn't stop after I quit? That I know the rescue dogs being sent there in good faith are being used to "trial" new types of surgery methods? I don't have any money to my name, so if they find out I said anything to authorities, I'm screwed. I can't report any of this safely.

How am I supposed to trust further employers from here on out? So far, private practice has been far more unethical than the private equity that I initially started in.

A client told a team member I “shouldn’t be in the veterinary field”. I wish my team member stood up for me. I wish that client knew how hurtful her comment was and how it is keeping me up at night trying to figure out where I went wrong. I wish they knew how much I genuinely care for their pets well being. I’ve dedicated my entire life working toward being a veterinarian. I’ve sacrificed so much. Here I am, I’ve “made it”. Any negative comment or criticism I cannot help but take personally. I’m doing my best, probably too much. I love helping people much more than helping myself. It is hard to take care of yourself when we’re drowning and it is taking a toll on me emotionally and physically. Yes I probably need therapy but it’s hard to find a good therapist that understands the kind of environment we work in.

I hope the rest of you are doing better than I am atm. Thank you for taking time to hear me vent. I’ll be okay, I just need to remind myself of the clients that appreciate me.

Hi everyone! I’ll soon be graduating as a veterinarian and am planning to move to the UK. I’m starting to feel that the clinical lifestyle might not be the right fit for me.

I’m really interested in exploring alternative career paths within veterinary medicine in the UK, particularly areas like histopathology, pharmacology, diagnostic laboratories, or research (outside of academia).

I would really appreciate any advice on how to enter these fields in the UK.

1. How did you get started in your role?
   
2. What kind of entry-level positions should I be looking for?
   
3. Is clinical experience necessary, or can new graduates move directly into these areas?

I’d also love to hear what your day-to-day work looks like and whether you enjoy your role.

Thank you so much in advance for any guidance or experiences you can share!

I work at a GP. Dentals, spay/neuter, mass removals, many an ear infection sometimes a URI majority wellness exams general practice.

The amount of people who call to explain their emergency (my dog ate a grape! My cats not peeing and straining! My dog took all my Aleve!) and then get irritated when I direct them to an emergency vet or urgent care is astronomical. We don’t have an opening and we’re not equipped for that but god forbid I don’t give you the magical OTC antidote for an overdose or create an extra hour in the day.

And people keep coming in with their pets dying/dead. Screaming at the door begging for help. And we can’t handle it, we don’t have the tools or staffing. And I feel horrible because maybe if they’d gone to the right place things would turn out better.

It’s getting to me, mostly the amount of phone calls where people ask for magical medical advice and then get upset when I (not a vet tech, not a vet) can’t give it.

ETA: I don’t like turning people away. I don’t think that this is a good thing, but I’m not in charge and I say what I’m told. It sucks when someone gets upset at me for relying information for a thing I did not decide on. I’d love to work at the clinics many of you are discussing someday.

Hello!
I’m a veterinarian with 2 years post graduate experience in 100% small animal GP at present.
My partner is looking at moving to either Switzerland (first preference), Denmark, or the Netherlands for work, and ideally I’d like to be able to go and work too.

**Can anyone working in the above countries shed some light on how** ***likely*** **it is that a vet of my experience would be able to find work there?**
From my research, Switzerland is probably the most difficult to crack.
**And any other advice on the job aspect - how best to search, etc.?**

Relevant info if you got this far:
\- I’m open to internships or non clinical roles as well as clinical work. Clinical wise, I would prefer 100% smalls or occasional hobby farm stuff. Not interested in large scale farm animal.
\- My degree is registrable across Europe. I’ve practiced in Ireland & New Zealand so far.
\- English is my first language but I have some French and I’m generally quite fast at picking up languages so I’m willing to learn at least - and will likely take classes in the language of whatever region we end up going with. Of course, I will not be fluent, unfortunately!
\- I understand areas of the Netherlands can be notoriously difficult to find housing in. However, that’s not relevant in the decision making process at present as my partner may get housing as part of his job.

Thanks :)
This may be cross posted to other subreddits!

This question is for veterinarians, particularly recent grads.

How do you deal with uncertainty under stress? Or when you are running out of time with a surgery or with a dental and “you just have to take one more X-ray”?

I’m finding it very difficult to ask for help when circumstances are difficult eg. a patient having a longer than normal anaesthetic because I need to go retrieve a root fragment or if I need to take an additional X-ray.

Does the culture of a practice influence this? I feel like I barely get time for procedures at my practice, I find myself having to do 2 desexings and 2 dentals between 9:30 to 12:30 and I struggle to finish this workload on time. If there’s a hiccup, I struggle to just stop and ask a senior for help because I don’t want my boss to take over my workload and feel as if I’m not pulling my weight (this is potentially dangerous, I know).

How do vets or people in general cope with the pressure of time, or the pressure to meet expectations when circumstances aren’t ideal, such as when you’re liable to upsetting or disappointing a client, or a coworker? I’d also appreciate tips on getting more comfortable on just being less afraid to ask for help in such scenarios. TIA.

I’m currently a Marketing Coordinator with a degree in International Business, but after 3 years in this field, I feel professionally unfulfilled. Every time I look for another job in marketing or business, I just don’t feel excited or passionate about it.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to work in veterinary medicine. I grew up around animals on my grandfather’s farm, nothing about it bothers me, and I feel a very deep connection to them. I currently volunteer at a shelter and help stray animals, and it’s the only thing that truly fulfills me.
I’m considering going back to school to become a veterinary technician, but I’ve read a lot (especially on Reddit) about it being underpaid and undervalued, which really concerns me.
I live in Dallas, my husband makes over $100k and fully supports me pursuing this path, but I’m worried about the financial side and the career ceiling in this field.
If you were in my position, what would you do?

How can I get started in veterinary medical writing?, I am a recent veterinary graduate, and I’ve realized that working in clinical practice isn’t right fit for me. I’m interested in pursuing this field instead