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Becoming a veterinarian?

BobbyHill

BobbyHill

New member
Lately I've been entertaining the notion of becoming a veterinarian, but with some (admittedly light) research online I haven't been able to find out much about what kind of schooling is required. Does anybody know typically how long this process would take? What kind of schooling is necessary? etc?

Thanks in advance.
 
Becomming a vet takes longer than becomming a doctor. You are getting a P.H.D so plan on 8 -10 years of school and then another 4-6 years interning. Definitely an investment of time and money, and not by any means easy. Your young so why not though if it is something you really are passionate about and want to do. Great field you'll always have work, you get to work with animals all day which is way better than dealing with actual people, and the pay is great! Good luck!
 
If you really want to become a veterinarian, I suggest you become a registered veterinary technician first. That way you get a foundation of knowledge AND can determine if you are still desirous of becoming a vet.

I wanted to be a vet. Then I worked in a clinic.

Can you handle people screaming at you because you cannot save the cat they neglected?
Can you handle getting sued because an animal died 4 months after you last saw it and the owner is certain that its death is your fault?
Can you handle owners who bring in a suffering animal and refuse to do anything for it?
Are you willing to pick maggots out of living animals... and are you able to deal with the smell and the sound of them chewing? And the places you'll find them? rectum... eyes... tumors....
Are you willing to face that the fact that you WILL be severely bitten and/or injured several times during your career? This includes the potential to lose hands, especially to cat bites, and parts of your face from dog bites.
Are you willing to deal with things such as parvo and the smell of the bloody, decaying intestinal lining that they squirt out?
Are you willing to deal with FIP, the disease with no cure that is mostly seen in young kittens?
Can you handle telling owners that their beloved animal, sometimes the only living reminder of a deceased spouse, has a terminal illness?
Can you handle having to kill things? Terminally sick kittens? Abortion spays?

And are you prepared to be several hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt?

Being a vet is not fun. I have often seen my vets in tears because they couldn't save something, or they had to tell someone in their 90s that their only companion and reason for living has only a few weeks to live. I've seen them livid because of the stupidity and insensitivity and outright cruelty they have to deal with. They work long hours, are not paid enough, and are often harassed by clients.

That's why I'm sticking to tech work. I still get to work with animals, but I don't have all the stresses that the veterinarians have to deal with.
 
Well Shiari, that does sound pretty overwhelming. What would be involved in becoming a veterinary technician?
 
To become a LVT its 2 to 4 years.

I would say find a job at a clinic that has an LVT or RVT and work there for at least 6 months then decide. Its a lot to deal with. Clients dont listen. Animals bite. If you stay in it long enough you will see animals that you have helped raise from youth die. Its not easy.

Also... they pay is not that great. You dont do it for the money, you have to do it for the love of animals.
 
2 years of schooling if you already have a bachelors. And for the love of everything, don't go to western career college. It is crap unless you have a work ethic from GOD. If you are anywhere near the San Fran bay area, join the Foothill program. Is good. 99% pass rate for those who make it to the end of the program.

You need to also take anatomy and physiology, microbiology, basic chemistry, and a basic math class.

My first year classes included medical terminology, learning the basic info of each species plus behaviour plus reproduction plus nutrition plus equipment plus ethics, restraint, injection locations, IV catheter placement, blood draw locations, basic animal care, bandaging, wound care, client relations, lab animal medicine, dentistry, etc.

Second year includes pharmacology, clinical pathology, medical math, anesthesia, radiology and emergency medicine.

Plus, 15 hr/wk internships starting the third quarter, weekly animal care shifts for the animals housed at the school and that includes breaks and summer for the large animals. Internship in the last quarter goes to 20 hr/wk.
 
Why are you guys posting ONLY about the possibly bad things that come with being a Vet or Vet Tech? Why discourage someone from possibly realizing their dream?

As someone who is getting ready to start school to become a Vet Tech I really think you should focus on the positive things as well... not discourage people! Any field of work has its pros and cons, sure all of those are really bad things you have to deal with. But what about the pets you CAN save? What about the good clients?

Sure not every story has a happy ending, but that doesn't mean everything about being a Veterinary Technian or Veterinarian is BAD.
 
I bring out the negatives because it's important to acknowledge them, and there are a lot. You need a strong stomach, good emotional strength and support, and bravery.

My program starts with 50 firsties on average. By the end of the second year... 20 or 25 are left because people think that being a vet tech isn't hard, stressful, or dangerous. Most of them think it's "pet the kitty, play with the puppy, and cry over the old sick animals who are going to heaven".

But it is, and I love the job anyway. But I'm right in the middle of all the bad stuff too. Everything I listed is personal experience that I've seen my vets and fellow techs deal with. The maggots are... always so wonderful for example. One tech had to have 3 surgeries to regain function of her hand from a cat bite. Mr. Riley's only reason for getting up in the morning was Teddy. We've tried contacting him since Teddy passed away from intestinal cancer and we haven't heard anything for years. All of us are pretty sure that Mr. Riley is with Teddy now. We just had a $6k, 3 month old Cheetoh be put to sleep for FIP.

I come home with headaches from waste gas from anesthesia, scratches from evil cats, and sometimes heartache, sometimes joy, sometimes rage.

But I get up in the morning and can't wait to go to school or work and do it all over again. I put up with everything for the animals, because I love helping them, love seeing them, love making them feel better or stay healthy. I love getting to see the few clients that make up for all the ones that should be run over by a bus.

People need to know what they're getting into so they don't waste their own time. My sister in law as of this upcoming saturday went through the tech program with me. While she graduated, she realised halfway through the second year that she did NOT want to work in a clinic. Now she's asst. Manager for an An-Jan's. She gets to use her knowledge on nutrition and the needs of growing dogs, as well as her ability to triage. She got a woman to bring in her blocked male cat to us just last week, saving his life.
 
Never said it was bad. But some people jump in before know what they are getting into and then they get burned out.

If your love for animals is strong you can overcome the annoying clients and the bad animals. Your love will be tested a lot though.
 
Okay, thanks for the information so far guys. Is a bachelor's degree a requirement? A couple of you have mentioned that the pay isn't great. Well, can you give me a ball-park figure on what that pay is?
 
One of the techs I work with says her job is "All about butts. Cleaning butts. Shaving butts. Poking butts."

Just as an asst I have been attacked, peed on, pooped on, analed, yelled at, cursed at, hurt many times over. I have to get a root canal because a few months ago a dog's skull hit my tooth and ended up damaging the root. Its not always fun. There are many days that I really want to hide and not see any of the clients or their animals. Yes there are clients that I love and animals that make the job fun but sadly, they are out numbered.

Watching a dog die because the owners wont do anything really hurts. It sucks. Its part of the job.

Im sure its a great job but I have decided that its not for me.
 
Sure, the bad is bad. But you can't focus on it. Say something GOOD too for crying outloud. Instead of just making a list of all the horrid things... It's dark. *shrug* I've not started school for it yet and I have my doubts of MY abilities, but I'm going to do it because it's what I want. With the good and the bad.

I know it isn't going to be a walk in the park, but it's what I NEED to do. There's no other field that fits me and who I am. :shrugs: I don't want to go the long haul to be a Veterinarian, but I do want to be a Veterinary Technician.

And I say, if it's something you want, go for it. It may not work out, but then again it very well could. You don't know until you try.

I do agree though, if you are at all squeamish ANY medical field is not for you. My Mom has been an LPN for 28 years and she's told me some pretty sad, disgusting things. Medical fields aren't for everyone that is very true.
 
EM, you are the type of people we need. You have seen the bad we listed, and want to do it anyway. That's the way I am. I have to help them. I've been badly scratched, cursed at, threatened, had abscesses rupture on me and the best of all a cat without a carrier who was in for an enema decide that the front lobby while I was carrying her was the BEST place to become un-constipated.....:puke02:

But then again, I get to play with kittens, see miraculous recoveries and do interesting, if often disgusting things. But *only* listing that will make people think that's all there is. Weeding out the unfit is needed. It's a very hard job, and in some ways you will end up knowing more than a human nurse.
 
danielle said:
Becomming a vet takes longer than becomming a doctor. You are getting a P.H.D so plan on 8 -10 years of school and then another 4-6 years interning. Definitely an investment of time and money, and not by any means easy. Your young so why not though if it is something you really are passionate about and want to do. Great field you'll always have work, you get to work with animals all day which is way better than dealing with actual people, and the pay is great! Good luck!
Click to expand...

That's not true.....lol. Vet school is a 4 year degree and you are a DVM able to get your state license as soon as you are done with that. NO interning required unless you want to specialize. To get into vet school, you really only need 2 years worth of undergraduate courses, but most people don't get excepted without at least a 3-in-1 undergraduate program (3 years of classes) or, more often, a B.S in a related field. Some don't get accepted without further education (or lots of experience with the degree if their grades aren't impressive enough), but a B.S. is usually enough for the good students. Vet school IS MUSH harder to get into than med school. Take the one at LSU. They interview about 10% of the applicants, which comes to about 700 people or so (very rough percentage here!), and they accept about 70 per year. In other words, it is hard to get an interview and you are still unlikely to get accepted if you get one.

Go far it if you want. It's definitely a profession worth pursuing IF it is the love of your life - and only if it is what you love. Personally, I think the pay is too low for all the work......lol.
KJ
 
I'm going for the veterinary program. I'm currently studying for my Bachelors in Biology. I do plan on interning after I graduate from vet school, specializing in herps (gee, go figure). Is it going to be hard? Hell yeah. Will it be worth it? Definitely.
 
I'm currently in my undergrad years, hoping to get into vet school after to become a Veterinarian. It's definitely not easy, and something you really have to be committed and passionate about....but I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

Also just note that being a vet tech is not similar to being a veterinarian. The process is completely different- it's not like a straight pathway from one to the other.

I'd say average pay was 30,000/yr? Could be wrong though haven't looked much into vet techs...
 
Calift said:
I'm currently in my undergrad years, hoping to get into vet school after to become a Veterinarian. It's definitely not easy, and something you really have to be committed and passionate about....but I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

Also just note that being a vet tech is not similar to being a veterinarian. The process is completely different- it's not like a straight pathway from one to the other.

I'd say average pay was 30,000/yr? Could be wrong though haven't looked much into vet techs...
Click to expand...

I think the pay is less. I know one of our techs does not get paid at all. The office is not making enough money so her and both owners dont get paid.
 
Average pay for a tech at my hospital is $14 or $15/hr, but it would potentially be more at a privately owned practice during good times. As a tech assist who does all the same jobs as the other unlicensed techs (but they won't update my job title til I get registered... stupid corporation) I'm currently getting paid $10/hr. -_-
 
Nicole... how could they be doing the work and NOT getting paid... that doesn't make no sense. Time to find a new practice. Something there isn't adding up.

$10 per hour is a LOT better than minimum wage. There's no way that I would be complaining. :cool: And thanks. I do need some encouragement as this is something I really, really want to do.

I'm too lazy to try for the actual Vet. :p I'm satisfied with being a Tech. :D
 
It's worth complaining about when the kennel people get paid $9 or $9.50/hr and just a year ago I was getting paid *less* than them for doing 90% of the job I'm doing now.
 
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