Veterinary Science/Medicine : More about a career as a vet

[Leozen]

Hey there!

I know this post is really old and dormant. However, this might be the best place to ask for advice since most of the people here are either graduates or graduating soon. Anyway, i just got accepted into UQ for vet sci, i was hoping maybe someone could give me some insights on how it is like as a vet student, how are the studies like, the workload and all. Really really need some help. I am trying to make a tough decision here, i really need some genuine advice to help me think this through.

Thanks in advance

[heng]

Courseload is tough no doubt. Vet students have more hours of lectures and pracs than most other uni students. you'll probably also have to sacrifice holidays doing placements on farms and at vet clinics.

Apart from what the course is like, what's more important is why do you want to be a vet? I assume its because you want to work with dogs and cats, but I do hope you have spent some time volunteering at a vet clinic to get a better understanding of what vets do and the challenges they face at work everyday. Long hours, a pay that doesn't match the amount of time and effort vets put in, challenging patients, even more challenging clients, are just a few problems I have faced in practice. That being said, there are upsides like the simple fact that we're helping our furry friends, improving their welfare and quality of life, and strengthening the human-animal bond, not to mention cute patients! There are good and bad things about this job, you just need to be aware of both.

I have seen way too many of my friends graduate and become very jaded while working in this industry, or even regret their career choice. The upside is a degree in vet medicine is actually quite versatile and allows you to work not just with dogs and cats, but also in research, pharmaceuticals, public health, etc

Hope I didn't put u off vet science, but please have a good think about it. You don't want to go into something like this that requires a significant time, effort and money without first thinking it through clearly.

[Leozen]

Originally Posted by heng

Courseload is tough no doubt. Vet students have more hours of lectures and pracs than most other uni students. you'll probably also have to sacrifice holidays doing placements on farms and at vet clinics.

Apart from what the course is like, what's more important is why do you want to be a vet? I assume its because you want to work with dogs and cats, but I do hope you have spent some time volunteering at a vet clinic to get a better understanding of what vets do and the challenges they face at work everyday. Long hours, a pay that doesn't match the amount of time and effort vets put in, challenging patients, even more challenging clients, are just a few problems I have faced in practice. That being said, there are upsides like the simple fact that we're helping our furry friends, improving their welfare and quality of life, and strengthening the human-animal bond, not to mention cute patients! There are good and bad things about this job, you just need to be aware of both.

I have seen way too many of my friends graduate and become very jaded while working in this industry, or even regret their career choice. The upside is a degree in vet medicine is actually quite versatile and allows you to work not just with dogs and cats, but also in research, pharmaceuticals, public health, etc

Hope I didn't put u off vet science, but please have a good think about it. You don't want to go into something like this that requires a significant time, effort and money without first thinking it through clearly.

Hey Heng,

Really appreciate your honest and prompt reply. I actually chanced upon an article which was an interview conducted with a vet on his/her views on being a vet. The vet did mention that the salary is the lowest in the medical field. For me, it's not really about the monetary factor but rather the passion and stability. I do love animals a lot, big or small.

The complicated part is i also applied for dentistry in other universities but none have offered me a place besides UQ for VSc. Thats why ive got to really think about it.

May i ask if youre currently a student? And if so, where?

[heng]

I graduated in 2012 from University of Melbourne and I'm currently working in Melbourne.

Forgot to mention something else, the industry is VERY saturated at the moment. Alot of new graduates have trouble finding jobs. This is less so I find in Singapore, however this could reflect a high staff turnover, which in turn reflects that working conditions are worse in Singapore than Australia.

If you intend to stay and work in australia, you might want to be read this.

http://ausvetnet.wordpress.com/2013/...he-unemployed/

[heng]

Loving animals is a prerequisite, but whats equally important is knowing how to deal/work/communicate with people - your colleagues and more importantly, clients. Every four-legged/feathered creature that walks into your clinic will usually be accompanied by at least one two-legged human owner. I cannot emphasis good communication skills enough as a vet. You can be the smartest vet in the world with all the right knowledge in your head but if you cannot pass the information on to your clients effectively, then you wouldn't be doing your job really well. Alot of complaints to the vet disciplinary boards from clients arise due to poor communication/miscommunication.

[Leozen]

Wow, im actually quite surprised. The unemployment rate in the medical field is higher for dentistry and vet sci. Well, to be a vet in singapore, one has to strongly consider going private which isnt easy. But its quite weird, cause the intake for vet med isnt really high, as compared to dentistry. Kinda weird that the unemployment for vet is so high, unless there arent many institutions that require vets.

Communications with humans is not really a huge problem for me, so that would be the least of my problems. Unless the customers are ignorant or impatient then i would need to work around their attitude.