If you're a vet...

[Allgoodthings27]

I would really appreciate your advice!
I really wanted to become a vet during my time in high school. However, I was told by my school that I wasn't clever enough and I took this to heart, deciding against taking science a levels. I took humanities ones, for 4 As and ended up at a too university studying a BA subject with some overlap with vet med related topics. I have just graduated and will very likely be receiving a 1st in my degree (if I haven't majorly fucked up my dissertation).

I've been spending a month volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary and it's really making me return to my younger dream of becoming a vet. I feel much more confident in my intellectual abilities and I am very driven. I am considering taking a year to get lots of experience and then applying for vet med. I'm guessing I would need to take a levels as all the access courses I've seen are exclusively for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, which I am not.

So would you recommend becoming a vet? Am I crazy to consider this now? I would be almost 30 by the time I finish the course.

Sorry for all the typos, typing on my phone

Anyone?

As a graduate you may get on a fast track 4 year program, but if your degree is not close enough it will be the 5 year. Chemistry/biochemistry/ pharmacology tend to get fast track.
Currently the professions is not greater 25% of all graduates leave the profession within 4 years. You have got to be very resilient to survive ( most of us are surviving) all the same pressures as doctors with the added bonuses of clients accusing you of being money grabbing.
I would not encourage my own child into the current profession.

My best friend has been a vet nurse for over 25 years and is now practice manager, they used to be able to pick and choose vets and they rarely changed but over the past few years so many vets are swapping careers and now they struggle to get any.
She said it's a mix of stress and not wanting to work weekends, early evenings or be on call overnight.

At her practice another two vets have left this month with a third leaving in 6 weeks and so far she's managed to get one in for an interview.

There is a bit of money grabbing though - we all see it - the added services/upselling - promoting shit quality food, the trust erodes - it always happens when sales are the driving force - hence why every encounter I've had with private medical has been met with a heavy dose of scepticism - it has kept me out of a couple of unnecessary procedures too.

NationalAnthem's comment gives a great insight into one of the reasons so many people are leaving the profession.

If I had my time over, I'd definitely have chosen an alternative career.

As a PP said, recruitment is awful. Most practices struggle to get any applicants at all. Retention is appalling and suicide rates are high (though this is multifactorial and not solely due to the job itself). It's not the same respected profession as it once was.

I’m a current vet student and would just like to say that there are people in my cohort who will not graduate until they are 50! 30 isn’t too old, I started at the ‘normal’ time and will be almost 25 when I graduate anyway, 30 makes no difference at all.

NannyPear my dog just had a hip xray - estimated cost was £300, final bill £440 after they had established we had insurance - it feels like a money driven profession - I've heard too many stories, too many unnecessary procedures just like private human medicine.

You need to look into post-grad fees assuming your first degree was funded by student loans. For me in 2010 (ish) as a second degree it'd have been £20k a year self funded

I am a student vet nurse at 48, i could have written yout OP. I have previous degrees in related subjects. I love my job, day to day.

BUT i absolutely will not be encouraging my DD into the profession, she wants to be a vet and is academically able.

Every time i hear comments re money grabbing it erodes my love for the profession. I qualify next year but i doubt i will remain as a nurse - an easier decision for me as i wont have invested as much financially as i would if id gone down the vet route.

I work with people who are passionate about veterinary science and animal welfare. Our hearts break with our clients when we can't fix their beloved pets. We (usually) put on a professional front and save our tears for "out back" as to not encroach on their grief. The accusations of being money grabbing cut deep. I will never earn anywhere near the average wage, yet some client's have no qualms about implying that i am financially driven.

I do upsell, i will encourage clients onto schemes because i am driven by what is best for their animals and actually trying to save people money. I am often mortified by the costs but i don't set them and neither do the vets in our practice.like the vast majority of practices we are corporate owned and our prices are fixed. We no longer have the discretion to wave off consult fees to the little old dear that has been a faithful client for years that we had when we were an independent practice. Also we are lucky that we have access to brilliant technologies and medicine to provide state of the art care to animals. This is expensive!

Sadly, there is money grabbing but that is not at the level of the professionals who are looking after your pets.

The responsibility is a heavy burden and I've seen vets burn out and leave the profession. It's heartbreaking and the toll on one's mental health is great.

Every day i remind myself why i do this, i would also like to remind some of our clients! Sadly pet ownership is a luxury

I'm not entirely sure what your comments have got to do with the OP's post NationalAnthem? Are you discouraging her from the profession based on your limited knowledge of it or is the mere mention of the word "vet" an excuse to make a dig?

Just to be clear - the vast majority of vets don't work on commission nor have financial targets to meet. I'll get paid the same at the end of the month regardless of what I charge you (and regardless of how many late finishes and missed lunches I've put in for your pet)

I don't think your age is an issue at all, but I second the advice to look into the funding. I know someone who desperately wanted to become a vet but already had a BSc and couldn't get funding/fee support for a second undergraduate degree. She would have been liable for the full course fees which are in the region of £20,000 per year - she was told you can only do one UG degree at the 'reduced' £9k rate and with the loans etc.

I love my profession, it's the only thing I evet wanted to do, but it's not an easy job. It can take a toll physically, mentally and emotionally. Plus you get people as per upthread who think that you're just in it for the money. Personally I'm in it for life but a lot of my peers/colleagues have left the profession which saddens me, although I understand their reasons.

As a vet I am under pressure to perform procedures and tests and treatments by clients that I feel are not in the pets best interests. I am under intense emotional pressure from clients to save their pets no matter what the cost and sometimes we can't and a whole heap of anger piles down on me.
I am under pressure from my clients to make their favourite vet available to them 24/7, I am under pressure from my staff to make on call Rotas better whilst at the same time increasing pay. Often leading me working longer hours and reducing my own pay.
Would I do it again - No I would not,

Hi OP I’m not a vet but Mum of a vet student who is just finishing third year.

Re the qualification you might want to contact admissions tutors and see what they would accept. You at least need the equivalent of chemistry and biology (though check the current admission criteria as they differ). I assume there are still foundation courses in chemistry and biology - I recall Birkbeck did one back in the day.

You mention work experience. My DD did the usual shadowing and lambing and also worked in her gap year for one of the large corporates for 6 months where they treated staff like rubbish - even the vets. She did have to sell the insurance products, but also dealt with strangled kittens (non release collars) and RTA victims being thrust at her, as well as angry and upset humans. So useful experience on the front line.

She has student colleagues who are self funded and work weekends but it is hard. However clever you are, you need to put the hours in and work consistently to cover the material. Quite a few have had to resit years or drop out altogether because they did not put the work in.

You also need to be prepared to travel and pay for your own accommodation during EMS or placements.

She intends to work in the charity/voluntary sector after graduating.

Good luck, but know what you are letting yourself in for.