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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Is veterinary medicine a good idea?

85 replies

GiantGeorge · 12/03/2022 22:11

Inspired by the dentistry and medicine threads. Is it all private high street cats and dogs with a focus on cross- and up selling or an enriching and rewarding job? Insanely competitive, what's aVet's job life like in the UK? Would you recommend?

OP posts:

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 09:12

Well this thread should make it less competitive! Would put anyone off applying.

Lovecatsanddogs · 14/03/2022 10:21

@mumsneedwine

Well this thread should make it less competitive! Would put anyone off applying.

@mumsneedwine what with this one and the medicine one starting to think all 4 of our kids have made terrible choices ;)

MVision · 14/03/2022 10:35

It’s not just this thread - there have been lots of threads on mumsnet about how awful it is to be a vet and a Google search will confirm many others feel like this. Obviously some people will still be driven to want to be a vet but the salary cap at what seems to be around £40k after years of experience would be me totally off.

TizerorFizz · 14/03/2022 10:51

I think specialist Vets in specialist practices do earn more than £40,000. It’s general small animal practice where pay is an issue. I doubt racehorse vets get £40,000 after 20 years.

All doctors don’t get £100,000 either. Again, specialists do. So you cannot compare the lowest salary with top end specialists dealing with multi £million horses.

I’m really sorry to sound harsh but animals do have to be put down. I’ve never had a vet attached to me, my horses or other animals when a decision has to be made. We talk through options and decide what’s best. If everyone could not be professional about it I cannot see how anyone would ever work at GOSH or at a vets or even be a GP. These careers have death built in. You might avoid it by being an eye surgeon but having coping mechanisms is vital. If young people think they will get upset, maybe it’s not the cater for them. No loss of an animal is the same loss as that of a baby so let’s get this in proportion. Vets do their best. They cannot make people afford the best care. So managing the pet and the owners is critical.

Disfordragon · 14/03/2022 11:03

@TizerorFizz my friend is a specialist equine vet.
FTE NHS consultants of 10 years earn £100k (it’s a scale- they earn the same NHS salary based on time served not based on speciality…..obviously they can earn extra in private practice dependent on speciality). GPs are a bit different, but the vast majority who are partners in a practice will be earning a FTE of not far off £100k

MVision · 14/03/2022 11:12

Is this the one on £45k?

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 11:47

@Lovecatsanddogs does seem our kids have picked duff choices. Just as well neither on mine went into them for the money. Hope all good with you all.

Stillavetjust · 14/03/2022 13:00

And there it is.
The public conception that we should be doing it purely for the love of the animals. Never mind the hard work and years of study or all the experience some of us have gained, along with the debt.
For some reason it’s ok for engineers, dentists, doctors and lawyers etc to be rewarded for that, but not vets. As a result of this and the stress involved in the job people are leaving the profession. It’s desperately sad to see.
I really do hope your children remain happy in their work and are mentally able to continue to do it full time, and earn enough in the process to have a mortgage, raise a family etc. I really do mean that.

Meanwhile there are jobs going shelling oysters for 40k a year, no experience required…

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 13:55

@Stillavetjust don't get me wrong, mine likes money. But she also knows that doing a job she enjoys is as important. She's seen many adults with loads of money who are v unhappy as hate their jobs. £45k is enough to live on in lots of the country, but also going abroad is also an option.
Hopefully the profession may change as vets become so scarce.

Scottandcharlene · 14/03/2022 14:19

I am so sad to read these experiences. At the moment my dd is loving her course and it is wonderful to see her so engaged in what she is learning, but I understand that the reality of the job is far from the dream. It’s hard not to smile when she sends photos of her first rat castration though, I have to remain optimistic!

Trufflesandwine · 14/03/2022 16:09

I have read that almost 50% of newly qualified vets leave the profession in the first 5 years due to stress and work/life balance. So that’s something to consider after 5 intensive years at Uni.
A retiring vet also told me that only those who didn’t do their research go to Vet school. Because if they had done their research, they wouldn’t have gone!

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 17:33

@Trufflesandwine mine did a lot of research. They have to do so much work experience before getting in it would be hard not too. She worked at 5 vet practices, and all were supportive and really nice places to work. She loved the farm and equine vets the most. She's since worked with many other vets on placements and none have been as negative as on here. She's aware it's hard work and weird hours for not excessive pay. But no one has ever told her not to do it ! She wants to travel the world working as a vet wherever she can. Maybe she'll change her mind, maybe she'll stay abroad, maybe she'll end up working in a supermarket again. But for now she loves her course and had no desire to be anything but a vet.

TizerorFizz · 14/03/2022 18:08

@Stillavetjust
I think you have looked at other occupations with rose tinted glasses. There are lots of engineers, lawyers and doctors who don’t earn big bucks. The very best do. My DH is a consulting engineer. He and his fellow directors have a wealth of experience. They are the equivalent of hospital consultants. Their expertise is valuable but they take the financial risk of running the company. Many employed vets don’t take any financial risk. DH’s company pays £150,000 a year for insurance. They pay huge amounts for computer program licenses. Plus costs of employees, buildings, and other overheads. Employed vets don’t have to worry about any of this. The don’t have to pitch for work or price the work to make a profit. So you need to compare apples with apples. Not pears.

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 18:15

🤦🏻‍♂️

Orarewedancer · 14/03/2022 20:29

@mumsneedwine it does almost read like you trust your daughter's perception, as a student, of life as a vet more than the vets replying to this thread.
I was the same 16/17 year old doing my UCAS application who said I didn't care about the money. And the same student who showed up and didn't have any actual responsibility, or hear the phone calls or heated chats behind closed doors (because you often don't see those). It's likely the vets that are mentoring her and taking an interest in the students are the few who are still enthusiastic about their job, while the rest are just trying to get through their workload without any extra.

But I'm now a mum who struggles to find wrap around childcare for the hours I work, and who simply can't work full time for my mental health, so that money is cut significantly and is far more important than it was when I didn't have a mortgage and bills to pay. I have child free friends who also work part time purely for better work life balance as that intense a job that many hours a week can be soul destroying (especially in the current climate where every day is your busiest day).

You are obviously a very supportive parent which is great! But maybe just be prepared that she may not love it when she actually graduates and is left pondering her identity. We embrace all things vet for years, so when the day comes that we don't want to be one anymore it's a very difficult and confusing place to be.

Sugarplumfairy22 · 14/03/2022 20:37

I’ve been a vet receptionist for over 20 years- I love my job but I get a lot of abuse! I’m an expert at dealing with pissed off clients!
If I had the brains I would NEVER become a vet. The amount of pressure they are under is unreal! Pay doesn’t reflect the work that’s put in. People seem to have a real dislike of vets and the amount of abuse they get is crazy!
I’ve seen new grads give it up after just a couple of years.
People do not realise how expensive vet treatment is- they have no money for treatment but expect the vet to cure their animal and then blame them when they have to their pet euthanised.
Lots of targets
As vet bills get higher so does the amount of abuse!

MVision · 14/03/2022 20:43

@Sugarplumfairy22 it must be soul destroying to have to euthanise an animal when you know it can be treated - and then to have the angry owner give you grief as well.

Bromse · 14/03/2022 20:50

It's a great job if that is what you want to do. Getting a place to do Veterinary Medicine is very competitive, however. A friend of mine's daughter did it and has had some great jobs, now settled in one for long haul and loves it.

A vet can specialise; some like small animals which means pets, such as our local vet who runs a practice alone with help from vet nurses and a locum who does Saturdays and covers holidays. He's great. Group practices tend to have more on site facilities.

Treating farm animals in rural areas can be very rewarding and, at times, dramatic.

mumsneedwine · 14/03/2022 20:57

@Orarewedancer I think my DD will end up in NZ or Oz. Or working for RSPCA. She's v aware of the state of vet med in this country and is hoping it might change - Unis are v good at being realistic about the job. But I do trust her. If she decides to do something else later on I'll be just as proud of her.
If it's too much she can try something else. But for now she's enjoying learning, enjoying her EMS and enjoying Uni life. The rest she can sort as it happens.

TizerorFizz · 14/03/2022 21:13

@mumsneedwine
I agree with you. If she’s currently enjoying her course that’s great. It is for our DC to make decisions, not us. I can also tell you that years ago farmers never called a vet unless it was dire. My sad used to sort a lot out himself as a farmer. I do think sentimentality has crept in and people wanting something for nothing and not taking responsibility for pet ownership. It’s a bit like doctors seeing patients carry on drinking/smoking when everyone knows it’s killing them.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/03/2022 21:36

@TizerorFizz are you a vet? Where does your expertise in this area come from?

TizerorFizz · 14/03/2022 21:48

@Villagewaspbyke
On MN anyone can join in. It sort of works like that! All opinions are valued. It’s not an experts forum. Thank God. Like many people, I can empathise with people thinking their salaries are too low, they work long hours and don’t like their job! I can also see some people love being a vet. Like most careers there are all sorts of views and I’m so glad you read mine. You are, of course, very welcome to comment on my areas of expertise. It’s not a closed shop.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/03/2022 22:05

@mumsneedwine - I worked in the city and made a fortune but I was miserable and it’s an awful toxic place I never want my dds to see. If your dd loves her course that’s so important. What vets do is so useful and amazingly skilled. You must be so proud of her.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/03/2022 22:09

@TizerorFizz - you seemed to be commenting though as if you have some sort of specialist knowledge. If you don’t, you don’t but it’s helpful if you are making various pronouncements to understand if the poster is claiming to have some specific knowledge or experience.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/03/2022 22:22

I do have some vet friends - there can be quite a variety of practice areas and some are more lucrative and more secure than others. But that doesn’t mean that the right area for someone. I only know one person who left vet medicine but not for financial reasons. I was close to him at uni and was in awe of him doing surgery on his own just after graduation.

Dd2 sometimes makes noises about being a vet (still just 6). Of course she has a rose tinted view but I would be very proud if she accomplished that.

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