Is veterinary medicine a good idea?

[GiantGeorge]

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?

There is something of a mental health/recruitment crisis at the moment, a lot of vets are struggling, and I agree with previous comments that as a student you are shielded from the bad bits, the difficult clients, the hard phone calls etc.

Sample size of one, but I would definitely make the same choice if I had my time again. There are still moments when I think, wow I get paid to do this!

For those with children studying at the moment, or considering it, I would say it’s really important to help them develop their self care skills and resilience, how they deal with things not going to plan, learning not to be a perfectionist - because that is going to massively impact their experience of the job day to day.

I am not a vet, but I have worked closely with quite a number over many years. Vets work in many different areas, which is important to remember. The general image is of the small animal vet that many of us take our pets to; TV often shows large animal/farm practices. But my contact was with government vets; some doing field work for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (animal health testing, welfare inspections etc), some at abattoirs, and quite a few office based, rarely if ever seeing an animal. For an idea of government vet salaries, look at the vets Band C and VO columns on the payscales at assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029336/FOI2021_24420_Annex_C_Accessible.pdf. Further progression is possible to grades 7 and 6.

@Villagewaspbyke
As I said, like very many people who post on threads, I have opinions. They are not “pronouncements”. I’m not a religious leader nor have I said I’m a vet. I’m interested in the idea that vets are underpaid snd undervalued. I have paid £thousands to vets for their expertise, especially where thoroughbreds are concerned. I do know young people who are vets: my current equine vet’s DD and my gardener’s DD. They are happy. I don’t think they thought about money but they have made choices that suit them.

I also find that threads about jobs are always full of people that do them saying no one else should. It rarely matters what career is being discussed. It’s pleasant to read accounts of people enjoying what they do but they are usually a minority. I often wonder if this is reality or not.

@Calmestofallthechickens thank you. I think building up resilience is very important. Mine is not a perfectionist and has been quite pragmatic dealing with death of animals so far. But mental health is something we talk about when things get hard and hopefully this generation have been brought up to know it's ok to talk and admit things aren't great. It makes a massive difference when you have that support I think.

@Calmestofallthechickens - good advice, thank you. There seems to be more of an effort in vet courses at encouraging diversity, mature students and different ways of teaching so perhaps things will change over the next few years. The shortage of vets will hopefully mean vet practices will have to improve their working conditions in order to attract and retain enough vets, or am I being naive? There have been changes in the number and type of vet schools recently which might mean a gradual shift in the type of graduates emerging. Mental health is openly talked about now and the current cohort of students are perhaps the first to be so aware of the need to ask for help.

[quote Scottandcharlene]@Calmestofallthechickens - good advice, thank you. There seems to be more of an effort in vet courses at encouraging diversity, mature students and different ways of teaching so perhaps things will change over the next few years. The shortage of vets will hopefully mean vet practices will have to improve their working conditions in order to attract and retain enough vets, or am I being naive? There have been changes in the number and type of vet schools recently which might mean a gradual shift in the type of graduates emerging. Mental health is openly talked about now and the current cohort of students are perhaps the first to be so aware of the need to ask for help.[/quote]
I’m not convinced the shortage of vets will drive up pay, sadly. It does seem to have done in the short term, but remember in the long term vet salaries are paid by pet owners’ bills - and given we are heading into a huge cost-of-living rise, I am a bit concerned if vet salaries keep going up then we will price out a lot of pet owners from seeking vet care entirely.

I think in terms of salary, I could definitely earn more in a different field, but it might not be as worthwhile or fulfilling, so personally it’s a trade off I’m happy to make. I think a lot of vets complain about their salary but when push comes to shove they wouldn’t want to work in an office!

I think in terms of conditions, obviously being in demand means vets have more bargaining power with their bosses (for instance it used to be hard to negotiate part time hours, now it’s a case of, we will take any vet for whatever hours, because it’s better than nothing) but the trade off is that you’re probably working flat out every shift because you’re understaffed…

Wouldn't it be great if people who own cats and dogs had to a. do a pet welfare /care course (could be online) and b. had to have health insurance.

pet health insurance

Pet health insurance can be an absolute scam. Especially since you are not allowed to make a second claim for an issue your pet might have had before! It's not like the NHS for pets but I think that's why pet owners expect vets to make up the shortfall in their insurance cover ( if they have it).

The whole thing is a minefield.

Within the vet community everyone knows of a vet who has been killed or badly injured doing their job or is suicidal, unhappy or knows of someone who has committed suicide.

It is endemic and sad to see enthusiastic young vets get disillusioned very quickly. Usually within a couple of years.

Also, if you fall out with your boss it's very likely there is a clause written into your contract which prevents you from working for another vet practice within 30 miles or so.

Read the fine print of the contract. Some vet practices do not allow you to take a day over the minimum statutory leave and most are not allowed to take leave when they want to and have to cancel booked events, even if they have given plenty of notice.

As for half terms and holidays, forget it! If you want child friendly hours you will need a sympathetic employer like your local council.

Think very carefully about the job if you plan to get pregnant or start a family. I can't think a more child unfriendly or pregnant unfriendly profession given it can be dangerous, dealing on a daily basis with noxious substances and poisonous substances!

Wa

@Tarne I would take issue with your statement about family. I’m lucky enough to work for an independent practice where the partners have family themselves so fully understand the issues. As a result they are very understanding and on top of holidays we have a number of days we can take for family issues.
Health and safety is there to protect you during pregnancy so all protocols should be in place for that.
Binding clauses in contracts are extremely difficult to enforce in law. Once you have left an employment the contract is over an you are technically not bound by it. The cost of taking you to court over it probably is probably not worth your ex-employers time or money unless you were a specialist, and they have to demonstrate actual financial loss.