I'm training to be a vet, will I have time to have kids?

[Roseasinflower]

I don't properly understand how many hours vets work or how many days (only a vague idea) and I'm wondering what will this mean if I have kids? Will I be able to take them to school, the park, cinema? Will I have the time?? I really don't want it miss out on their childhood :(

Personally I think everyone has time if they want to make time.

How old are you, are kids on the cards sooner or later?

There is a thread in chat I think about jobs that fit with kids and the geeral concesus is any job fits if yoú are established before you have kids, so the further on in your carer you are the better.
Also deends on you OH of course, what is his job? Who if either of you would be the shap/take the parentla leave?
Could you afford to drop to PT?
Which area of vetinary will you work in, I imagine farming has much less soiciable hours than pets, but more work in remote/cheap areas.
Would you consider moving country, some have much better condtions aroudn working times and child care.

Lots of ways to skin a cat and all that!

Our vet is a partner in her firm and knew she would have to go back to work when her baby (first) was 3 months old. She now works 4 days per week, not sure what she does about on calls etc and it's large animal practice in a remote rural area, so god knows how she gets thro calving/lambing season. I know she has good family and in-law support and they do the baby's childcare between them.
she says she just feels there's never enough hours in the day, but I think most Mothers feel that, no matter what they do.
Anyway it's obviously possible.

I'm a vet and I have three! I worked FT for 8 years before starting a family age 31, since then have taken a year mat leave for each baby and gone back part time. I work 2 long (10 hours plus an hour late at night doing inpatient rounds) days a week and the same weekend rota as the full time staff. My husband has negotiated no travel for work on those days so he works from home and does after-school club and nursery pick up. The downside is less career progression, if I was childless I'd probably be a partner by now, but you can't have it all, if you have children one or both parents have to compromise.
It helps to be a valued member of a team asking to go part-time rather than a newbie looking for a part time job. Most jobs I see advertised are full time which means long and antisocial hours, but in a nice practice there is often room for flexibility. Many of our staff have children and the ethos values family life, that's not the same everywhere.

There are loads of part time vets at my practice.

We always need vets

Create your own hours.

Go for it.

With respect exit that's not strictly true. There is now a surplus of wet behind the ears vet graduates due to increased numbers and new courses, there have been lots of new grads unable to find work in the last few years. To some extent the profession is now much more dominated by females and job shares etc will inevitably become more normal, but it's bollocks to imply that it's a employee's market. Get some experience under your belt first, it puts you in a much stronger position to get the job you really want.

Not something anyone considers whilst in training, but not all vets work in practice. I did for a few years but have now worked in industry for longer and am much happier. I have a great career, paying way more thanI could have achieved in practice without a partnership, and 2 young DC.

As has already been said before (in any career) get as high up as you possibly can before having kids and you will find it much easier to keep progressing your career afterwards.

I suspect that like with my profession (dentistry) it all depends on what you want out of your career and out of motherhood, and where you end up / choose to work. And these things can change.

IMO I was fed an untruth, that you can have everything, you cannot. There are only 24 hours in a day to play with.

So, initially I pursued a "career", then I dropped it to use my skills to fund travelling (did very short stints where I could find work or wanted to), then had a bit of a break down and took a "good enough" temp job, which turned into quite a good permanent one. Then had a baby. And currently sticking out something much less than ideal professionally because it suits my home life. I'm about to take my maternity leave with DC3, and after they start school (2019 or 20 depending if comes early or not) I will be trying to re-start a career, rather than just a "job". By which time I will be 42, though realistically with around 25 years ahead of me to work. What I think will stand me in good stead is a great deal of experience in a range of areas, with no big gaps in my CV. I did 10 years full time before having my first child, and have no gaps bigger than 12 months.