Any Vets out there - would you do it all over again?

littlequestion

Hi all. I'm hoping this is the right forum to post this.

Considering applying to Veterinary Medicine in UCD. I am 31 y/o female and would have to resit the leaving certificate or apply to the grad entry route, both difficult routes and very costly. Also I have a young family so can not move abroad so UCD is my only option :-)

I have spoken to a few veterinarians and the hours once graduated and working seem to be *very* long - this concerns me as it may conflict with raising a family or is it manageable? Also I have read on various online that a veterinarian lifestyle can lead to depression, anxiety etc due to the stressful nature of the job. Is this an exaggeration or can anyone shed some light on this?

Another factor that I need to consider is employment opportunities. Currently there is a graduate entry and undergraduate route in UCD and several other colleges in Europe that Veterinarians are qualifying from - has this reduced salary and increased competition for Veterinarians. In other words are there too many Vets looking for work in Ireland. Do Veterinarians have to look for work in other countries or can they find work here?

I have tried to get observational experience recently and this has proven difficult. I observed a few years ago in a quiet clinic thinking I would like Veterinary nursing but I preferred the Veterinarians tasks etc.

Basically would you do it all over again?

Any input would be really appreciated as I need to be realistic. Thanks

Whistlejacket

Realistically I would say all of your above concerns are based on fact. Going to study veterinary with young family and then work in practice, the two are sadly pretty mutually exclusive in my opinion. It can be a very rewarding job but at the expense of family time. The salary after paying fees etc. for 4-5 years and trying to support a family would not be great either, especially if you were trying to work flexible or family-friendly hours. There are more vets in Ireland looking for jobs than there were 10 or 20 years ago and salaries have largely replaced commission so you take home less money, but there is not rampant unemployment. Large animal practices in particular find it hard to recruit vets, but that is probably the most family-unfriendly type of job, so it may not be what you are looking for.

The job is intrinsically rewarding if you like working with animals and people (especially people!!). However lack of autonomy, hassle from clients (especially those who complain about every cent of the bill and/or are completely unreasonable to deal with), plus the stress and responsibility of the job, long hours and chronic fatigue/niggling injuries tends to eventually counterbalance the job satisfaction from the animals and the great clients, who are a pleasure to deal with.

I'm not trying to be harsh or put you off if it's really what you want to do, but all the concerns you have raised about the career are real and you really should think long and hard about it.