Being a vet?

[Evol_or_revert]

Hey, just intrested to know who here is a vet or has experience in that area and who is training to be one?

Iv always wanted to be a vet, but i dont think i can handle blood!!

but each day im at uni studing psychology I just can't help think about what i would rather be doing. It just clicked before after I spent an hour saving detailed pics of the muscles of a horse to study later.

Im thinking about voletreeing at the local vet clinic and seeing what goes on there and if i would enjoy it.

any information would be great.

[Carmen]

Hi, Im not a vet but my close friend is in her final year of becoming a vet. I see all the photos she takes on her phone and im good with blood, but on an animal you care so much about i can't help but squirm!!!

The latest picture in saw was of this bone of some sort. Looked at it for a long time, asked her what it was and it was a close up of a hole in a horses head!!!

But then you do also have some perks to the job. She gets to help mares give birth to their foals etc.

If its your passion then go for it but remember, there are always highs and lows with every job.

[Pink's lady]

I'm a vet student at Edinburgh Uni, going into third year.

Vet medicine definitly isn't about fluffy animals. It's all science and money. The course is REALLY hard work and entirely Biology and Chemisty based. If your at all squeemish it's definitly not for you - the first thing they give you is a dead dog to dissect. It's fasinating, but not for the faint hearted ;)

If your interested. I can email you some of the pictures I've taken of dissections for revision, to see if your up for it ;)

There's a lot about farm animals and farming and it's all money based. The welfare and conditions of the animals depend entirely on money. Farming is a buisness and, whilst the animals don't suffer, its a shock after working with horses, who are pets.

What you'll see at the clinice will be very boring (you won't understand much of it, nor will you be allowed to do anything by law) and isn't what you'll be doing on the course.

Also, you get in, you need the grades. The average offering is 5 A's at Higher and an A and 2B's at Advanced Higher (I'm Sottish). And then you need the work experince. They expect you have spend time at a vet center, on farms, done lambing and milking, worked with horses and dogs (eg kennels) and preferably some laboratory work. And then there's STILL no guaruntee you'll get in - there's only 6 unis in Britain, offering about 100 places each, with roughly 12,000 applicant a year. :eek: And if your doing it as a second degree, it cost £16,000 a year :eek:

Not that I want to put you off, but it's not something you can fall into sideways. It take determination and effort to get in and then you have to sudy for 5yrs :rolleyes: But it's worth it in the end :D

[CanadianRider]

That is my eventual career goal.

Also, you get in, you need the grades. The average offering is 5 A's at Higher and an A and 2B's at Advanced Higher (I'm Sottish). And then you need the work experince. They expect you have spend time at a vet center, on farms, done lambing and milking, worked with horses and dogs (eg kennels) and preferably some laboratory work. And then there's STILL no guaruntee you'll get in - there's only 6 unis in Britain, offering about 100 places each, with roughly 12,000 applicant a year. And if your doing it as a second degree, it cost £16,000 a year

That made no sense to me, well the A's and B's business anyway :D . Over here in Canada you have to do at least 2 years of University (a pre vet program) before you can apply to the vet program, although most schools do not accept until 4 years are complete (you have a bach. of science degree usually). They expect the animal experience, and really like you to have experience at a vet practice. There are only 4 schools, soon to be 5 that offer the program here in Canada. Each school accepts a certain number of people each year usually 35-50, and each school has a certain number of places for people from different areas of the country. The chances of getting in seem to be higher here, but it is still tough. The program is 4 years, although the new school that is opening is doing it in three (continuous study).

[Evol_or_revert]

thanks guys. It's hard making such a choice there is so many things i want to do.
Headed out with a vet today was pretty intresting. First did some horses teeth (vet was specially trained in that area) then went to help with calfing(sp) :eek: vet had to do a sessiona(sp) to get the calf out. Long story short two calfings lots of blood and two dead calfs(sp).

We only have one vet school in new zealand and it's tough to get in to we just have to do one semester to try to get in and it's all go.

My mums suggested that I finish my psychology degree, get experience in the clinics over here (they let you do simple stuff here and watch ops) and go with the horse vets. Take some bio, chem, phys and maths classes while Im study psychology then decide as ill only be 21 when Im finished and it will give me a great degree that I can use in any area.

[eventerbabe]

i contemplated doing vet med as a second degree. i applied first time round but apparently my chemistry wasn't good enough(thats why i am on my way to an MSc in the subject :rolleyes: ). even if you have the grades, like i did, its no guarentee of a place, or even an interview. i got lucky, i had 2 interviews at least. my mate (who also had the grades) got a straight off rejection.

they will expect you to have a fair amount of work experience under your belt. i did 5 years worth of experience at vets (large and small animal) a veterinary hospital, abatoir, pig farm, dairy farm, kennels, catteries, chicken farms and at the local auction mart.

Don't know the situation in NZ, but over here if i were to do vet med as a second degree i have to fund tuition fees myself, which amount to over £70,000 for the full degree. and thats before living costs and buying books and equipment. none of the 6 vet schools in this country offer any form of financial award or bursary to help post grad applicants with tuition fees, which is a real shame.

[Evol_or_revert]

vet over here is cheap, you just pay $1000 a year and the rest to goverment pay :D.
Iv already had my first uni year payed in full, by my parents so when i get my psych degree ill only have $10000 to pay.

lol all I want to do is ride horses :rolleyes: luckly my bf is getting a degree in a high paying job area.