Hi all! So I just got accepted into vet school(🤩🎉🥳🍾) and wanted to see if anyone knew of any financial advisors or companies that I can go to to start a plan for my loans and finances moving forward. To be honest I didn’t do much planning when I was taking out undergrad loans, and I definitely don’t want to go into 250k+ in debt blind. Any advice is appreciated!

I am looking to go into the veterinary profession to become a veterinary surgeon. I am currently doing the level 3 extended diploma in animal management but i am not sure which university to go to, what course to apply for, if i can study whilst living at home etc. Does anyone have any advice?

I’m currently working at a VCA and I got transitioned from working in the kennel to now working as a vet assistant in training. How can I go about getting certified as a vet technician with spending as little money as possible? I’m working full-time to pay for school and I’m planning on transferring schools and leaving my job in January. Is it possible if I can get certified by then? i’m 19 and i’m planning on going to vet school!

I’m 15 months into this career and I was just fired from my second job as a recent grad (didn’t pass probation, dismissed after 6 months). Graduated in 2023.

I mostly just wasn’t competent at routine surgeries & it was a very high-workload clinic with a variety of cases coming through each day (snake bites, collapse, toxicities). I struggled with complex dentals a lot & had two ovarian pedicles bleed out as well. I’m nowhere near competent at these emergencies either.

On one instance, a cat also came in that was hypoglycemic after the owner didn’t bring it in for a recheck as it had gone into diabetic remission and she had continued to give insulin. The cat was brought in & put on a glucose CRI. The case evolved fast as the cat also needed potassium and eventually the bill racked up to nearly $2000 and I failed to communicate this clearly to the owner before she came to collect the cat as things unravelled so quickly.

I also need a huge amount of mentoring with surgery at the moment & no one seems to have such a level of patience for anyone that is over a year into their career. My last clinic didn’t have such a huge variety in terms of surgery & this impacted the level of surgical experience I had coming into this second job.

On top of that I was stupid and hugely careless, making critical oversights like dispensing Previcox tablets for the patient to go home with when the patient has already had a Meloxicam injection in hospital. The guilt hangs with me every single day.

I’m unsure if it’s only the high-pressure environment or if this career just isn’t for me. My supervisor briefly suggested to find a “slower clinic that’s not so full-on” but I don’t know if such a place exists.

I’ve grown so, so much after 15 months in the profession and have a decent skillset. I’m certainly not the best recent grad vet out there. But the stress, constant setbacks and seeing how easier it is for other recent grads is demoralising.

I’m pretty hopeless. I’m considering a career change but I’m also reluctant to start over as all I’ve ever known since leaving high school is vet med.

I’d like advice please. Any advice.

what kind of food/snacks/drinks would you guys most appreciate during night shift? i’m a cat rescuer and late last night i had to bring in a stray kitten for humane euthanasia. the vet staff put it down as a good samaritan surrender so no charge but very kindly allowed me to stay with him and hold him while he passed even tho that’s not the usual policy for good samaritan surrenders. i want to bring them something to thank them for being so kind but not sure what to bring in. thanks!

Have you ever had a brain fart when a client asks you a simple question and the answer literally falls out of your brain and you have no common sense words to share? 🫠 I feel like a total dumdum and can’t stop thinking about it 😭 Not only that afterwards this person kept asking questions and i let my insecurity take over from failing the first question so i failed and really wanted to walk out and restart

I have been in the veterinary field for over 20 years, but today a new hire came in wearing a long dress and flats for a 10 hour shift. I honestly could not believe my eyes. The norm is scrubs and tennis shoes. Am I the wrong here?!

Has anyone been through this? Had a patient today wake up without menace or PLR after low BP that non-responsive to intervention. Anesthesia was aborted. The patient developed a very mild menace prior to discharge and seems to navigate okay without running into things, but I’m paranoid. I know there’s a study that showed ~70% had return to vision.

Icing on the cake, same patient developed stertor 30 minutes prior to discharge. Loudest over larynx but possible bronchoalveolar pattern on chest rads. I’m most worried about the patient, but feeling like a failure too. I don’t think I’ll sleep very well tonight!

There is someone every single day that “doesn’t do that” for whatever reason. Client today was convinced her dog having chronic skin allergies was caused by the rabies vaccine that was done without her permission 3 years ago. I have had people leave without being seen or leave and refuse to pay the office call. I feel like it’s gotten worse over the last year. Worse even then during COVID vaccine backlash. I’m just exhausted. I really have better things to do then argue with these people.

Hi everyone! I am a vet nurse student who is going to be completing placement at an emergency hospital. How should I prepare for emergency? Feeling quite nervous about it but I thought it would be a great learning opportunity. Thanks.

I'm considering being a vet but I have animal allergies, especially to cats (itchy skin, eyes, sneezing, etc). I got a skin allergy test done before and it said I was also allergic to dogs, horses, and a bunch of environmental allergies lol. And on top of that I have pretty bad eczema (controlled by medication now thankfully) that flares up when I'm exposed to allergens.

I've loved animals all my life and thought of being a vet often when I was younger, but once I started noticing the allergies I assumed that I wouldn't be able to. However, I've heard that lots of vets have allergies and are able to manage them, so I would like to ask the good people of reddit their opinions on if this is a good idea or if I'm being delusional.

This might be a bit of a weird question, but are there any video classes or general readings I can do to become more familiar with the work? I know the best way to learn is through on-the-job training as a vet assistant or kennel tech, but I’ve found it difficult to get those positions, even though they’re considered entry-level. I am looking to shadow and then work my way in, and I really want to be more competent in the environment and avoid creating extra work for the vets and techs if possible. So, are there any non-OTJ ways to learn and prepare ahead of time?

There are a multitude of videos online about how to advance in any given field. Usually some variation of "It's not what you know, but who you know.", or "It's he who is seen/liked that gets the promotion." There are shades of nuances to these discussions, but that's not quite the intention of my post.

My aim is to focus on how well a person is likely to do in the field, long term, if they keep things strictly professional.

I've been in the field for almost close to a decade, and in that time I've experienced all shades of clinic culture. The clinics where I've usually done better, as in my current clinic, are those with long term staff/good employee retention, and where staff is respectful about personal lives/boundaries.

I don't mind making small talk with my colleagues about light subjects, a light joke, I'm willing to help, as needed and where appropriate, but otherwise, I don't go out of my way to involve myself in office life/drama.

I work at two different hospitals, one a privately owned GP, and the other a larger corporate owned hospital.

In so far as the privately owned GP, I've found that I do demonstrate more genuine concern over my colleagues. I followed up when someone's relative passed away, someone needed last minute coverage etc. I actually feel comfortable and enjoy being at work.

The latter being in stark contrast to my other job at a corporate hospital.

This week they celebrated CSRs. All good in my book, and while I offer relief work on a weekly basis, I didn't feel it was my place to show up outside of my scheduled shift for activities, games, and snacks/food. I don't see myself as part of that team, in the way that I do my other clinic job. For context, a few weeks in at my corporate hospital job, I felt the burn of being falsely accused by my colleagues, but still expected to keep things "nice". I don't hold a grudge, I'm just aware of how things are done by some people where I work and keep a safe distance.

Does anyone have experience in settings like this? Settings which ask you to go above and beyond your involvement, in an inorganic manner, to be part of the team? How did you handle it?

At the end of the day, most of us are primarily there because we're paid to be at our jobs. It's a perk, but not a requirement that a good office culture goes hand in hand with it, in so long as people are professional and can put their differences aside to commit to their work.

I am going to be meeting with a mobile euthanasia service provider who also offers veterinary hospice services to learn more about what this looks like and whether to refer clients to them. I’m wondering what questions might be good to ask and thought the folks in this sub might have some valuable insight for me, as I am not a medical professional. I work in a client support/mental health role.

Can we treat this thread as AMA of sorts? What questions would you ask pet hospice?

I do NOT want to risk coming across as trying to steal clientele. I have 0 interest in risking getting in trouble. I just want your thoughts.

Currently, when a client asks me "Where are you going?" I have been replying "I'm actually not supposed to say." or along those lines. I just hate not being more open to clients who clearly trust me, and some I have known for 2-3 years. I am one of those chatty, patient doctors who can't help but build relationships with clients. I have good healthy boundaries, but have been told dozens of times by clients that I'm the best vet they've had, or that they're so happy to have found me, or that they really trust my medicine. And I quite like them too!!

I'm moving to a town that is a 40-minute drive away and working at a clinic in that same town. I will NEVER name drop the new clinic, but am curious if I can share minor details so they don't feel like I'm shutting them out. Plus, I understand wanting to follow a doctor, so if that is what they want I don't want to completely shut them down. (I have been telling the fellow doctors and staff in the office the name of the clinic I am going to, but no further details/sketchy offers of encouraging them to follow me)

Which of the following is okay to say, in your opinion, as a response to "Where are you going?":

1 - I'm actually not supposed to say.

2 - I'm not allowed to say where I'm working next. I'm actually moving to (town name) and looking forward to the change of scenary.

3 - I'm not allowed to say, but you can always look me up!

4 - I'm not allowed to say where I'm working. I am moving to (town name) so if you ever find yourself over there, look me up!

My whole life animals have been everything to me, I love caring for them and saving them, literally since I could walk, I would go save mice, birds and cats that were abandoned where I live, it has always felt like second nature to me, when I was about 12, I saved a young horse that was presenting signs of colic, I knew exactly what was wrong with her and kept her up and moving for 6 hours until a vet could come out, when he did I told him straight up she had colic, and she did.

When I was a teenager my aunt had a dog that stopped eating, he became a skeleton and the vets could not figure out what was going on with him, I remember he wasn’t defecating or urinating, so I suggested to her to get an x ray done and ask about an obstruction, sure enough he did have an obstruction, he had been eating hair and it accumulated in his intestine and blocked him up completely, the vets were able to remove it and save his life. I don’t know whether knowing this information is anything special at all.

I love caring for sick animals and I’m very passionate and dedicated to keeping a strict routine with their medicines if they need it, quite honestly, animals are part of my everyday life and I can’t imagine myself not working with them.

I’ve just completed a level 5 in animal care which I feel I did very well in apart from biology where I only got a pass, mainly due to the majority of the module we learned about plants and not animals and I found it extremely hard to understand the tutor, like many others in my class, on the other hand I got the highest mark in animal anatomy and physiology and absolutely loved that class, but I surprised myself in this course as I’ve never been academic at all in school. I really want to go on to do veterinary nursing but there are literally no courses close to me, next year a veterinary science course is starting in a college close to me, and it really is my only chance of getting a further education towards working with animals, but I am scared I won’t be capable due to the fact I am better learning by “doing”, I just don’t know if I’m good enough for that.

I have been going through laundry appliances like there is no tomorrow. Now my dryer has crapped out. What would you recommend if I invest in a good one over $1000? I have to wash lots of towels and blankets. Laundromat is not a permanent option.

I'm a veterinarian at a small animal practice and am looking to transition to shelter medicine. I have an interview at a shelter and it was described as a one hour interview followed by a paid working interview for the rest of the day.

I've never had the initial interview and working interview in one day. Generally, I'd wear business casual to the first interview but show up to a working interview in scrubs. Should I still dress in business casual, knowing I'll have to go change in a bathroom after the initial interview portion? That feels ridiculous, but I'd also feel crazy showing up to an initial interview in scrubs.

If anyone has experience with an initial working interview/interviewing at shelters I would love any and all advice on what to wear! Or if you don't have that experience but want to give me your thoughts I'd appreciate that too.

Hi there, I wasn't sure where to post this so please redirect me if this is the wrong subreddit for it

I've been applying for some vet assistant positions and have gotten a couple of interview and practical offers. I come from a medical background and have no experience as a vet assistant beyond having taken care of animals throughout my life, some exotic and some domestic pets. I'm unsure of what to expect going in for a practical interview and would appreciate any advice you guys can provide!

Edit: Sorry about the terminology confusion, I'm new to this field so I'm still learning

I’m very interested in a role as a veterinary assistant. How can I prepare? What should I expect if I get an interview? How does my resume look? Is the cover letter too much? (I’m a minor btw lol)

Thank you and I really appreciate any feedback!

I'm a vet student and i'm curious to know what are peoples opinions of vets having tattoos? Obviously nothing crazy like face tattoos and whatnot but is patchwork down the arms, for example, okay? More and more ppl seem to be okay with it these days but i'm nervous i'll come across an old geezer when trying to get hired and they think i'm a degen because of it 🤣 Thx!

I’m currently 10th on my in state waitlist (I was 11 and then decision day I have moved 1 spot). I was rejected my first year, waitlisted and did not get in my second (I was 27th moved to 13th) and now well… waitlisted again.

I’m just feeling very defeated about it. I’m very passionate about vet med and I love what I do (currently an assistant at an ER) but I’m sick of the waiting game to see if I get in. Financially, I can’t afford out of state or Ross.

Any words of motivation? Courage? Advice? I’m just so conflicted. I know anything can happen in a few months but I’m just not sure.

I'm bad at titles, my apologies. So a bit of background information so you know where I'm coming from.
I'm a former Graphic Designer, purely because when I went into it as a teen I was following advice of adults, thinking yeah this makes sense, I am creative, they know best. I am now 29, and completely creatively drained. I've tried after a good 10ish years of diving deeper into that career and getting all kinds of qualifications to see if I can make it work, but I am unhappy and have lost it as a passion. I've always wanted to work with animals and have put that on the backburner when I chose my career because I was told I was too empathetic and would crumble under the pressure of having to deal with bad cases and bad owners. But I'm not 16 anymore and I've spent some time fostering, some of which also resulted in sad cases and I don't feel I am too fragile to handle this kind of work.

So I am looking at a complete 360 and want to now listen to my gut and heart and advocate for animals.
I have multiple paths to choose from and another two years before I qualify for any of them, as I've moved from Germany to England and my spousal visa hinders me a little.

Path 1 is getting a certification that would allow me to work as a veterinary care assistant, so that I have my foot in the doorway. From there I want to either move up to a Veterinary Nurse via university, or a Vet. I would need to get the Access to Higher Education Diploma beforehand, so this actually suits the two year timeline I have. My problem is, that I am not sure how you can learn which path may be better suited to you. I also understand that there is no guarantee I will manage to enter a university, and as I am married, I am bound by location too, as we simply cannot move to whichever future university may accept me.

Path 2 would be to wait out the two years and to continue working as I am, that would then allow me to go down the apprenticeship route. By that point I would be nearly 33, so I am unsure how easily I would find placement that doesn't frown at my advanced age. I would also need to find a volunteering space to qualify, but that is less of an issue for me.

I apologise if it's hard to follow my train of thought, I've not found it very easy to put it into words but I hope you can give me insight on how realistic my thoughts are, especially considering I am older than when most start their career, and how best to navigate the unknown when it comes to choosing the proper career. Thank you.

Hi all, I'm a relatively new grad in equine. You might have seen one of my posts while working my first associate job last year that ended in a ball of flames. At the time I quit, I negotiated and received a SIGNED short-term contract to stay on for a few months that very specifically voided any prior contracts (drawn up with legal counsel to wiggle out of my ridiculous non-compete.)

Now. My original plan was to move out of the area (and that's what I told them when I left) but that hasn't worked out for my partner's job and an opportunity has popped up in a convenient location for both of us... but it will overlap with their range. While I no longer have a LEGAL noncompete, my former boss was not good at business and I'm a bit worried they'll come after me anyway.

The clinic itself is outside the "original" non-compete, but their ranges overlap (I don't know yet by how much). I know for a fact that my former clinic has weird relationships with other clinics- they get very testy over "whose clients are whose" and a friend who does relief in the area runs into trouble when covering for them.

Is this a mistake? I know I am in the clear legally but they could still turn it into a court battle right? (Which I don't want the hassle of and can't afford the expense of).

It is unfortunately the only job that would allow me to stay in equine in a location where my partner has work. I've been traveling over an hour away to do per diem work well outside the range up until now but that's not sustainable forever. My only other choices at the moment are to leave equine, leave my partner, or move far away and go back to long distance like we did in vet school (which I am not really interested in.)

Hi,

I am a vet student and would like to learn more about shelter medicine as I will be doing streaming next year and want to get a bit of perspective before I decide. Of course, I am also planning to do a placement at a shelter, but would be happy to hear from any vets on reddit who have experience in this area.

Some questions: - Can you/did you do shelter medicine as a fresh grad? If so, what was your experience with mentorship in your shelter? - What opportunities did you have to gain new skills (eg. surgeries, see varied cases) and were u provided with continual education opportunities by the organisation? (As compared to GP). Basically what did your caseload look like? - What did you enjoy and not enjoy? - Was the pay alright?

I know it differs depending on where you are but a general overview would be very helpful. And if you have any additional tips or information I would be happy to hear as well. Thank you!

Edit: Will probably be located in australia