They have committed to a life time of learning.
Veterinarians in the USA complete 4 years as an undergraduate and then 4 years as a veterinary school student. After graduation many veterinarians will move on to an internship. If they wish to specialize a lot of times it requires another specialty internship and a 3 year residency. The learning does not stop there. Veterinarians are required to do numerous hours of continuing education every year to keep their licenses. There is a continuous evolution of medicine and new medications are being introduced on the market which they must keep up to date with. They also are continuously learning new techniques to refine their surgical and dentistry skills.
Veterinarians have a wide array of employment opportunities.
Most people think of veterinarians treating cats and dogs, however the opportunities are numerous. There are veterinarians at zoos and aquariums, laboratories, food companies, government agencies, animal shelters, military, and pharmaceutical companies.
Veterinary working hours can be long and unpredictable.
Anyone in the profession knows that a vets job is not a nine to five, it is a nine to when things are done. The days can be very long when there are lots of emergencies or sick animals that need to be seen. Emergency veterinarians may work overnights, much like human emergency facilities. Veterinarians can become fatigued, but the reward of helping animals keeps them going.
Veterinary professionals work with humans just as much as animals.
Most veterinarians had dreams of working with animals for their whole lives, only to be surprised that a large part of their job is actually working with their human counterparts. Veterinarians are trained to have to medical knowledge to treat animals, but also must learn the language to be able to communicate everything to the pet parents. Many veterinarians spend a lot of time training how to effectively communicate with owners, especially when there is a lot of stress and large emotions involving the situations.
Veterinarians are often under a lot of pressure.
The job itself is physically and mentally demanding. They face very complicated cases where their patients cannot communicate what they are feeling. They must work with pet parents in making life or death decisions. Veterinarians often have type A personalities which can make them high-achieving workaholics. This can often take a toll on their mental health. The high
stress levels can lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, and a high rate of suicide within the profession.
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