People who have deep empathy know that there is more to their purpose than to just survive. Not many are called to practice the profession of healing animals, but the ones who pick this path and share a deep bond with animals are a few of the planet’s true heroes. While the field for medicine in any discipline is complex, dealing with animal medicine is even more so for obvious reasons; healing the voiceless is a privilege but also a huge responsibility.
If you wish to pursue this noble career, there are a few things you need to know before you begin your journey. This blog will tell you about five important pieces of information that you need to be aware of while embarking on your path as a vet.
- Veterinarian School Is Going to be Challenging: Getting into any medical school requires a lot of dedication and preparation. However, once you have been accepted into a veterinarian school, it will be an entirely new journey. You will face many challenges that will demand you to rise to the occasion. This is a good thing, though, as you will grow exponentially in the span of the next few years. Seek the help of your mentors and seniors, and your experience will be golden.
- Sort Your Finances and Provisions Before Graduating: Vet school can be incredibly expensive, which has the highest rate of student debt in the field of medicine. Make sure that your finances are provided for before you graduate so that you can practice without worrying about the piling interest on your loan. Apply for scholarships to help. Additionally, invest in disability insurance for recently graduated veterinarians in case you’re going to volunteer overseas.
- Dealing with Animals Can Have Unexpected Outcomes: Treating animals can be a very rewarding experience, but it can also have unpredictable outcomes at times. Maybe the pet patient is not fond of humans in coveralls, or maybe you’re dealing with a traumatized animal. The lesson here is to be prepared for different events so that a spooked animal or a surgery having complications doesn’t affect your professionalism.
- Losing a Furry Patient Never Gets Easier: In your line of profession, all you can do is give things your best shot. Sometimes, your best may not be enough to save a life, and that is the harsh reality. Once you accept that even as a doctor, there are limitations to your healing expertise, you will find the grace to let go of the things you cannot control.
- Turning Your Empathy into Compassion is Important: Euthanasia is one such aspect of being a veterinarian that can bring incredible pain to the pet owners but can end the suffering of an ailing animal. Oftentimes, empathizing can affect your mind and heart adversely, hindering your duty. Hence, learn to have compassion instead.
While it is a very rewarding career, especially if you want to volunteer and give back to mother earth, it also has a long journey, which starts at veterinary school. We hope this helps you prepare better!
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/yjXXlapVYrQ
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