What's the truth about being a vet? Rewards, stress, and daily life.

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• 

  Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

  Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

  Published on November 13th, 2017

  Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! What I like the most about my career is being able to help pets in need and support owners through that process. Veterinary medicine is very interesting because of how broad the field is and how much you learn on a daily basis. Anyone interested in becoming a veterinarian should start by getting more experience in the profession by shadowing a veterinarian and also studying very hard and making an effort to learn and get good grades. The most difficult aspect of becoming a veterinarian is continuing to do well in schools which can be quite hard and also being able to balance life outside of school with school work. Also, it is also very costly which puts some pressure on you as a veterinary student as well. Personal characteristics required for this profession include being compassionate, intelligent, curious, motivated and above all caring. Good luck with your project! I hope you get an A!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• 

  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on March 13th, 2017

  1. To be a veterinarian, you need to take university classes before getting into vet school. Most people graduate from a university before entering vet school, but there are some vet schools that will allow direct entrance into vet school without the degree as long you have completed all the necessary university classes and have the grades to get in. 2. Being a vet does not have set hours. It's long days and nights, and vet have to be on call after hours and do work weekends. 3. The pros are being able to help animals. 4. To be honest, the stress of being a vet, the difficulty in finding a good work/life balance, and seeing animal cruelty cases are all cons of being a vet. 5. Any part of vet work requires a lot of focus and problem solving. Our patients cannot speak for themselves, so we need to diagnose what is causing their problems without that help. 6. As for visuals, you can find pictures that show vets doing surgery, examining animals, and treating them. I hope this helps!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful