Vet School or Continuing Technician Education + Husbandry

[kelseykat]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here looking for some advice regarding what path to take. Ultimately, this is a personal decision for me to make, but I was wondering if I was able to get other opinions, input, or personal experience. I will share a little background info.

I have wanted to go to veterinary school for a long time, but it was not until around college time that I got more firsthand experience with veterinary medicine. During this time, I started gaining more interest in exotics, and last year I did a husbandry internship at a prominent local aquarium in my area, and I enjoyed the internship and the day-to-day activities of what it entailed. For the past three years, I have been working at a private small animal practice and working on a master's degree in shelter medicine. I enjoy the medicine aspect, but I also enjoyed the husbandry aspect as well. I applied this past cycle, and I am waiting to hear back from 2 schools (LMU and GA), but I am even more anxious about receiving the results because of my uncertainty and having to make a final decision. Thankfully (and very grateful), I am in a position where I do no have student loans, so I am also trying to justify taking on student loans if I do not need to.

The whole predicament is all boiling down to should I go with going to veterinary school (barring I get in), going to technician school and possibly specializing in exotic medicine, or going down the husbandry route alone? Thank you!!

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[dyachei]

it's a really personal decision. Do you love diagnosing and managing medical problems? Or do you enjoy exotics husbandry more?

 

[that redhead]

If you’ve enjoyed your work in exotic animal husbandry, may be worth continuing that for as long as you still find it fulfilling. If you stick with one place long enough you may have increased privileges/responsibilities that help things to still be interesting. You can always come back to the further schooling routes in a couple years if the husbandry route isn’t making you happy anymore.

 

[kelseykat]

it's a really personal decision. Do you love diagnosing and managing medical problems? Or do you enjoy exotics husbandry more?

Yeah for sure, I wanted to see if others had been in a similar position and to see what others thought. I like the medical aspect, but I'm not sure if I want to go as far as becoming a veterinarian. I've enjoyed forming more personal connections and the treatment aspect of medicine/husbandry, but I don't think i would go as far as saying I enjoying the diagnosing part and the less personal aspect of it. I've also been getting some burnout and jadedness from primarily working in general practice small animal medicine which has not helped either. Thank you!

 

[dyachei]

Yeah for sure, I wanted to see if others had been in a similar position and to see what others thought. I like the medical aspect, but I'm not sure if I want to go as far as becoming a veterinarian. I've enjoyed forming more personal connections and the treatment aspect of medicine/husbandry, but I don't think i would go as far as saying I enjoying the diagnosing part and the less personal aspect of it. I've also been getting some burnout and jadedness from primarily working in general practice small animal medicine which has not helped either. Thank you!

It sounds more like you'd be better suited to being a vet tech then. If you enjoy connecting with patients, you'll have more opportunity to do that as a tech than as a doctor.

 

[PppermintTwist]

I’ve been a licensed vet tech for 13 years now. I’d worry about feeling burnt out just starting in the profession. (As a tech and especially if considering spending a lot of money and energy on a veterinary degree...)

It could be the practice you work for but there will be a lot of repetition in GP no matter where you go.

Even in ER you will see a lot of similar things.

Why are you feeling jaded and burnt out now?

 

[kelseykat]

I’ve been a licensed vet tech for 13 years now. I’d worry about feeling burnt out just starting in the profession. (As a tech and especially if considering spending a lot of money and energy on a veterinary degree...)

It could be the practice you work for but there will be a lot of repetition in GP no matter where you go.

Even in ER you will see a lot of similar things.

Why are you feeling jaded and burnt out now?

Ty for replying and sorry for the late response. I think a lot of it has to do with people. I totally understand veterinary medicine is more than just animals and my people/communications skills have improved a ton over the past few years, but there are those who have no respect/understand and think we'll let them do whatever/they get upset. I am guessing it's catching up now, especially after a lot of change with bad doctors and multiple practice managers my 3 years there. Things have been better there recently, but it's still hard to get past the repetition part too.

 

[PppermintTwist]

You can try changing jobs. A good team is so important.

But will you be happy with the repetition?