What's it like to be a vet?

Hey Stephanie! I have been a vet for 30 years and I can tell you this: If you want to get married and have a house and have children, you are going to want to work less so that you can spend time with your husband and children. But to do this you don't make much money because you cannot work the hours that a clinic needs, and no clinic wants someone only in the mornings. Most working mothers split a shift so that they work 3 days and are off 2, and we all have to work Saturdays and treat on the weekends. You are going to have to have some late nights and get called in on your off day, too, to see sick patients. And you are going to miss important dates for your kids and husband because you had to go in. My husband has cooked all of THanksgiving dinner more times than I can count because I had to go in for an emergency. You would make good money in an emergency clinic, but that is only at night and on weekends. It is never a 9 to 5 job. Never.

That will depend on the hours of the clinic you work at, as well as how many vets are on staff.

If it's just you, you're going to be doing all the work - including night calls, every day, etc. If there are other vets, the work can be spread around.

Most clinics go from 8-5 or 9-5 or a little later. Some are open part of the day on Saturdays. If you're the only vet, you're there most of the time. Again, if there are others, you can share times.

That's not to say if you're at a one-woman clinic you can't have free time or vacations - just not as often and it won't be as flexible. You can hire vet techs to do the basic work, schedule major appointments (if possible) around vacation time, and collaborate with another vet in town if emergencies come up. But again, that's a lot of work for a two-week vacation!

Best of luck to you :)

With the family goals that you want, you should pick another profession. I am not a vet, but one of my best friends is a vet that owns his clinic. He does not have the flexibility to drop kids off and pick them up from school. His regular clinic hours are 8-5 Monday through Friday and 8-12 noon on Saturdays, but those are not the hours he actually works. He is in his clinic by 7 AM everyday and rarely gets to leave as soon as the practice closes. He also comes in on Sunday to check on dogs that are being treated in house for illness or post surgery. I know him well enough to know that he has a nice bank account, but he certainly earns it with the hours he puts in. Oh, in addition to those hours, he does sometimes have to respond to emergencies.

If you're the owner of the clinic (which I doubt you will be for a long time, unless you win a lottery), you can set your own hours. All other vets are employees and get told what their hours will be. The new vets get the worst shifts. Highly unlikely you can just take off every day to pick up your kid or "spend time" with him, and expect to have a job to go back to.

Well you 1st have to go to vet school for 4 years. You do not just become a vet. I am not a vet but I have been interning for one for a year. They are open from 9-5 and are closed on weekends. I say it is a good job to have if you have a family.The pay varies from vet to vet.

Don't be certain that the pay is good. Many members of the general public seem to think their pets are entitled to below-cost or even free veterinary care. If you run your own clinic, either alone or with partners (the best way to choose your own working hours), you will get stiffed by a far higher proportion of your clients than a member of any other learned profession.

7:00 am to 6:00 pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri & 7:00 am to Noon on Sat's. Off on Wednesdays & Sundays, unless you have emergencies.

You can drop the kids off at school at 6:30 & they can wait there until time for school at 8:00am. Wouldn't work would it. & they probably would have had supper by the time you got home.

A niece just graduated Vet School a few weeks ago & I really hate her attitude. When ask how she feels about being a Vet, she took a deep breath & said over & over & over again & again, "I am going to be rich!!!! & have lots & lots & lots of money," Little snit, I wanted to just slap her & slap her & slap her. Just out to rip people off.

I don't have much respect for Vets these days.

Most veterinarians work about 8 hours a day, unless they are needed for an emergency. Some veterinarians work during the day at a regular practice and others work night shifts at emergency clinics.