Off my chest
I've been practicing for 11 years now. I think I'm mainly just burnt out and maybe beyond repair, but anymore I just hate being a veterinarian and wish I would have done something else with my life. I'm tired of having to fix every problem in 30 minutes or less no matter how long it's been going on and often with no diagnostics. And when they decline every treatment option I recommend I'm tired of the receptionists telling me the owner called 7-10 days later because the patient isn't better and what should they do. I'm tired of "squeezing in" non-clients who don't just have a tight budget, they have literally no money to treat anything with but still want me to fix what's wrong with their pet (for reference I practice in a fairly low cost of living area of the country comparatively). I'm tired of having to be my own technician 80% of the time so management can cut hours to increase profit. I'm tired of watching patients leave and knowing they'll continue to suffer because the owners are "just going to watch and see if it gets worse." I'm tired of being the only full-time doctor in the hospital so everything falls on me. I love my patients and some of my clients, but I dread waking up in the morning. I know there are other ways to practice, but it's just me and I can't afford to take a major pay cut. I hate my life right now.