r/veterinaryprofession

Hey all! Posting this in human massage subs and equine subs. So I am 27 and kind of lost. I was a veterinary technician with cats and dogs for five years. I always wanted to work in large animal either as a tech or vet, but I cannot seem to get my foot in the door without having a degree as a tech and schooling for a DVM doesn’t seem worth the time and cost for salary you get (I do not want to do small animal or mixed. Exclusively equine).

For the past couple of years I have been on and off pursuing my certification as a Masterson Method Practitioner. I do love it, but the income seems really variable and I think I will need a lot more CE to be competitive in my area.

I am a dressage rider that has a LOT of imbalances due to a gnarly vestibular disorder. Pilates and learning about human/rider anatomy and biomechanics has been incredibly fun and life changing for me. I go in public and watch peoples postures and how they walk. I love it. I read anatomy books for fun on both horses and people.

Dressage/natural horsemanship is my favorite, but I love all disciplines/breeds and I would love an excuse to branch out. I have a strong interest in equine veterinary medicine but also sports rehab and different modalities. Saddle fit and bit fit is something I’d really like to get into because it seems every where I go it’s a problem and no one knows anything about it. I also have an interest in how the teeth and hooves affect the entire horse (although I don’t think I want to be a farrier and I believe only veterinarians should float teeth). I like diagnostic imaging too.

Would it be worth it to go to school to become a human LMT and possibly personal trainer and advertise a horse/rider therapy combo business? I would be interested in doing horses and humans individually, but my dressage education has been 75% do x y z with your body and your horse will follow. Maybe throwing in some saddle fit/bit fit and learning enough about teeth and feet to know when to refer out?

I’ve been struggling financially for so many years and I’m tired of it. I want to get into my vain of work. I tried going to school to become a radiology tech for people and I loved the anatomy, but working in a hospital under fluorescent lights and possible shitty management with people’s feces vomit blood etc sounded like a nightmare. Due to my vestibular stuff I do like the idea of running my own business one day doing a whole horse and rider approach.

Does it sound like there’s a market for this? Beyond LMT/PT and some additional equine certs what else would I need? Would a vet tech license be beneficial for the equine aspect? Any experience, pro/cons, of either job, tuition time expectations and salary expectations are greatly appreciated!

For my first job offer for a vet clinic recently. On my first onboarding day the clinic manager did mention that this clinic does declaws. Not willy nilly, but for medical reasons, or if an elderly owner requests it due to the elderly having thinner skin and are at higher risk for infection from cat injuries. Is this pretty standard or is it a red flag?

I’ve been attending classes to become a vet tech and even went to a medical school that i dropped out of, still paying loans off. Mom says that i won’t be able to live on my own without a husband. Especially if i have children. Is this true for any of you? If you are not in a relationship, can you live off this kind of pay in the United States?

Hello! I'm currently going into my junior year of high school, and I'm wanting to get some reassurance on my future plans. When in college, I plan to major in Biology to meet the pre-requisites needed. I'll skip a complete background on my athletics, but this upcoming September, NCAA allows college coaches to officially offer me. With the schools that are interested having good financial program resources, demand for my position, etc, the chances favor me getting a full scholarship. If not, it will be extremely close to one, and my parents have no problem with paying the difference. All that to say, I will be in a good position financially with no loans going into vet school, so money is not something I'm choosing to factor in right now. The programs that are interested, and I want to attend, are division 1-power 4 programs with 20 hour in-season practice weeks. I'm not insanely naturally smart, but I've never had problem with putting time into studying. I've read a lot about how important maintaining a 3.6+ GPA is for entry into vet school. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA fairly easily throughout high school, but I'm aware college won't be the same. Let's say I maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout college, will I not be able to get into vet school? With managing my sport and school, I just don't see myself averaging a much higher GPA.

Another topic to talk on is hours volunteering at a vet clinic. Right now is an insanely busy time just because I'm finishing up the recruiting process, but after this fall, I'll have enough free time to volunteer. I do school online so my hours are flexible. These next 2 years before I go to college, I will try to rack up as many hours as I can. When in college, summers will be the only available time for me. I believe these windows will be enough time to stack enough hours. I know I can easily volunteer at our local animal shelter. I'm not quite sure where to start for vet clinics. Do most clinics even have volunteer positions? I'll do more research on this topic myself in the near-future, but if anyone has some insight on this, it'd be appreciated.

I'm just scared to waste my time getting a bio degree, and then not making the cut. I remember being a young child and watching the vet shows on animal planet religiously. Its always kind of been what I've known I wanted to do. Although at the same time, I'm not dead set on it because my sport comes first. It's what I've spent the good portion of my life working towards. I am under no impression that managing all of this will be easy, and I'm okay with that, but I'm more wondering if it's something out of reach. Again any insight is appreciated, thanks in advance!

My son will be graduating in May from A&M and I am so very happy for him. I would love any input on what would be a good (appreciated and useful) gift for him. Btw, thanks to all of you for caring for precious animals—a truly noble profession!🐾❤️

Hello everybody, today I received a text from the owner of my clinic that I was terminated. So basically what happened is i’ve been working there for 3 weeks and on my 1st or 2nd day I injected medication SUB Q instead of IM by accident. The other vet tech acknowledged my mistake and so did I. She said it was fine (didn’t mention anything about telling the Veterinarian) and I went on with my shift. Fast forward to today this morning I received a message via the owner that he realized mistakes can happen however I should have notified him, which I failed to and it’s a serious concern. That’s basically what led to my termination. I am feeling a little betrayed from the tech because I worked yesterday and nothing was mentioned about the incident. Therefore she told him later 3 weeks later and I never got a chance to explain myself. Keep in mind I did ask to do the injection and was asked if I knew how to do IM which I responded yes to (i know how to do IM I just had a brain fart). So I know it but totally my fault, I just didn’t think anything since she said it was ok and we left it at that. Yes I realize I should have notified the doctor and understand where he is coming from, I am just a little distraught. Are my feelings valid because i’m going crazy.

I know you should never use the Q word but oh my i started a new job as a veterinary care assistant about a month ago and I am SO BORED! Like every time I'm in and there's an operation scheduled it gets cancelled or I e d up having to cover reception. And then I'm just left to deep clean the same cupboard I deep cleaned last week. This can't be normal? I work across 2 sites so I was expecting to be busier than this.

Hi! I’m 25 years old, since i was little I’ve always wanted to be a vet, when i got to high school i realized that putting down animals would be really hard for me as I’m emotional. Does it get easier? I still want to become a vet but i think about how expensive it is, and i feel like im too old to become a vet. I have no degree as i couldn’t figure out what i wanted to do. I have a ocd and anxiety disorder as well so i worry that getting through the schooling would be hard. What’s your experience with these barriers i face? Thank you!

Looking for recs on shelter medicine, exotics, large animal, or anything else that you find yourself referencing. Or even just an interesting book!

Hi everyone! I know this may not be the best place to ask this, but I haven’t been able to get any feedback back from any other Veterinary related groups.

I’ve been a dog trainer for close to 10 years now, and before that, I was a veterinary assistant. My hands on experience at the clinic I worked for is what inspired me to shift gears into behavior and training.

I’ve been working on putting together a lunch and learn presentation about dog training. The goal being how to help clients make the right choices when choosing a dog trainer, and it dives into learning theory as well to help vet staff understand their clients dogs behaviors more.

The thing is, I haven’t worked for a Vet for many years. Are lunch and learns still even a thing? Do you think this will be well received? Obviously I’ll be providing food but is there anything else I should bring? Any advice you all could give me would be great!

Hey y'all I feel like i haven't had much of a passion in my life. I am almost 30 and realized a few months ago that animals are my spark and always have been. I am not sure why it took so long to figure this out but thats what it is. I would love to start a career working with animals whether I'm working at a shelter, vets office, or pet hotel. I am just happy when I am around animals. I'm aware of all the awful things everyone says about Vet Tech, under paid, mentally taxing and toxic environment. I'm use to toxic coworkers and obnoxious clientele because I've been working retail for over 10 years. But i would really like to hear from y'all.

• Do you regret becoming a vet tech?

• What is the most rewarding aspect of the job

•How do you handle rough days and decompress/ let them go. (Ex. Putting down animals, crying owners and abu$e)

•Does the bad aspect really outweigh the good?

Now I'm not interested in becoming a full on veterinarian i have 2 young kids and a few learning disabilities so I don't think i can commit to that big of a challenge but any input is helpful.

Thank you to anyone who responds

Hello! I (F24) am about to begin my vet school journey in a week. I’ve been working towards this for years. I graduated with my biology degree in 2024 and for two years have been working towards get accepted. I got my acceptance this past February to ISU my in state school and was beyond happy.
Recently Ive been reading more and more about veterinary professionals regretting going into the field. Now mind you, I knew about the debt to income ratio(bad ROI), high burnout, suicide rates, negative client experiences, etc.
I worked in a clinic for four years and loved it, it was hard but I enjoyed it. It’s been my dream for a while and now for some reason I’ve begun to feel scared and like I maybe shouldn’t have chosen vet med. I’ve heard if you think you could do something else, to do that instead cuz it’s not worth it being a vet.
For years, I was set on it 100% but now I’m in my head. I’m terrified that what I once thought is my dream that ill graduate and hate my job and be in $200,000 in debt. I can’t tell if it’s just me being nervous for change and unknown future or if I truly am no longer wanting it. I read on Reddit all the time the regret vets have and it scares me. I’m not sure what else I could do for a career so I feel lost. My friends say I shouldn’t give up my dream and give it a shot. He told me try it for a semester and if I truly do not think it’s for me to drop out, then I wouldn’t have as much debt. Truly all I want for my life is to be happy, financially stable and have the ability to travel since it’s such a big passion of mine. I heard vets get very little time off and that makes me nervous. Please give me advice no

I’ve been at my current clinic as a vet tech (not RVT) for 14 months. I make 18 CAD an hour working in Toronto, which is basically minimum wage. This is also less than what all the other techs and receptionist make. I feel really undervalued considering I do everything that everyone else does including blood work, dentals, radiographs, lab work, and all administrative duties. I’ve never asked for a raise before and not sure how to go about it. Is 20$ an hour too much of a raise? That’s close to what everyone else makes. I know the clinic owner is going to talk about how that’s too much to ask for, how can I back myself up in this situation?

If I don’t get this raise I’m planning on moving to another clinic because this is unsustainable for me. I have rent and bills to pay.

Has anyone applied to vet school with an associates only and finished pre reqs?

Currently I am in the US specifically Florida and I get my CVA next month, eventually I’ll be making the move to the uk but I wanna know what my options are with furthering my education in the vet field. Either with what I’ve got in the US or having to start from scratch and how to do so

I get imposter syndrome especially around other recent grads (or any passionate DVM) because I just don’t like or care about medicine that much. I think I’m an okay doctor and doing my version of my best. But I just do not have the drive that my peers do. I don’t read journals in my free time and avoid anything vet related like the plague when I’m off. I don’t find the same joy in discussing cases, new medicine, etc and it seems that’s all we talk about. I understand that socially that’s what we have in common and there’s utility in sharing our experiences. But I can’t help but feel like I’m not cut out for the dedication this role seems to require. I don’t sleep eat breathe vetmed and part of me feels guilty for that.

I haven’t had any catastrophic mistakes and I learn from my cases. But I don’t love my job I just kind of tolerate it and try to be decent. As a client, I’d prefer the passionate vet but I’m just not that.

I don’t know what the point of this was other than to rant and maybe find people that relate so I feel less shitty about it.

I’m a receptionist at a vet clinic. I’ve been working 2 months and I know a lot the stuff I learn will be as I go. But looking for any advice/experiences people have to share. I’m going to school for vet tech so anything you want to share whether it’s reception, medical, assistant, general knowledge or whichever will be greatly appreciated.

Triage: What symptoms/calls make you immediately grab a tech or doctor? What needs same-day care vs. can reasonably wait?
Questions to ask callers: If someone says “my dog is vomiting,” “my cat isn’t eating,” etc., what follow-up questions are most useful for the medical team?
Medications: Common meds you hear every day and generally what they’re used for. (Not so you can give medical advice, just so you understand.)
Procedures: What actually happens during a spay/neuter, dental, mass removal, sedated exam, nail trim, anal gland expression, etc.?
Pre-op/post-op: What information should reception know when clients call with questions before or after surgery?
Puppy/kitten visits: What should you understand about vaccine series, deworming, fecals, preventatives, spay/neuter timing, etc.?
Species-specific red flags: Things that are much more concerning in cats vs. dogs, seniors vs. puppies/kittens, etc.
What NOT to answer: What questions should reception always hand off to a tech/doctor rather than trying to answer?
Common client questions: What are the 10–20 things experienced receptionists get asked constantly that you wish you’d learned on day one?
Resources: Any textbooks, cheat sheets, websites, YouTube channels, CE courses, or flashcard sets specifically useful for veterinary receptionists?
“Things you wish you knew”: If you’ve worked vet reception for years, what knowledge made your job significantly easier?

Just some examples of what I’m looking for! If you want to link any helpful websites or quizlets that would be great too! Thanks!

I’ve been a vet tech for about a year and a half and feel like I’ve learned and grown so much in all my skills including surgical monitoring, blood draws, lab work, radiology, dental stuff, etc.

However for the life of me, I just cannot consistently hit a jug. Every time I feel it, sometimes even can visual it, poke right where I’m feeling and… nothing. It’s so freaking frustrating!! I’ve worked with our lead tech so much who’s given me plenty of tips and I’ve watched her poke right where I have and hit it perfectly and I don’t understand!!

Any tips appreciated :)

Hi all. I’ve been a veterinary assistant at a GP clinic for about 3 years after I graduated with a BA in biological sciences. I love what I do, but I’m exhausted and underpaid and can’t imagine being a tech forever. In a perfect world, I would go to vet school and pursue a specialty but I’m very concerned about the debt:income ratio, the burnout during school, and how difficult it is to even get into vet schools. I also think I’m missing some prerequisites, I’m terrible at standardized testing, I have no relationships with my college professors (for letters of recc), and I wouldn’t want to go far from my aging family (I also have a dog and it would be difficult to travel with her). How did y’all decide whether to go or not? Especially after working as a tech for a few years after undergrad.