Advice for future Vet from current Vets about work life balance, pay... etc..

[Padrizas_Box]

Hello Everyone: I am due to start vet school this year (school to be decided yet). I am 32 and have been working as a vet tech for the last 10 years, in different fields (GP, Emergency, Wildlife). I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly about vet med and I am sure I want to pursue this career but I do need some feedback about pay and work life balance. I have seen what over work and stress can do to vets and technicians. I also think that vets and tech are severely underpaid. I know that money is not everything but money is important, especially since it is a very expensive career choice. I know that vet school is going to be hard work and i am ready for it. Let me cut to the chase, I am not very ambitious in regards to making money, I value balance much more than money. I do not want kids and i like to live the simple life. What i want to ask is, How feasible is for a vet to work 3 days a week and still have a comfortable life. I know pay can vary from geographical area and other factors. Just want to know from anyones experience. What I mean about “comfortable” is living in a nice apartment or small house with an F-150 or a Tacoma parked in the front haha, and obviously not having to worry so much about working more just to afford the bills. I would appreciate anyone feedback. For reference i live is South Florida.

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[battie]

What i want to ask is, How feasible is for a vet to work 3 days a week and still have a comfortable life

I will be working 4 days a week for high 5 figures prior to commission that is assessed annually. I likely won't hit commission the first "year" because I'll be starting in June and it will be assessed in December. But all the new grads that have started at this practice in the last few years have hit 6 figures within their second year out. This is doing GP 3 days a week and a soft tissue surgery day once a week, with 1 Sunday ER shift every 6 weeks. I plan to do more ER than once every 6 weeks with the GP and surgery days. This will be at a hospital in a large Metro area. Job also has all the perks of health care, covering licensing, etc.. Significant other makes 30k/year take home.

Between the two of us, we have a decent financial plan worked out. The only debt we currently have is my vet school loans. He has been saving significantly per paycheck, so we plan to use part of that and some money I inherited a few years ago as a down payment on a house. We're going to get a house 25% or so below what we can "afford" so that if something happens, we can make it work. Kids will be the next big thing after that (instead of new vehicles for example).

Depending on 1) how much you have in loans and 2) where you end up, it can be doable. But you have to pick and choose your battles and whats important. Consider what gets you the most bang for your buck (like renting where I'll be living is throwing away 2500/month, whereas a house slightly more southeast will be 1500/month).

 

[CalliopeDVM]

What i want to ask is, How feasible is for a vet to work 3 days a week and still have a comfortable life.

It's very feasible, but not in the early years right out of school.......I don't recommend part time work for a new grad, unless you mean working 3 days a week, 12 hour shifts in the ER. But I don't recommend that for a new grad either; right out of school, the learning curve is very steep. Of course, earning enough for a "comfortable life" like you describe will depend on where you're working and what your loan payments are too. I'm presuming you're in the US, but where in the US, and urban/suburban/rural makes a big difference. A full time new grad salary could range from $55K to $100K+, in different states and even locations within that state.

 

[chickenlittle]

It's very feasible, but not in the early years right out of school.......I don't recommend part time work for a new grad, unless you mean working 3 days a week, 12 hour shifts in the ER.

Agree with this. You need to work FT for the first 3-5 years, just to build up enough of a knowledge base to be a decently functional vet. After that, though, you could definitely downshift to PT work if you don't need the benefits and you don't have huge student loans to repay.

I recently left practice completely (at 14 years out of vet school), but last year I made ~$60k working 2 days/wk. The tradeoff is that I was working at Banfield and seeing a ton of patients on the days that I was there.... but I was okay with that in order to limit my working hours.

 

[Padrizas_Box]

Thank you everyone for the feedback I genuinely appreciate it. I am definitely expecting to work FT the first years and gain knowledge and experience and pay down my student loans as much as i can. After that i definitely want to work less.

 

[Padrizas_Box]

I recently left practice completely (at 14 years out of vet school), but last year I made ~$60k working 2 days/wk. The tradeoff is that I was working at Banfield and seeing a ton of patients on the days that I was there.... but I was okay with that in order to limit my working hours.

Life goals 🙌🏻

 

[DVMDream]

I mean, it is entirely dependent on so many factors, I don't think anyone can answer this.

What do you consider "comfortable living"?

How much debt will you have... vet school/undergrad/credit card, etc?

Where are you going to live?

Will there be any income from an SO? Could this change in the future?

What area of vet med are you going to practice?

Do you ever want to own a home? Do you think these plans could change? What if a mortgage is similar in cost to rent?

Depending on these answers you could fall anywhere between living paycheck to paycheck to making some decent money but you won't be breaking any stock markets or opening any offshore bank accounts anytime soon. By decent money I mean you can comfortably pay bills and have a tiny bit leftover for "fun/hobbies".