My Fears about becoming a Vet.. Advice?

[amethyst95]

Hello everyone!

I am currently a speech-language pathology and audiology major at Ball State University approaching my sophomore year. I enjoy my major, but I am not sure if I LOVE it. Since 7th grade and all throughout high school, I volunteered and then worked at my local vet clinic. I have always loved animals and do enjoy working there. However, I just recently have really thought about becoming a vet. Until now, I have always brushed aside the idea because I am afraid...

My fears:
-I am kind of afraid that I will not be good at doing surgery. I do not get nauseous or anything while watching it, I am just afraid that I will not be good at it. How do they go about teaching it in vet school?
-I did really well in my BIO 111 class (98% for lab and lecture combined), but I hated the lab... What are labs like for higher up chem and bio courses? Are they more independent work and how are they typically graded? I am just not the best at figuring out what to do on my own with labs for some reason..
-I am afraid that I will have no life during vet school and that I will miss out.
-Lastly, I am just afraid that I will not be good enough... Not sure why.

I currently have a 4.0 GPA. I graduated 3rd in my high school class and do have a lot of experience with animals.

Any advice for me? What were your fears and how did you overcome them?

Thanks SO much!

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[DVMDream]

Going to address your fears:

1. Surgery: I think everyone has this fear. I still do, despite getting some surgical experience. You will be guided on how to perform surgery and there will be someone there to assist you. Surprisingly, it is not as scary as it first seems. You just have to pay attention to what you are doing and use careful handling.

2. I forget what the labs were like. Nothing was really independent if I recall correctly. I mean, you did the experiments by yourself or in a group of two or three, but there were instruction to follow and a TA around to assist if you had any questions.

3. The #1 rule of vet school is to make time for a life outside of it. There is a lot to learn during school, but you will burn out if you do not take time for yourself. Make the time to have a life. You aren't going to fail out if you decide to take every Saturday night off to have dinner with friends or go for drinks.

4. Join the club. Rather normal feeling that all of us have and have had. You slowly either get used to the feeling or as you progress you start to realize that you know more than you believe you do.

Good Luck!

 

[BlackDog17]

Honestly, I hated most of my labs in undergrad. And I wasn't too thrilled with my labs in vet school this year either. So don't feel like you have to be absolutely in love with labs to get into vet school. As for how they're run and graded, I'm going to assume that will vary based on the school. Ours were all graded with a midterm exam and a final exam. No work to turn in during the semester or anything. It's not like undergrad where you're doing some dumb experiment using poorly written instructions and then turning in a lab report on it. Mostly you're just learning on your own or in a small group with professors floating around to answer your questions.

As for not having a life in vet school . . . I guess it depends on what you're afraid of missing out on. You won't have a lot of free time and you will end up making sacrifices. There's really no avoiding that. But you will need to have some life outside of school in order to stay sane, and everyone finds ways to make time for the things that are most important to them. What specific things are you concerned about? Chances are there's at least one person here who has similar interests and can tell you how they've managed to balance them while in school.

 

[DVMDream]

Honestly, I hated most of my labs in undergrad. And I wasn't too thrilled with my labs in vet school this year either. So don't feel like you have to be absolutely in love with labs to get into vet school. As for how they're run and graded, I'm going to assume that will vary based on the school. Ours were all graded with a midterm exam and a final exam. No work to turn in during the semester or anything. It's not like undergrad where you're doing some dumb experiment using poorly written instructions and then turning in a lab report on it. Mostly you're just learning on your own or in a small group with professors floating around to answer your questions.

Oh, was she asking about vet school labs? I thought she meant chem labs and other undergrad labs.

Yeah, our vet school labs were definitely nothing like undergrad. Thinking about them, I can't recall them either (oops, that is bad). We had some oral anatomy exams, but otherwise no work to turn in. We did have to do a couple lab reports for one semester, but nothing too bad. Just answering a few questions and then turning in the reports, were only worth 5% of the grade.

 

[BlackDog17]

Oh, was she asking about vet school labs? I thought she meant chem labs and other undergrad labs.

Both I think. If Bio 111 is the only lab OP has taken so far, there's a lot more left to do.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Surgery isn't really rocket science. Most people take to it pretty well after they learn basic tissue handling. Some people just suck at it and/or hate it (just like with anything else in life), but even if that's true it's not the end of the world. There are a lot of veterinarians out in clinical practice that don't do that many surgeries.

It's hard to say what's normal to expect in upper level science labs. But really, you sound like a responsible smart person, I'm sure you'll figure it out. If you feel lost, the best thing you can do is just ask your lab instructor what the expectations are. I found labs annoying, and the way they were graded in my UG made it very difficult for anyone to get to get A's in any science class (only 1-3 people received A's in each class). But that didnt hinder me one bit from getting into vet schools. Remember that your end goal is to become a veterinarian, not to be perfect along the way.

I did miss out on life during vet school, but that was the necessary price to do what I want with my life. It really sucks when you go on Facebook everyday and it seems like all of your non-vet school friends are getting married, popping out babies, buying houses, getting promotions, going on vacations, etc... and your life is super stagnant. But that doesn't mean I didn't have fun during vet school. I made great friends, and we got to make so many great memories. Life sucks in so many ways while you're in vet school, but the shared angst with your friends help develop great relationships. Now that I've just finished, Vet school seemed short, and UG seemed even shorter. It goes by so fast. I'm starting to go gray, but in my head I feel like I just turned 21! And here I am at the starting line, pretty broke, with a ton of loans, barely any savings, and only like $1000 in my retirement account... We'll see how I feel about all of this in 10 years. By then the excitement and newness of it prob will have worn off, and we'll see if my dream was really worth the sacrifices.

Don't even worry about not being good enough. We all have that fear, but no one can be perfect. We will all make mistakes, no matter how diligent we strive to be, and sometimes that will cost lives. We just have to act in good faith, and be the best doctors we can be, and be as compassionate as we can while taking care of our own well being. No one can expect any more than that from you. And that's why we get malpractice insurance. You just have to know your limitations and act accordingly.

 

[amethyst95]

Thank you so much everyone for the great responses. I have a few more questions:

-What did all of you do to get experience before applying to vet school?
-Do all of the pre-vet prerequisites have to be complete before you apply to vet school? Most people apply to vet school in the fall of their senior year, right? What if I want to take some of the prerequisites during senior year?

 

[DVMDream]

Thank you so much everyone for the great responses. I have a few more questions:

-What did all of you do to get experience before applying to vet school?
-Do all of the pre-vet prerequisites have to be complete before you apply to vet school? Most people apply to vet school in the fall of their senior year, right? What if I want to take some of the prerequisites during senior year?

1. I worked as a vet tech. Not everyone does this though. Some people just shadow vets, some people do a lot with research. Also, try to get varied experiences... small, large, food, exotic. Breadth across the board and depth in one area tends to be the best. I had a ton of small animal experience and not much of the rest and the vet schools suggested getting experience in other areas.

2. Yes, you can take some prerequisites in your senior year. Some schools will have a limit to how many you can have still left to take when you apply. Check school websites and be sure you are following what the schools you are applying to require.

 

[Ashgirl]

Thank you so much everyone for the great responses. I have a few more questions:

-What did all of you do to get experience before applying to vet school?
-Do all of the pre-vet prerequisites have to be complete before you apply to vet school? Most people apply to vet school in the fall of their senior year, right? What if I want to take some of the prerequisites during senior year?

What sort of experience would you like to do? I really wanted to work at a vet clinic, so I went around and asked if anyone accepted volunteers. Two said yes, and I ended up actually working at one after a few years. You can do research, volunteer/shadow, or work. Don't be afraid to ask around at zoos, labs, clinics, etc. You never know what experience you might find.

To answer your second question, it somewhat depends on the school. Most schools allow you to complete pre-reqs while applying, but some have limitations (such as only one pre-req left to take in the spring, or only two science pre-reqs left for the year). I had 2-4 pre-reqs left myself depending on the school (including 2 with limitations) and it turned out just fine. Definitely check with each school as they are all different.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

If you end up not liking surgery, there is also a good number of specialties where you don't have to do any. I hated surgery, myself.

 

[DVMDream]

If you end up not liking surgery, there is also a good number of specialties where you don't have to do any. I hated surgery, myself.

You just prefer surgery on dead things...

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

You just prefer surgery on dead things...

I can't hurt them!

 

[Panderson]

Everyone has that fear about surgery. All it takes is practice, which you will get in school honestly. Heck, if you were really worried about sutures you could always practice on a chicken breast. Bahaha.

Chem labs are a bit harder than your standard bio lab, it's just more attention to detail.

You will surely find a life outside of vet school, if you can find a life outside of undergrad.

Everyone has these doubts. But it sounds like you have really found your passion. You are also very competitive with a 4.0. I say go for it!

 

[amethyst95]

Thank you everyone! This really helps a lot. I really need to talk with my parents about this and see what they think. The only people I have told is my little sister and a few friends...

 

[LetItSnow]

If you end up not liking surgery, there is also a good number of specialties where you don't have to do any. I hated surgery, myself.

So you went into anatomical pathology where you slice things all day? Good grief, WTF.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

So you went into anatomical pathology where you slice things all day? Good grief, WTF.

Actually, what always drove me crazy about surgery was I would worry about the anesthesia and the surgery at the same time and couldn't just focus on the surgery. I'm kind of a control freak/nervous Nellie in that way. Now, I only have to worry about the cutting

 

[krist]

Hello amethyst from a cardinal alum ('10)...upper level labs at BSU aren't bad at all...I survived them all and got into vet school! I really liked microbiology lab, chem labs were fine. I was a bio major so I also took botany (yuck), ecology (surprisingly fun...got to do a research project with fish), genetics (eh), and a few others that I can't remember. I also took anatomy and physiology which I think are definitely helpful in vet school, if you have time to take them, as well as immunology (LOVED the prof- can't recall her name atm). I really didnt like undergrad science classes THAT much, and tbh didn't love the basic science vet school classes either but am definitely enjoying the med/surg classes I have now!

My advice would definitely be to get some veterinary experience (I didn't do any in Muncie) and take some non-science classes as well as your pre-reqs. I would STRONGLY recommend (to anyone, not just at BSU) that you take some basic business and communications classes. I think that would really impress ad coms if you can show that you appreciate the importance of business and communication skills in vet med, and they will definitely help you later in life as a veterinarian (or any job, really). Let me know if you have any other BSU specific or other questions - I don't get on here often anymore but I'll try to remember to do so

 

[amethyst95]

Hello amethyst from a cardinal alum ('10)...upper level labs at BSU aren't bad at all...I survived them all and got into vet school! I really liked microbiology lab, chem labs were fine. I was a bio major so I also took botany (yuck), ecology (surprisingly fun...got to do a research project with fish), genetics (eh), and a few others that I can't remember. I also took anatomy and physiology which I think are definitely helpful in vet school, if you have time to take them, as well as immunology (LOVED the prof- can't recall her name atm). I really didnt like undergrad science classes THAT much, and tbh didn't love the basic science vet school classes either but am definitely enjoying the med/surg classes I have now!

My advice would definitely be to get some veterinary experience (I didn't do any in Muncie) and take some non-science classes as well as your pre-reqs. I would STRONGLY recommend (to anyone, not just at BSU) that you take some basic business and communications classes. I think that would really impress ad coms if you can show that you appreciate the importance of business and communication skills in vet med, and they will definitely help you later in life as a veterinarian (or any job, really). Let me know if you have any other BSU specific or other questions - I don't get on here often anymore but I'll try to remember to do so

Wow, thanks! It is so nice to hear from somebody that went to Ball State! CHIRP CHIRP! If you don't mind me asking, which vet school are you going to? Also, did you just do plain biology or did you have the zoology, wildlife, etc. option?

 

[Joan Stewart]

If you end up not liking surgery, there is also a good number of specialties where you don't have to do any. I hated surgery, myself.

Would you mind listing what those specialties are? I am interested in becoming a vet, but really don't like the idea of performing surgery. Thank you, I appreciate it!

 

[twelvetigers]

I listed some in the other thread. I'm also chuckling because @WhtsThFrequency hated surgery, so she went into anatomic pathology where she cuts up dead things all day... somehow I doubt that's what you would have had in mind.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I listed some in the other thread. I'm also chuckling because @WhtsThFrequency hated surgery, so she went into anatomic pathology where she cuts up dead things all day... somehow I doubt that's what you would have had in mind.

I look at pieces of live things too!!

 

[twelvetigers]

I look at pieces of live things too!!

Okay, okay, true. But still!

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Honestly, the vast majority of most pathologist's time is behind the scope. Although that doesn't sound like that's really what the OP is into anyway, so probably not really a valid option for him/her. But I never really missed working with "live" animals. I have my own pets for that.