I get asked all the time "how long does it take to become a veterinarian?" There are several ways to answer that but I thought it might be interesting to go back through my progression from a little girl with a big dream to actually seeing my first patient.
Like many kids I first talked about wanting to be a vet as a child. I loved my cat and desperately wanted a dog. Unfortunately, with no fenced yard and no easy way to fence it that wasn't possible. So instead I played with every dog I came across. In high school, when I was getting more serious about making college and career decisions I began working in a small animal veterinary clinic in my hometown. I started there doing very menial tasks: mopping floors, cleaning cages, filing charts and the best part, walking dogs. I loved that hour or so in the day where I got to spend time with all the different personalities of dogs. As boring as most of that job was I was still determined that I would go to veterinary school.
In order to get into veterinary school you must first complete a certain level of pre-veterinary courses, mostly science and math. For most students this means earning a bachelors degree first. A small number of students manage to get all of these courses done in 3 years and are eligible to apply for veterinary school without the bachelors degree. And the bachelors degree does not have to be in a science. I went to veterinary school with students from a variety of backgrounds including some with graphic arts, French, English and sociology degrees.
I personally chose to pursue a bachelors degree in Biochemistry because I really loved my science classes. I attended a small liberal arts college in Boston called Simmons College. While there I was fortunate to work in several active research labs and for a while I was pulled between continuing toward a veterinary degree or towards further education and a research career. I also continued to pursue opportunities to work with animals including volunteering in the live animal exhibits at the Boston Museum of Science and helping to oversee laboratory animal welfare at a large research institute in Boston.
I spent one summer doing both research science and working with a vet trying to make a decision. I found that, while I enjoyed the challenge of the research science, it was a very lonely place to work. While I do tend to be introverted I really like people and I miss it if I don't have regular contact with a variety of people. And that is what you get when you work in the veterinary field. No animal walks through that door without a person at the other end of that leash or carrying the carrier.
So I applied to veterinary schools. This process is similar to applying to college. I had to take the GRE test, fill out many forms, write a personal statement explaining why I would be a good candidate, and then I had to wait. It was a long 8 months before I started getting any response from any of the schools. Several of the schools requested an opportunity to meet me for an interview. So I did some traveling, some talking and some more waiting. In the meantime, I had graduated with my bachelors degree and was working as an assistant in a small animal clinic. This particular job was more interesting but I was always frustrated by not really understanding why I was being asked to provide the treatments I was giving. I was ready for vet school!
Finally, in April I was accepted to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. My fiance (at the time, now husband) packed up our apartment and relocated to St. Paul, MN. I started school that fall.
Veterinary school is a challenge. The first two years are spent learning a new language (all that new terminology!), some more basic science and lots about how the body works and what happens when something goes wrong. Or in the case of veterinary medicine, bodies, since we are taught dog, cat, horse, cow, pig, llama, bird, rabbit and several other species. There are a lot of similarities but each species is unique too. By the third year we were getting into specific discussions about diseases and how to diagnose and treat them. We were also beginning to learn how to do surgeries and other procedures. By the end of our third year they were ready to let us touch some actual patients! We spend a solid 14 months working along side our professors examining, diagnosing and treating patients. We spent time with specialists in emergency medicine, internal medicine, surgery, dermatology (skin), opthamology (eyes), and neurology (brain). We also learned about reproduction, genetics and how to interpret laboratory results (pathology). About half way through these 14 months we took a national board exam testing us on our ability to diagnose and treat the main species we might be faced with (dog, cat, horse, cow, pig, bird, pocket pet, llama).
clipart credit: Cliparguide.com
At the end of 4 long, hard years they gave us our diplomas and sent us out to be doctors. At this point we had some options. Most of my classmates and I started jobs in whatever practice we were most interested in: small animal, large animal, mixed practice. Some of my classmates went on to do an internship. This provided them with another year of intense practice while being closely mentored by a senior veterinarian, either at a university hospital or large speciality practice. Some of those then went on to pursue further training in the field of their choice and completed a residency. I have classmates that are now specialists in anesthesiolgy, opthamology, dermatology, emergency medicine, surgery and pathology. Some even went on to work in Public health, the military and industry. So many options for what to do with a veterinary degree.
I chose to go the route of a general practitioner. That means that 1 week after graduating from veterinary school I saw my first solo patient. It was a nerve wracking experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I have continued to learn so much in the 7 years since I graduated. I haven't always made the best decisions, I have been frustrated by the limitations finances sometimes place on us, and I have been saddened by the loss of wonderful patients that we just couldn't save. But I have met so many incredible, caring pet owners. Don't get me wrong, the pets are fantastic and I love seeing the wide variety of personalities and breeds. But it is the love and compassion of their owners that gives me hope and keeps me going.
It took 8 years of schooling, many years of volunteer work and after school jobs, and a large financial commitment to become a veterinarian. But at this point I wouldn't trade it for any other career.
