Commentary on "High Debt and Falling Demand Trap New Vets"

A fellow blogger (Claws Paws and Scales) just posted this article, titled High Debt and Falling Demand Trap New Vets.

“I have said it over and over to myself and friends, ‘This is as close to predatory lending as anything I’ve ever seen,’ ” Dr. Wilson continues. “The only reason it’s not a high-profile crime in 2013 is because income-based repayment and pay as you earn have postponed the reality and pain for 20 to 30 years.”

What Dr. Wilson learned long ago is that it is hard to talk anyone out of vet school. Many students, like Dr. Schafer, set their hearts on the job at an early age. If you are doing what you have always wanted, and you find it fulfilling, the numbers don’t seem relevant. At least initially.

“It comes down to this,” Dr. Schafer says. “Is there anything else I’d be happy doing? No. Is there any way around paying off the loans? No. So, what the heck? A lot of it is just trying to put it out of your mind and maybe it’ll disappear.”

Aaaah, so why was Bewildermunster able to change her mind about going to vet school? Well. I have many loves, and veterinary medicine was not the only thing. I love nature, animals (not just domestic ones!), art, traveling, science, and my family. And yes, I love Doom. If I were to go to vet school, not only would I be trapping myself into lifelong debt, but I would be trapping Doom and any children I choose to have as well. Personally, I can't do it.  It frightened me. And I have to think down to the 'bear necessities' and realize what I want in my life. I would NEVER do anything just for a title. I wouldn't ever endanger my family just to be called 'doctor'. I want to be happy, I want to have a home, and some animals, and maybe a kid. I want to travel, I want to work with my hands, and preferably I'd like to do something science related. Can I do all these things without going to vet school? Yes, and I feel like I'm more likely to do them.
I wouldn't criticize anyone else who is or has chosen to go to vet school, but I do feel like the profession needs to be better informed. I'm glad I did my research. Cause the statistics on the BLS website aren't necessarily true, and the idea that there is a shortage of veterinarians is a lie. What we are in a shortage of is clients seeking veterinary services. But you can't force a client to pay.
I am more at peace with my decision now. In another time, another economy, sure, I may have become "Dr. Bewildermunster, DVM", but not today. And that's okay. I just want happiness, and a life full of love and beautiful experiences.

The door's wide open

I can't say for certain yet, but I'm pretty sure at this point that I want to pursue a masters in biology, instead of going to vet school. There are many reasons behind it, mostly concerning what kind of life I want to have, and my interests. I guess, after working at the animal hospital, I could see that small animal isn't for me. And considering small animal medicine is like 80% of the profession, I didn't want to risk being 'stuck' doing something I didn't enjoy, especially after 8+ years of education and an accumulation of ~$140,000  worth of debt. Doom and I aren't overly ambitious with our lives, we both just want somewhere that we can live (with trees, and seasons, and for Doom: internet) and maybe have a kid (waaaay down the road, lol).
I still love biology, and animals, and I know I can have that and more without a DVM. I think I'll enjoy research, the idea of being in a laboratory appeals to me.
So... there it is. I don't know where my sudden decisiveness came from, but I've been pondering the question, on the fence, unsure. I feel better about my future now, even if nothing's certain yet.
I may apply this winter for admission to the fall of 2014, I may not. We'll see. The door's wide open.

I wrote about being unsure previously, with links to articles here.

A euthanasia experience: in a room with the family

I just wanted to update an experience that was quite unexpected! I got to go into a room with the doctor and a family for a euthanasia. The family must've come to terms with the whole ordeal (medium sized dog seemed to be very old and possibly in a lot of pain) so they didn't cry, which is good because if they had cried I certainly would have. It was a smooth process, and I really think its fortunate that we do this for animals, rather than prolonging suffering. This was my 3rd time watching this procedure, so I'm glad I am not as fragile as I sometimes think.
I would write more but I have a cold or something and my nose is runny and my head is stuffy and my nose is burning and and and... yeah. I need to go take some meds...

Heart of Gold

Working at a veterinary hospital in the kennels, I must say I receive little information on what is happening with patients. And even rarer still do I get to see a case from start to finish, but today I (mostly) did. A golden retriever came in, she wasn't old and nothing was obviously wrong with her except she couldn't really stand, like she was too tired to even get up. She ended up dying while they were in the process of diagnosing her (x-rays, bloodwork, etc.) After that, the owners elected to do a necropsy, which I heard that the doctor on duty didn't like to perform, not because it was uncomfortable or anything, but simply because she felt as if she rarely found answers when she performed them. And so it was. After opening her up and examining her, nothing was found. I was extremely curious so this was a letdown, but this is the first time I had seen the inside of a dog so I was rather intrigued about the necropsy process.

A fading heartbeat

Just wanted to share a new veterinary experience...

Random puppy; not the patient.

Today for the first time I got asked to hold a dog for a euthanasia, and I'm so glad it was the tech who did it, she admitted she might get emotional which made me feel better.  At first I hesitated, but I ended up thanking her afterwards, I hadn't experienced this yet and I feel like I needed it. She seemed to have a lot of compassion for this little dog who was had liver failure and pancreatitis. It was a little terrier thing, and as I held its warm little body I could feel its heart beat. The pink liquid entered its system, and soon its heart beat faded into a stillness. I didn't cry, it is a somewhat numb feeling when you don't know the animal. I just have to trust that it was for the best, its suffering had ended.
It was a good reminder of how real veterinary medicine is. As a biology student, these situations are theoretical... but to step off of campus and to see it in person is something entirely different. 

The best laid plans of mice and men... (Looking into the future of vet med)

In recent months, I've explored other aspects of the veterinary profession besides what they do, and I can say that what I've found is depressing. It already seems nearly impossible to get in to vet school, and on top of that you throw in the fact that after you graduate, you may not have a job?! More vet schools are starting up, which sounds good for a prospective veterinary student, but when I read what others (fellow bloggers, veterinary news articles, etc.) I realize that new vet schools are just adding to the problem of too many vets, not enough work, not enough money. I'm terrified for me and for Doom... He trusts me enough to say he'll follow me wherever I go, with whatever I'll do, but that just places more responsibility on my shoulders. I don't want to drag him down. I've read that an appropriate amount of school debt should be as much as your starting salary after graduation, but with vet students graduating on average with ~140,000+ in debt, with starting salaries of ~60,000, I must say I'm scared! And I don't think I'm overreacting either.
I'm reaching the point of my life where there is no one that can say, "Just do this and this and that, and you'll be fine." I have to make decisions on my own, do my own research, pick the path of my own future.
Right now, I've got a plan, but you know what they say, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
This semester, I've made the decision to apply the summer of my senior year instead of this upcoming summer (of junior year) which means I'll be adding another 2 semesters of classes while I apply. I'm hoping this will give me more time to take some good, upper-division bio classes, as well as raise my GPA and hopefully get into some research! But it was a scary decision to make. I'm a pretty indecisive person to begin with, but now that I feel like each decision will haunt me for the rest of my adult life... I can barely think straight.
My friends are encouraging and supportive of course, but somehow, when it comes to your own future, "Follow your dreams" doesn't sound like a good enough answer. But since I don't have a crystal ball, to some extent I do just have to close my eyes and leap...

Some insightful links...

• Veterinary student debt continues to climb

• More vets in Alaska?

• An economists opinion on the veterinary profession

And related blogs that I follow...

• From Dr. Bern's blog...
• Dr. M's blog...

And I found this since I'm interested in large animals...

• No luck for large animal vets too?

Halfway through Fall 2012?!?!

I can't believe this semester is just about halfway over already! Time flies, which mean the stress of finals is steadily approaching. I'm hanging in there as far as my classes go, but I really need to remain focused or it can just as easily slip out of my fingers.
Shadowing has been going good, I'm slowly learning more about small-animal-hospital life. I've seen a couple surgeries now, but mostly just routine stuff comes in when I'm there.
I've been thinking more and more about my plans for the future, which includes doing some more research on schools (I envy those pre-med students with the hundreds of school choices...), realizing what I need to do academically to prepare, and scheduling an appointment with my pre-professional adviser to finally hammer out what I really want to do next year (do I want to apply? do I want to wait?)  As far as schools are concerned, I've felt some pressure to look for schools with lower tuition rates, because although I'm naive and don't know much about debt and such, I want to try and be as responsible as possible for me and my boyfriend. Unluckily for me, unless I get accepted into the WICHE program (which will pay for the difference for the out-of-state and in-state tuitions at some of the universities here in the western US) all the schools seem to be really expensive.
Besides all that, I've got a watercolor painting that's been sitting in my room for a couple of weeks, but I don't think I'll have time to complete it for quite a while! Ah, college life. I'm already regretting the time used to write this post, so I'm gonna go study now.

Are all hospitals this crazy?!

Work... what can I say? Things have been ridiculous at the hospital and it is a combination of overworked techs, a new doctor with confidence issues, and general hostility and drama with everyone else. I'm sooo tired of being angry... this is the place I work and shadow at, why is it so unprofessional?! I'll feel better after a few days, but for now, I'm stressed and tired and ready to just go off. There was an emergency today, which isn't a big deal except we all got yelled at for not knowing where things are... like where vials of drugs are and where needles are and where oxygen masks are... Kennel staff aren't trained to know where this stuff is. I got to see this doctor (just graduated) panic because she couldn't handle the situation. When the other doctor came in later though, things got fixed and everything was fine (for the dog). Then on top of this I've got a coworker trying to say that since he's got the most experience, that he's in charge of us. Umm... I've been working here 3 months and I've never heard this.
So, yeah... starting to wonder... are all animal hospitals like this?! 

First time shadowing

Last weekend I worked up the courage to ask the head doctor at the hospital I work at if I could come in and shadow during the week, and he said yes! I didn't expect him to say no, really, but still it was a frightening thing to ask. So I came in Thursday morning. When I got there, there was only one tech and the Doctor, who I shall call Dr. Stork. I haven't worked closely with this tech or Dr. Stork before but I quickly learned it wasn't all that bad. Everyone was willing to explain things to me, even if I felt incompetent cause I had a hard time getting their heart and respiration rates by the end of the day! (Multitasking is something I've never been good at.)
Dr. Stork gave me the 'lecture' when I first got there, explaining how difficult it is to get into the veterinary profession (he said you needed a 3.5 to even really have a shot... I'm working on it, I swear! I'm currently at a 3.37) and he told me his journey to vet school, working ridiculous hours for no pay, etc. It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before, but it was interesting to hear his personal story.
Of course it got me thinking about my own ability to do this... Part of me feels like I'm in too deep to turn back now... but I know I don't really want to turn back. I realize I've chosen a difficult path, a path that doesn't necessarily end in wealth and health,  but I'm holding out that it will at least end in happiness, a sense of fulfillment and the chance to work with science and animals for the rest of my life. But with this stepping stone, I feel more prepared than ever to carve my way into the veterinary profession. Although, I am regretful that it will be difficult to get experience working with large animals... The more I see the small animal side of the profession, the more I want to experience the large animal side. I can see myself doing large animal work more than small animal work at this point, but of course it's impossible to say without trying everything out first. But for now, I'll take what I can get.
So by the end of that morning I had about how they anesthetize an animal for surgery (pre-medication, induction agents, gas for maintenance), I got to see the ear drum of a dog, and about the whole respiration/heart rates. It was a slow morning and only a couple of dentals were there but I thought it was a good first day.
I'll be coming back every Thursday so I'm looking forward to this being a very informative adventure!

A trip to the natue sanctuary...

So we have a nature sanctuary and my pre-vet club organized a volunteer day. 3 of us showed up, but hey we're a small group so we'll take what we can get! We cleaned goat poop, llama poop and duck poop and organized bird cages. It was AWESOME being around all of these animals, the people were friendly and I will definitely be going back.
My favorite was the goats, they are like dogs! They're adorable and friendly! I want one. :)

I was amazed at the diversity of animals here, there were all kinds of parrots and cockatiels, parakeets, even a magpie! Some birds I've never even seen before. They had goats, llamas, emus, ostriches, a donkey, mini horses.

Baby steps into the veterinary world...

Today at work was the first day I really helped out in the treatment area! They often ask for help from my coworkers who have been there longer (and therefore are more helpful than me), but today I actually helped out a few times! I still feel bad when I don't do something correctly (like hold the dog a certain way) but at least a few people are patient enough that my clumsiness isn't as horrible. I helped a tech put a dog under for a teeth cleaning, and I helped hold a dog for an ultrasound, and I got to watch a tooth get extracted! Pretty neat stuff. So, this is post is just to say: baby steps, baby steps, baby steps! (as my physics lab TA likes to say!)