Becoming a vet...

[Cigaro]

What exactly is involved? How long does it take and is it a viable career path?

Just wondering.

Cheers

[powelly]

I wanted to do this and actually worked part time at a vets when I was a teenager, this info may be a bit out of date but you will get the idea.

There are about 6 uni's in the UK where you can study veternary science, you need good a levels in match and science to get on the course, and it last for 6 years.

Once you a vet the money is not great, about £25k, you work weekends, get called out in the middle of the night and get covered in piss and shit on a regular basis.

Once you own your own practice its a licence to print money, but anywhere lower down the chain and the wage isnt that hot.

However all that said if I had been more academic I would have happily gone for it.
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Gilera Runner 50 > Suzuki SV650SY

[Ahmato_]

Powelly is more or less spot on here, except money wise, 20k is more or less what you start on, and it'll go up to about 65k depending on experiance.

How old are you, and what a-levels are you doing?

Veterinary, as with Dentistry and Medicine, is VERY competitive, so you will need at least an ABB at a-level, and two of those ideally sciences, however this /isn't/ necessary, as you can just get good a-level results and do a foundation year before Uni.

From what I recall Stinkwheel is a vet, perhaps try asking him? Also, try and do some work experience before you decide if its for you or not.


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SavageKymco wrote: lol yea yea, im just gettin food here, keep my strength up you know. all this killing takes a lot out of a guy Ha ha

[Cigaro]

I'm 19, and I only have A-level computing (First year) due to fucking up college.

[Ahmato_]

Sorry to be the one be break it to you, but that might not be good enough for the Universities.

Have a read through this, you might find it useful:

https://www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/index.cfm?pid=49&catalogueContentID=263&render=detailedArticle
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SavageKymco wrote: lol yea yea, im just gettin food here, keep my strength up you know. all this killing takes a lot out of a guy Ha ha

[Cigaro]

Yeah, I thought as much, but I believe one route is to do a foundation course to get the nessecary qualifications first.

Will check the link out later (at work now), cheers

[JonB]

This is just my opinion but if you are making a snap career decision at 19, Vet's and Doctors are probably the wrong ones, they involve a lot training and a lot of dedication.

Many doctors and vets have wanted to be in those professions since very young. In the experience I know of.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[powelly]

If you like the idea of being a vet, but are not up for it academically have you considered being a veterinary nurse?
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Gilera Runner 50 > Suzuki SV650SY

[Dragonfly]

That job would break my heart. Would be in tears if someones beloved pet died. Need to be tough for it.
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All the breast.
Muzza on Binge:
He's too busy beating the everloving shit out of Lizzie to notice this thread has taken a turn down Drama Avenue and stopped off at the popcorn shop.

[Cigaro]

I've not made any kind of decision just yet, but right now I'm a computer programmer (badly paid and bored) during the day, and at night I deliver Pizzas... there must be more to life than this.

Will look into the vet nurse thing. Thanks

[Shay HTFC]

[powelly]

[Dragonfly]

Probably would develop a thicker skin only say it would be hard at the start though. Maybe i'am just a big wuss for animals Worked in nursing homes where poeple died and didnt upset me as much as reading someones cat died.
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All the breast.
Muzza on Binge:
He's too busy beating the everloving shit out of Lizzie to notice this thread has taken a turn down Drama Avenue and stopped off at the popcorn shop.

[JonB]

If I hadn't decided a career path and became an academic I would trying my bloody hardest to be a train driver. Awesome job, if you are g33ky like me and like trains plus you are on £40k a year easily. Very competitive job though. But if my degree went tits up, i'd definately be trying.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[powelly]

[stinkwheel]

Academic stuff aside. You wont even get an interview if you haven't done shitloads of relevant work experience before you apply. There are limited places on the course, they want everyone who does it to be damned sure this is the job for them and to be totally committed to becoming a vet when they leave.

It's a five year course, except at Cambridge where they make everyone take an extra year studying an arts course (no, really. Between third and fourth year. You come out with two degrees at the end but wtf?).

Having made the grade academically, you have to show total drive and commitment to do this as your chosen career. Every year people apply with 4 A grades at A-level and are turned down flat because they haven't done any work experience. If you just make the grade and have done loads of work experience, you'll probably get an interview. I think the lowest grades in my year were ABB at A-level or AABBC at higher.

So, if you're serious. Write to the admissions secretaries at the vet schools and ask them what they require. If you aren't 100% sure that being a vet is the job you absolutely want to do above all else, don't bother wasting your time because for every person that applies, six are turned down. They only take the people who REALLY REALLY want to be a vet.

To give an example. I started writing to the vet schools when I was 13 for advice on which standard grades to study. I spent every school vacation working on farms, dog sanctuaries and going into the vets for bugger-all pay (literally, £0). I got 10 standard grades. AAAABB at higher and BB at CSYS level along with a handful of NVQs. I attended four open days at the vet schools. On my UCAS application I only applied for vet schools. I got two interviews and was offered a place at one conditional on my CSYS grades.

At vet school, I've never had to study so hard in my life, especially for finals. My vacations were spent doing even more work experience and seeing practice.

I've been working in mixed practice for seven years now. I earn £26k working a 1 in 3 on-call rota with 20 days annual leave.

You've GOT to want to do it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Cigaro]

[NSR Mick]

[Itchy]

[stinkwheel]

Yeah accountancy. Ever meet an accountant who was happy in his job?

There's more to life than money. I had the option to buy into the practice last year. Frankly not interested, I can live without the hassle.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[powelly]

[stinkwheel]

Maybe they were people who didn't really, really want to do it?

The other explanation I heard is that when a vet tries to top themself, they usually succeed. Remember, most people who attempt suicide don't actually manage so I wonder how those figures would read if they were related to attempted rather than actual suicides.

Vets are trained to carry out euthanasia and have drugs that are DESIGNED for killing things in a quick, painless fashion. If I ever decided to shuffle my mortal coil, there is a drug I could put 1ml of in a glass of orange juice. I'd be unconcious within 30seconds and brown-bread within 2 minutes. That's a very short cry for help. "Hello is that the Samaritans? I've just taken soomme... *THUMP*".
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[map]

Moving the topic sideways a little.

Any advice on becoming a vet nurse?

Would be useful to know as daughter is thinking of this and in her GCSE year. Thanks
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[stinkwheel]

Two routes. You can either go to college and train up or you can get a job at a vets as lay-staff and do on the job training with block release (some vets are registered training centres, others are not).

For what it's worth, the PDSA seem to turn out very good vet nurses and they get to do a lot more of the interesting stuff like minor surgery than in private practices.

Mind you, I don't know what they do to them at training college. You send them an enthusiastic and helpful member of lay-staff and get back a bitchy, stubborn, tempramental monster with permanant PMT.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.