2 answers
Mahagonie
Student
Riverdale, Georgia
2
Questions
Asked
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What are the important skills that a veterinarian should have?
I want to become a veterinarian in the nearing future, so what are the important skills that a veterinarian should have?
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2 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1738
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
As a long-term client, here is my perspective:
1. If you plan to run your own business, you will need to know how to do that, or be able to hire someone to run it for you - there will be all sorts of laws and regulations you will need to comply with - how to dispose of dead animals, labor laws, municipal ordinances, etc
2. ability to interact with animals. surprisingly, I once had a vet who failed to even talk to my dog before trying to pet it, and that did not work out well for him!
3. ability to take complex medical knowledge and relate it to people in a lay-person way, without talking down to them
4. COMPASSION! You will be the one who is standing there when someone decides to put down an animal when they cannot afford treatment options, or simply because the animal has reached the end of its life.
5. ability to retain staff. A vet I know is always hiring, because, well, he's not easy to work for!
6. good hand-eye coordination, to be able to operate
7. Physically fit. You will need to be able to lift heavy animals, get down on the floor/ground, etc.
8. Ability to stay current in your field - attend seminars, interact with other vets, etc
I'm sure others will have more to offer, I hope this at least helps get you started. . . thanks for your interest in wanting to be a vet!! I would add, keep in mind that there are many vets who specialize - eye doctors, orthopedics, cancer treatment, etc. and I really appreciate these specialists as well!
1. If you plan to run your own business, you will need to know how to do that, or be able to hire someone to run it for you - there will be all sorts of laws and regulations you will need to comply with - how to dispose of dead animals, labor laws, municipal ordinances, etc
2. ability to interact with animals. surprisingly, I once had a vet who failed to even talk to my dog before trying to pet it, and that did not work out well for him!
3. ability to take complex medical knowledge and relate it to people in a lay-person way, without talking down to them
4. COMPASSION! You will be the one who is standing there when someone decides to put down an animal when they cannot afford treatment options, or simply because the animal has reached the end of its life.
5. ability to retain staff. A vet I know is always hiring, because, well, he's not easy to work for!
6. good hand-eye coordination, to be able to operate
7. Physically fit. You will need to be able to lift heavy animals, get down on the floor/ground, etc.
8. Ability to stay current in your field - attend seminars, interact with other vets, etc
I'm sure others will have more to offer, I hope this at least helps get you started. . . thanks for your interest in wanting to be a vet!! I would add, keep in mind that there are many vets who specialize - eye doctors, orthopedics, cancer treatment, etc. and I really appreciate these specialists as well!
Michael Holzhauser-Alberti
Veterinarian
31
Answers
Urbana, Illinois
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Mahagonie,
Thanks for your question. I feel Ms. Igleheart's answer is really complete. If I may offer a slightly different, I hope complementary, approach to answering your question. I recently listened to a recorded presentation, a sort of video podcast, that made an important point about veterinarians: That the future of the profession lies in its ability to attract individuals with a diverse background.
It makes me think that when I went to school, it was kind of the beginning of using alternatives to vivisection. These alternatives have become much more sophisticated and the percentage of vet students that opt into them is increasing as all awhile veterinary schools and veterinary associations have been welcoming them (the alternatives and the students that opt in!)
It also makes me think that there was a great colleague of mine who wasn't terribly good at venipuncture, which is taking blood from an animal's vein, in order to run tests. The colleague wasn't very coordinated, but you know what? That person needed to do it well enough, but later in private practice, somebody else, a great technician, would do it. So you may not acquire all skills listed to the same high level; it doesn't prevent you from becoming and leading the life of a great veterinarian.
So, do you. It may sound scary to do you and expect a veterinary school to look at that, accept you on that basis, and allow you to complete the requirements of its curriculum and then pass the state board exams. And yet it is vital that you go into this long process of becoming a veterinarian with open eyes. Build the most robust self you can; be a good test taker. Do something on the side that allows you to build yourself as a person. In private practice, clients are not always easy to handle (as they may be facing losing their animal family member) and morally it can get you down, too. You prepare for that.
How diverse you are and enter the field may also allow you to contribute more and, in case this is something you might want to do, pivot into other fields in veterinary medicine. Some people do private practice for a few years and then they transition into being a public practice veterinarian, working in, for example, oversight of live animals on farms. The more you are aware of such a career transition that many of us veterinarians consider at some point, well, the better prepared you will be, the more you will think about it at the very start of your career.
Thanks for your question. I feel Ms. Igleheart's answer is really complete. If I may offer a slightly different, I hope complementary, approach to answering your question. I recently listened to a recorded presentation, a sort of video podcast, that made an important point about veterinarians: That the future of the profession lies in its ability to attract individuals with a diverse background.
It makes me think that when I went to school, it was kind of the beginning of using alternatives to vivisection. These alternatives have become much more sophisticated and the percentage of vet students that opt into them is increasing as all awhile veterinary schools and veterinary associations have been welcoming them (the alternatives and the students that opt in!)
It also makes me think that there was a great colleague of mine who wasn't terribly good at venipuncture, which is taking blood from an animal's vein, in order to run tests. The colleague wasn't very coordinated, but you know what? That person needed to do it well enough, but later in private practice, somebody else, a great technician, would do it. So you may not acquire all skills listed to the same high level; it doesn't prevent you from becoming and leading the life of a great veterinarian.
So, do you. It may sound scary to do you and expect a veterinary school to look at that, accept you on that basis, and allow you to complete the requirements of its curriculum and then pass the state board exams. And yet it is vital that you go into this long process of becoming a veterinarian with open eyes. Build the most robust self you can; be a good test taker. Do something on the side that allows you to build yourself as a person. In private practice, clients are not always easy to handle (as they may be facing losing their animal family member) and morally it can get you down, too. You prepare for that.
How diverse you are and enter the field may also allow you to contribute more and, in case this is something you might want to do, pivot into other fields in veterinary medicine. Some people do private practice for a few years and then they transition into being a public practice veterinarian, working in, for example, oversight of live animals on farms. The more you are aware of such a career transition that many of us veterinarians consider at some point, well, the better prepared you will be, the more you will think about it at the very start of your career.