3 answers
Kimberlyn
Student
Semmes, Alabama
1
Question
Updated
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What social skills are valuable to be a veterinarian?
I don't like social interactions but I can tolerate it.
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3 answers
Jenna Phillips
Host and Busser
2
Answers
Fullerton, California
Updated
Jenna’s Answer
Empathy is one of the most important things for being a veterinarian. Many people are bringing their pets in for regular check-ups, but many owners are just scared & want to reassured that you care and their beloved pet is in good hands. Taking the time to explain what is going on and making sure the owners understand will go a long way.
Karin P.
Lecturer
376
Answers
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Updated
Karin’s Answer
I hear you, Kimberlyn,
I am sure the animals are lovely, but you'll have to talk to the owners too. On the other hand, the owners don't usually bite or scratch.
Joking aside, I think it's a phantastic job especially if you are good with animals, e.g. calming them down.
On the human side, you will have to deal with the whole variety of human emotions and interactions and complaints and deal with it. Empathy.
Everyone will find you too expensive. Some owners will be super happy if you saved their pet. Others will need time to grieve their pet. Some owners will need to be told that it's time because you can't do anything more. If you go into farm animals, the drama is probably less.
If you join a large practice with several vets, you might be the specialist for surgery and be in the operating theater all day. Like most fields, there is more than one way.
Good luck!
KP
I am sure the animals are lovely, but you'll have to talk to the owners too. On the other hand, the owners don't usually bite or scratch.
Joking aside, I think it's a phantastic job especially if you are good with animals, e.g. calming them down.
On the human side, you will have to deal with the whole variety of human emotions and interactions and complaints and deal with it. Empathy.
Everyone will find you too expensive. Some owners will be super happy if you saved their pet. Others will need time to grieve their pet. Some owners will need to be told that it's time because you can't do anything more. If you go into farm animals, the drama is probably less.
If you join a large practice with several vets, you might be the specialist for surgery and be in the operating theater all day. Like most fields, there is more than one way.
Good luck!
KP
Michael Holzhauser-Alberti
Veterinarian
31
Answers
Urbana, Illinois
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Thanks for your important question, Kimberlyn. To graduate from veterinary school we had to do a senior seminar paper that was presented in front of our peers and professors. One of my professors, in giving feed-back, said that he appreciated that I looked directly at people in the audience when I gave my presentation. Many years later, once I had met more people in the veterinary profession, I realized what the professor actually was saying was not so much about me. He was acknowledging that there were others in my class and perhaps in other classes he had taught that did not look at members of the audience when giving their presentations. He was known for providing a message to all veterinarians that bed-side manners and communication were super important to the ultimate success and creating satisfaction for yourself as a veterinarian.
(In terms of communication, there are probably several styles of interacting with an audience or channeling such interactions while still being an effective presenter, influenced by several factors including our own cultural background.) That being said, this memory evokes what is at the heart of what you are talking about.
Keeping the above in mind, I nevertheless want to offer a slightly different take on what a response to you could be. The main 'object' of your work as a veterinarian would be the animals. The animals do not speak, their behavior is not always clear to us, especially when something goes wrong, how could it? They're a different species from us. Most of the time, you will deal with domesticated animals that, yes, are used to being around humans, but we should never forget that domestication does not make them human. A dog or a cat may be a very loved family member, but they are not human. How could I not say that someone who may not like human social interactions is perhaps, for that very reason, a good match, not only for interacting with the animals, but understanding the reasons why a human - animal bond may be threatened, for example, by a pet's behavioral problem?
I always wanted to become a teacher. I have been told that it takes a socially outgoing individual that thrives on that type of interaction day in, day out. I realize that this did not fully correspond to where my talents lay, nor what I felt comfortable with, and I think it explains why I did not pursue teaching as a full-time job.
I think your question reflects emotional maturity because you recognize that some things you may never be able to or want to change. That being said, as we get older, the more we challenge ourselves to not only think outside the box, but also leave our comfort zone, the more we grow.
(In terms of communication, there are probably several styles of interacting with an audience or channeling such interactions while still being an effective presenter, influenced by several factors including our own cultural background.) That being said, this memory evokes what is at the heart of what you are talking about.
Keeping the above in mind, I nevertheless want to offer a slightly different take on what a response to you could be. The main 'object' of your work as a veterinarian would be the animals. The animals do not speak, their behavior is not always clear to us, especially when something goes wrong, how could it? They're a different species from us. Most of the time, you will deal with domesticated animals that, yes, are used to being around humans, but we should never forget that domestication does not make them human. A dog or a cat may be a very loved family member, but they are not human. How could I not say that someone who may not like human social interactions is perhaps, for that very reason, a good match, not only for interacting with the animals, but understanding the reasons why a human - animal bond may be threatened, for example, by a pet's behavioral problem?
I always wanted to become a teacher. I have been told that it takes a socially outgoing individual that thrives on that type of interaction day in, day out. I realize that this did not fully correspond to where my talents lay, nor what I felt comfortable with, and I think it explains why I did not pursue teaching as a full-time job.
I think your question reflects emotional maturity because you recognize that some things you may never be able to or want to change. That being said, as we get older, the more we challenge ourselves to not only think outside the box, but also leave our comfort zone, the more we grow.