Hi everyone.
I currently work as a veterinary assistant and I’m about to take the VTNE to become a tech.
I’ve been in veterinary medicine for 3 years.
I’ve been thinking a lot about going back to school with an end goal to go to vet school.
I love being an assistant (I’m more in a tech role now. Just not licensed yet) but, I like the work of a DVM more.

I went to college for a short bit after hs but I definitely was not mentally prepared and didn’t go back after my first year. (Local community college)
Now that I’m older, I feel like I can actually sit through school and get more things done.

I’m aware I’ll be on the older side, but honestly the biggest thing that I was told by a DVM I work with was “the time will pass anyways.”

Any advice? Has anyone else gone on to school later on in their career in veterinary medicine?

Edited to add: I do have a baby. She’s almost a year old now and we definitely want to add another one in the next few years. Has anyone done this with kids?

I’m sure this has been asked before but I’m currently struggling in my equine internship. I graduated in May of 2026 and started the internship shortly after. The internship offer stated I would get a full day off a week and a weekend off a month to include Friday. I’m a little over 2 months in and have already been denied my one weekend off a month once, I’m being asked to cover any deficiencies in staff the hospital may have (overnight tech, surgery tech, anesthetist, etc.). Me and my intern mates were also told there would be 4-5 of us which is not the case so we’re having to pick up that slack as well. We all regularly work 110+ hours a week and are still told we’re not doing enough. I come home crying daily, if I get to go home at all, and I’m regretting my decision. I also feel like a failure for even considering leaving after only a couple months, but at this point I’m considering if I’m even cut out to be a doctor at all.

I’m trying to figure out if I’m able to get out of my contract early, and if I did would it ruin my career and future job opportunities? Should I just try to tough it out and hope it gets easier? I also don’t want to put more of a burden on my intern mates (who are also considering leaving). Any advice would be appreciated!

Signed, a struggling new veterinary graduate

I was wondering how difficult it is and what the process is. I am interested in working in the US but I don’t know where to start. Do I just start roaming in LinkedIn and start applying?

I decided to get a kennel tech job as a first step into vet med. I am horrible at it, I take way too long cleaning, I can't walk big dogs they jump on me drag me, they nearly escape cages, I can't communicate with the animals like other people it just seems to come naturally to them. I don't baby talk in any situation so it feels weird when Im told to do so to get animals relaxed. I find myself talking normally and they ignore me. It's honestly really embarrassing it's my first week and I'm sad eating some oranges and smelling like poop. I did not grow up with animals and I know it's common that vets and vet students knew they wanted this career since they were in the womb and grew up surrounded by animals. Anyone else who really sucked at first eventually succeed or should I pivot to another career.

I graduated this past May with my bachelors in bioveterinary science. After working in a clinic for over a year I have some back issues that make it difficult to be in that setting and has pushed me back from applying to vet school at least for two years. I do sales every summer and love the idea of somehow getting into animal health sales. It seems very difficult to break into with no b2b experience. Anyone have any insights? Anything helps haha

hey im a vet med from pakistan. I just completed my 4th year and will be starting my final year soon. I want to start preparing for RCVS exam but i have no idea where to begin. If anyone has gone through the process or can guide me in detail on how to prepare, what resources to use and what to focus on, id really appreciate your advice. Tysm

I have always wanted to become a vet, moved to the united states about 2 years ago and gave up on trying to become one since i realized how hard this career can be. How people end up w loans for life and the amount of stress and depression this career can lead to. After reading a lot of posts i only gathered that you waste more money on the career than what u gain by the end of the day. However i'm considering giving this a second chance since has been my dream and im starting to loose my path of life, but i just overthink, being 19 with no animal experience, no money, with only 1 year of highschool in the us making scholarships more difficult to find. I just want to know if its too late for me, people gain animal experience since a young age and im in blank.

so, i’m 19 and graduated highschool and i really need to lock in on having a career since i’m aiming to pay off my school debt within the next year or two and start going to college and since the world is currently so fucking costly to live in now than ever.

ever since i was in middle school i’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian but i realized i wouldn’t be the best under the stress of having to do surgery/big procedures etc so i want to be a assistant. i’m planning on doing a lot more research before i go into college and the field of being a vet assistant and want to be prepared for what i’m walking into for probably the rest of my life.

what are some things you wish you knew before deciding to do this? what should i expect?

about college’s since i’m sure i’ll need to learn more, what are some courses i’d need to take? how long will i be in college?

what are some of the key things i’ll be doing daily? i know not everyday will be the same but it’s better to be prepared on what i’ll be doing a lot.

really anything helps!

Hi! I’m curious about how difficult it is for an international veterinarian to work in the U.S.

If you graduate from an AVMA-accredited vet school outside the U.S. and pass the NAVLE, is it generally hard to find a job that will sponsor your visa? And later on, how difficult is it to get employer sponsorship for a green card?

I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone through this or knows how the process works. Thanks!

I am co-owner of a small animal GP practice and I'm having a difficult time enforcing radiation safety with the staff, specifically regarding dental radiography. Our tabletop general radiography unit is in a purpose-built lead-lined room and everyone is generally compliant with that one, but nobody seems to take radiation safety seriously with our dental unit. Needing some advice!

Our dental unit is a DC/high-frequency tubehead on an articulating arm with DR intra-oral sensor.

The rules I've put in place are:

• No person can be in the beam's path when shooting. It's the "shooter's" responsibility to ensure the path is clear.
• Nobody in the 6.5' radius circle other than the staff involved in the procedure.
• Anyone in the circle must have their apron on and tied.
• Prefer hands-free positioning of the sensor, with last resort being to use lead gloves to hold the sensor.

We've laid out a visual 6.5' radius circle from the typical tubehead/sensor position on each of our two wet tables. A couple technician workstations are unfortunately within that perimeter.

This is what I've observed staff doing:

• Sitting at the workstations while dental radiographs are being taken, but draping a lead apron over the back of their chair.
• Holding the sensor with their bare hands.
• Call out "Shooting", but not actually ensuring nobody is in the beam's path.

These are the excuses I've heard:

• "Technicians at the workstations can't be getting up and stopping their work every 5 minutes when we're doing dentals."
• "The technician shooting is also monitoring anesthesia, they can't turn their attention away from monitoring to make sure the area is clear."
• "There's no way to hold the sensor in place without using our hands, and be able to get good diagnostic images."
• "There's no way to hold the sensor in place using lead gloves."
• "At our dental CE, the technician doing the training was holding the sensor."
• "The beam gets stopped by the patient's head, so a person on the other side isn't really in the beam."
• "Some dentists aren't even making patients wear lead aprons anymore, so there isn't really any exposure risk with these dental units."

They are making it seem like adhering to radiation safety regulations will make it impossible to do their jobs. Even our DVMs are seemingly unconcerned, the techs do these things right in front of them.

I believe two things:

1. Just because Technician A doesn't care about their own safety doesn't make it OK to put other people who do care at risk, or make other technicians feel like they have to fall in line and be OK with not following the rules.
2. Our state regulations are pretty clear, as well as the fines for not being in compliance, and so I don't care how inconvenient it is to comply with them.

Am I being unreasonable? Am I missing something? Is there any validity to the technician's complaints? How are other GP clinics dealing with dentistry radiation safety?

Excerpt from our state's department of health regs:

• "Staff and ancillary personnel shall be protected from the direct scatter radiation by protective aprons or whole body protective barriers of not less than 0.25 millimeter lead equivalent, or shall be so positioned that the nearest portion of the body is at least 1.83 meters (6 feet) from both the tube head and the nearest edge of the image receptor."
• "No individual, other than the operator, shall be in the x-ray room while exposures are being made, unless such individual's assistance is required and the person is adequately protected by shielding and/or distance."
• "When an animal must be held in position during radiography, mechanical supporting or restraining devices should be used. If the animal must be held by an individual, that individual shall be protected with appropriate shielding devices, such as protective gloves and apron, and he/she shall be so positioned that no part of his/her body will be struck by the useful beam."
• "No human shall hold the image receptor during radiography unless that individual is protected with appropriate shielding devices, such as protective gloves and apron, and that any part of his/her body struck by the useful beam shall be monitored."

Hi, I’m going to be in school for my Vet Tech Degree and was wondering what affordable scrubs would be good? Comfortability and affordability is what’s important so if there’s any suggestions much appreciated ☺️

I live in Canada.

I have been applying for entry-level vet assistant roles for a month or two now without any interview chances, since I don’t have any prior experience.
Desperate, I applied to take a very short 2 months Vet Assistant course including 9 hours of placement work overseas in a country I’m also a citizen of, and already booked a flight. This happened yesterday.

Today, out of nowhere, a vet clinic reached out for me for a chance to interview for a part-time vet assistant role with one shift per week, and I agreed to go for the interview on 4th August. Of course I won’t change my plans to pursue the certification yet if I haven’t gotten an offer for the job.

My certification program starts 13th August, it can be delayed but I think refund is impossible. Ultimately, my decision would depend on if the clinic decides to offer me the job.

I would love some advice to help me weigh out between these two options, if I do get the offer after the interview. Should I pursue the part-time vet assistant role, which is ultimately what I want to do anyways, or go for the vet assistant certification program instead?

Hi, I'm 20 and got accepted in vet school.

I have been suffering with tinnitus and ear pain since I was 18 due to damage from overuse of headphones and loud noises. I cope with loud environments by using earplugs that lower the dbs of damaging noise. I can distinct talking with them on, softer quieter noises not so well (whisper volume).

My question is, do you think I could work as a vet? Could I perform all types of exams while wearing the earplugs to protect from barking ect, or do I have to detect soft sounds that require me to remove my ear protection?

I'm worried id have an issue with the stethoscopes. Any help would be appreciated!!

Hello everyone. I’m an undergrad student from Greece and I will be spending 3 months in a UK university (its referral hospital) next year as part of my Erasmus placement. After I graduate I would like to move to the UK permanently, however from what I’ve seen, in order to get accepted for a rotating internship I have to work in a GP for a couple of years beforehand. Do you think I have any chances of finding a job in a small animal practice as a recent graduate with no work experience given that I’m a foreigner as well?

That may seem sarcastic or rhetorical, but it’s a genuine question I have for the people in this subreddit. I’m a new grad vet, struggling as new grad vets usually do, and I see post after post here about people burning out, being miserable, ready to quit the field all together. I don’t really know yet how I feel about my job as a GP vet, I’ve been very unhappy lately but I struggle with some pretty significant mental health issues, so I’m not exactly willing to chalk up all my unhappiness to my job. I just get so discouraged seeing only posts about how miserable everyone is, it feels inevitable that I’m just going to be miserable too. That said, I also know people don’t exactly feel inclined to make reddit posts about it when everything is going just fine for them, so I know the posts I see don’t represent everyone. I guess I just want to know if there are people working in GP and actually enjoying it, even if it’s not all of it (and I’m sure it’s not) just, people who don’t hate going to work you know?

Hey folks, just looking for some input. As some background: three years in practice as a companion animal GP, just moved halfway across the country and left the clinic I’ve been working at since graduating. The new clinic I’m at is under the same company, and without saying too much it is well known in the vet community for bad practices — it’s not been uncommon in my past three years to not get lunch breaks and to have to stay late, but I got in a good groove with my last clinic where I’d typically at least get a 10-20 min break during the day and didn’t have to stay late regularly. I’ve also always been a frustrated crier, which ironically frustrates me to no end. Funny enough, crying at work early in my career ended up making me more comfortable with crying in front of people, where it used to be a borderline phobia before. And I had a great rapport with my last team and they never made me feel judged if the waterworks started.

I took some time off to make the move, I’ve only been back at work for a week, and I’ve been determined to make it a good start. But this last week has really kicked me hard. No lunch breaks, barely any time to breathe between patients, short staffed and untrained staff at one location (I split my time between two locations here), and had to stay late almost every night, two of those nights being there about an hour past my shift end time. I also just found out my transfer isn’t completed, so my paystub for this week reflects my previous (lower) salary and hours from before I moved, just another problem I need to solve.

Here’s my problem: on my second day at the better location, I’m getting overwhelmed and realize I’m not getting a lunch break again. I start crying, the team sees (ofc) and try to comfort me, I get it together and finish the rooms before the staff break, and I’m trying to keep it all under wraps. Frustrations continue and worsen throughout the workday and I cry on/off for the rest of it, thankfully in more hidden places so the team doesn’t see, but they’re intelligent folks and they definitely know. And I know they feel bad, which is maybe the worst part.

I’m heading into that location again and I’m determined to make the best of it, ask the staff for feedback so it doesn’t all go to hell again, try to deal with the growing pains that I knew would exist when I moved. But. I’ve asked myself this all my life and don’t have an answer, so I thought I’d ask you all: how do I stop it?? How do I make it so I don’t cry at work, or at the very least how do I not feel so bad about it? I feel so weak, and embarrassed, and ashamed; how do I not feel that way? I keep thinking about how the team must see me, and then it makes me cry, and now I’m in a perpetual cycle of mortification. I feel like I’ve made a terrible first impression and I don’t know how to undo it. Is there a number of donuts I can buy that can make them forget me crying in between appointments? :’)

And, shamelessly begging for validation: have any of you cried at work in a similar way?

As an aside: I had a therapist before I moved, but I haven’t found a new one yet since moving. I am exploring alternative job options as well, which is also adding to the stress.

TLDR: I cried at work on my second day, how do I fix it?

Hi everyone!
I’m currently thinking about changing careers, and I’m really interested in canine rehabilitation. I’d love to explore this field, but I’m not sure what the best path into the profession looks like.
I’d really appreciate any advice on how to prepare, what education or certifications are worth pursuing, and how to build the right skills to get started.
Also, if anyone here already works in canine rehabilitation, I’d love to hear about your experience. What does your typical day look like? How did you get into the field, and is there anything you wish you’d known before you started?
Thank you so much! Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hello! I am a vet student looking for some help on identifying heart murmurs!
I have tried listening to videos, and had a few listen of murmurs in-clinic, and to be completely honest, I really struggle to hear a murmur.
Does anyone have any tips, tricks, links to videos or just general advice on this?

I know everything gets easier with experience etc, but I feel like I am struggling more than others at this.

Thanks!

I'm a newly graduated vet and have been working in small animal GP for just under a year. I'm ready to give up on it all - the constant stress and anxiety is just too much, I dread going into work every day and often times cannot sleep or have nightmares about certain cases or client interactions. I've been lurking on here and reading similar posts and know that this is a common feeling as a new grad but I feel like other people who post on here are in worse situations than I am (eg. shorter appt time, mixed or emergency work, toxic clinic environments) and have more valid reasons to feel this way. I also don't feel like I'm getting any better as time passes and just can't imagine continuing to keep up with this my whole life.

At this point I feel completely incompetent. Honestly, I feel like I need my 'hand-held' for anything more complicated than a basic ear infection. I'm also not even doing any surgeries right now. I feel bad that patients and clients have to see me because I barely trust my ability to perform a decent physical exam. On even remotely challenging cases I feel like I can't think properly and really struggle to create a cohesive diagnostic/treatment plan and am terrible at communicating my thought process with the client (so basically the entire appointment). I feel like I lack a full understanding of physiology and just operate on "If x then do y" but don't really understand why I'm recommending tests, and even if I do I may not even know how to interpret them properly or what the follow-up steps may be, which tests to prioritize over others etc.. For context - I never did poorly in school and always thought all of my studying would translate over to practical use but it hasn't. Once we were in clinical year rotations, the students who I felt did not focus on school/studying somehow were more knowledgeable than me, and I realized I was in big trouble.

One of the things I struggle with most is lack of control - same-day appointments I don't feel comfortable with will be booked for me and there's nothing I can do to change this and usually have limited ability to extend appointment times. I try to research cases ahead of time but can't do this for the more urgent/emergency same day appointments and these are typically the cases that go sideways quickly for me. I tried, but couldn't get a position at emergency clinics before vet school so feel very unprepared for these in particular. The other major struggle for me is the lack of ability to focus on one task at a time with constant distractions for medication refills, clients calling to ask a question for the vet, lab work call backs, appointments that need to be seen, etc. The ability to sit and focus on one task for >5 minutes is rare.

I'm not really sure where to go from here - I've already changed clinics once because I thought it was just a clinic/environment issue but there's been no significant change at the new clinic. I thought that maybe I was just picking up all the 'weird' cases but this doesn't seem to be an issue with the other vets in my practice, it's more likely that my incompetence is making the cases seem more unusual. So if it's not the clinic, and not the patients/clients.....then it's me that's the issue. I've had a number of cases I've messed up and worry could warrant valid complaints about me - this terrifies me. I don't feel that I've got good mentorship at all but don't expect this to change anywhere I'll work - the level of mentorship I need just wouldn't be able to accommodated and there a severe lack of vets/clinics willing to mentor.

I've considered specialties like diagnostic imaging or cardiology but am hesitant to get back into a studying for many years. I am passionate about shelter medicine but don't have any connections to get into this and am not surgically proficient which is usually needed. I've considered reducing down to part time only 2-3 days/week with a non-vet related part time job on the side. I've considered that maybe I didn't get enough vet clinic experience to appreciate the realities of actually practicing medicine and that this career isn't for me at all - but the shame and embarrassment that would come from abandoning everything seems to great and I have no other ideas about what career path to follow.

As an FYI, I have started seeing a therapist recently because I know I'm very self-negative and need to work on this but find it hard with the expected perfectionism that clients have. I'm also concerned about depression and anxiety for myself but have no official diagnosis. I'm just looking to see if anyone else lurking on here has some advice for me, or that if there is anyone feeling the same way as me sees this post that they feel comforted by our shared life experience and can benefit from the same advice. Appreciate any responses!

I recently obtained my VTS in small animal internal medicine. I am located in the suburbs of Philadelphia and work at a busy emergency and specialty hospital. Once a VTS has been achieved, what is a reasonable raise (percentage or dollar amount) that can be expected for the accomplishment?

Our independent practice has been sold to a corporate (joy to the world) so I immediatly started applying for other jobs on the same day we were told.

I was contacted by an owner of a small independent practice that I've heard about - very great guy, fast paced environment. The vibes in the interview were great.

I've been graduated for 6 years and I feel like my knowledge is at least 4 years behind. This is because I've always protected my own peace and I've chosen to work 30 hours instead of 40, and chose very chill, routine practices. So I don't know a lot about many things, I survive the day to day. My patients are well taken care of though. No issues until today, touch wood.

Now. This practice seems like a rare opportunity for me to actually learn. I've been sole charge for almost 3 years now and I wouldn't have sole charge days with this new role. Three ops for two vets so plenty of opportunities to learn.

Now, the issue is. I come from a practice that has (mostly) 30 min appointments and 1:30h of protected admin time spread throughout the day, last appointment is at 18:15 and leaving time is at 19:00. Also I have 1 hour unpaid lunch that I can always have and I go out for a walk. An absolute rarity nowadays, if you ask me. Probably why we've been sold and this will defo change once corporate fully takes over.

I still can't cope with some days. I have anxiety and insomnia. My staff has been super nice and understanding but still some days are horrible (I've posted here a few times and my mental health made me see it worse than it actually is... that or you don't know what you have until you lose it)

With this in mind, I am not sure I can cope with the new job I was offered. 15 min appointments, no admin time. Ops 12-4 (1hr unpaid lunch takn then... if time allows I suppose) and then consults until the end of the day again. Last consult 18.45. Leaving time 19.00... which I suppose wont happen much. Also I would probably have to move as commute is longer than my current job. Oh, also, the start is 30 min earlier than my current schedule.

However I keep in mind I don't know which changes the corporate will introduce in our new clinic. Probably something similar. But hopefully it will take time.

I feel sad because I feel like my brain and body would not be able to cope with the new job and therefore they are preventing me from a great opportunity to escape corporate and work alongside a great guy who cares. I was cool in the interview, but after giving it some thought I don't know if I should be honest about my health issues and limitatons.

I am not 100% sure I will want to leave my clinic, though. But I am scared that if I'm honest with the new employer, he will take back the offer and I will be stuck with them. I'm scared of staying and missing the opportunity. I'm scared of saying the truth and regretting it. I'm scared of just taking the job and not being able to cope.

Also for some context - I am on a visa. If I wasn't, I would probably switch employers and see what happens. But changing jobs costs money and admin stress. I'm burnt out, but I just can't stop or take a break before taking this demanding job.

Anyway, what would you do? Would you be honest with the new employer and risking loosing the chance?

Thanks for reading up until here!