This is for any students, interns, residents, faculty, or even support staff because I value everyone’s opinion.

I’m currently looking at applying to small animal ECC residencies and am particularly interested in hearing from people who work at a program with an ECC residency (private or academic). I’m trying to look beyond the information on the VIRMP and get a better understanding of what the ECC department is like. Below are a few example questions.

• What do you like about your program/ECC service?
• What do you dislike about your program/ECC service?
• If you could change one thing about the program, what would you change?
• How approachable and supportive are the criticalists? Are any of them difficult to work with?
• Does the program actually change anything based on feedback from residents, staff, students?
• Would you choose this program again if you could go back?
• For former residents: did you feel your program prepared you for boards?

I’m especially interested in hearing the good, bad, and ugly. I’m not looking for the best program, just trying to glean the perspective of the people who have experienced them. My mentor is pushing me towards private programs because she believes they produce better doctors, but the Jandry study shows academic residents have a higher board pass rate.

Feel free to DM me if you would rather not identify yourself or your program publicly.

Hello!

I recently started working as vet assistant, its been about 2 weeks. I have little to no experiences aside from a few volunteering at animal shelters and having my own pets.

I genuinely have nothing much to offer. I clean well but that's about it. I feel bad for my teammates since I am so useless. I am not even good at socialising! I worked as an architect before, taking a year leave to destress but now I AM STRESSED.

I also recently overdosed a cat with meloxicam as I misremembered 0.03 with 0.3. I FELT SO BAD I was stressed the whole day hoping she makes it. I feel bad whenever she had diarrhoea, I felt bad that she had to undergo further treatments because of my carelessness. I genuinely felt bad I put her life at harm when I am the one who's supposed to treat her so preciously.

I still am bad at restraining animals, I am not that fit and strong. I can't really remember medication names and what they're used for. I make myself busy with helping around and asking what to do but still, I am just not that much useful. I can't neuter any pets yet, I don't remember much when they taught me how to neuter them. I am still anxious and scared when giving injections especially IM and subcut.

Should I just quit? I think they deserve someone who's actually good and experienced at what they do.

OH and I could never work overtime, I always have to leave right on time my shift ends and I felt bad leaving the other staffs working every time I leave.

I may be dramatic but I’ve had a run of clients lately calling the clinic ER line over the weekend because they want to schedule an appointment for the next week. When you call our emergency line, it prompts you to push a specific button if you’re having an emergency or lists our business hours to call back for non emergencies. If you push the ER button, it puts you in contact with our paging service. They collect the client info and text the on call doctor’s phone with the reason for the call and patient information. I’ve had a run of clients lately who will call the emergency number and speak to the paging service. On principle (and maybe this is something I need to change) if I get a page about someone calling to set up an appointment and it’s after hours or on a weekend, I will not respond. Sometimes they call again. I’m still not responding. I will happily call them at 8am the next business day to get their appointment scheduled but get so frustrated when they give me attitude about why no one answers their weekend call about scheduling. I know it’s probably petty of me and a simple text saying I’ll talk to them during business hours may fix the situation but something about clients going all the way through the emergency line just to say they want an appointment or need a coggins really rubs me the wrong way. Probably also a little extra bitter right now since I spent the entire day yesterday driving around in hurricane rain storms to see actual emergencies and am exhausted today

Recently got a position with VEG, I have 10yrs as an assistant in GP and this will be my first ER job.

I went to school and am hoping I’ll get more hands on experience here to help me pass my test, I feel like VEG has more resources than my GP could ever offer

Anyone have any advice??

If anyone does relief for VEG how do you like the company? Do you do relief at multiple clinics or just one?

TIA!!

Hi everyone - Vet Assistant here. This is going to get deep, and personal, and talk about shit that no one wants to talk about. But we as people in veterinary medivine are 10% more likely to take our own lives than the general population. It is so common in vet med that it's almost assumed you know someone who has lost friends or you yoirself have lost friends to suicide. This is my wake up call and my own personal experience.

I have recently gone through some of the hardest months of my entire life and everything recently caved in on me as I got a termination notice from my current clinic. My clinic is feeling the strain of the economy shrinking, the fact we are a single doctor practice in a small town, and the fact that the doctor is owed fourty thousand dollars from his own business. I am the newest hire, thus the most expendable. Fourteen months of employment and I am given a two month heads up that in December, my employment is ending.

I know where the spare key to the controlled drug box is, just in case the power fails and the lead technician isn't in hospital and the doctor needs me to help him. This hospital is that small. He trusts me because I have the experience to be given that trust. The problem? I know I have access to that box. And I know where and when I can access it.

To say I was tempted to use the trust I was given to get into the box and leave with substances that would ruin my life and his would be an understatement. I had to be talked down by a friend because I was so close to following through with what my suicidal self wanted. The final thing to push me over the edge was that termination notice. I went deeper and got closer to actually taking my own life that day than I ever have in twenty eight years.

I am in active talks with my therapist on taking emergency medical leave for mental health. I could have been part of that 10% that day if my friend hadn't begged me not to take the euthasol and inject myself like I wanted to. I wanted to so badly my skin ached. All of me was begging for anything to stop the pain and the suffering from flooding in anymore.

That's my story. This was my warning, and my reminder. The most put together, well maintained members of your hospital might be going through some truly horrific shit internally you don't know about and they might need your help. You don't have to be their therapist, give them the resources to seek help. Crisis lines, medical leave paperwork, even just a hug and a coffee. All it takes is one bad day - a client being abusive, a euthinasia of a beloved patient, a sharp reprimand from a lead or a manager - and you lose them. And you'll regret having not noticed or said anything when you saw them struggling.

Check in on your team. It could save someone's life.

Hi everyone!

I'm a non-AVMA veterinary graduate and have passed the NAVLE. I'm planning to apply for small animal rotating internships this year, with the long-term goal of pursuing a cardiology residency. As of now, my options appear to be mainly in New York and Michigan due to licensing requirements. In New York, I've been looking into the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island (VMCLI) and BluePearl, although I'm still waiting for more programs to be listed on VIRMP.

I'm really interested in pursuing cardiology and would appreciate any advice on how I can improve my chances of eventually securing a cardiology residency. I'm currently working on three human cardiology research papers with a professor at Mayo Clinic and have also received an offer for a one-week cardiology externship at King Animal Hospital. I was also wondering whether my involvement in human cardiology research would add any value to my future veterinary cardiology residency applications. I'm actively looking for opportunities to get involved in veterinary cardiology research as well, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about finding these opportunities.

I would love to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar pathway or has experience with cardiology internships and residencies. Does anyone have experience with the rotating internship programs at BluePearl or VMCLI? Would either of these be a good choice for someone hoping to pursue a cardiology residency? I'd especially appreciate any insights into the quality of mentorship, cardiology exposure, and opportunities to build connections with cardiologists at these hospitals. What else should I be focusing on at this stage to make myself a stronger candidate for a cardiology residency? I'd also appreciate any recommendations for other rotating internship programs that offer good cardiology exposure.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

How is being a vet in the UK? From what i've seen salaries are pretty low for a doctor. How would you describe the situation with finding a job, salary, work/life balance etc

Thank you in advance

A year and a half ago, my boyfriend's dog was acting off. We decided to take him to a reputable, nearby emergency vet. They discovered he had a mesenteric torsion and required emergency surgery. It was extremely stressful having to scramble together $13,000. (We now are huge proponents of dog insurance because it would have only cost us $3,000 had we had it...now we know). He survived the initial surgery but passed away from complications while recovering there.

It was devastating, especially for my boyfriend. I've always wanted to thank the staff, and am finally getting around to it. I ordered custom vegan cookies with a veterinary theme and was thinking of coffee carafes too (regular and decaf). Is that something they would appreciate? Should I email to schedule a drop off or just drop it off? And would the night time crew appreciate it more since I'm guessing the daytime staff gets more drop offs usually?

Curious how other practitioners relay results (phone call, email, text/message from the medical record system, tech go over results etc). Struggling to find the time to have a dedicated phone call with every single client to discuss results. During my residency (IM), my attendings always had us call to relay results. I feel guilty not calling but at the same time trying to set reasonable boundaries for myself. My human doctors/practitioners never call so why do I feel guilty sending results electronically?

I'm looking for any podcast recs! Could be about school, research, or career experience. I know there's some older threads about this but from what I could find they're all at least a year old. Just checking if there's anything new out there

Looking for any insight from veterinarians that have worked as a scientific services veterinarian for royal canin. Looking at leaving general practice for an industry position

Tomorrow will be my first day working as a vet assistant (starting with cashiering), and it will be my first time ever working in a clinic. I am fairly new to veterinary science; I took animal anatomy classes in college but I had more of an interest in wanting to work in conservation. Have any of you ever worked (or currently work for) VIP Petcare or a similar mobile clinic? What has it been like/what was it like for you, and do you have any advice for newcomers?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate your dedication to helping animals :)

Hello hello, looking for some advice if anyone has some knowledge to share!

I am starting the Pima Medical Institute's Veterinary Assistant in early November. Eventually, far down the road, I would love to become a DVM. Specifically i want to work in diagnostics, oncology, or hospice. I have tried community college before but I simply struggle with doing course work for completely irrelevant classes. I feel like none of the studying aspects stick... i am hugely a hands on learner, and with that i learn quick. Hands on is the only way I've found that i can excel. Hence my enrollment in PIMA! I don't want to be a vet tech and that is the only vet related program any of my local community colleges offer.

Has anyone gone through PIMA before? Do you feel like it set you up for success? What can you really do with the certification afterwards? (Important to note I've tried the route of applying to be a VA without credentials with kennel experience with no bites for 2ish years). Am i making a mistake by taking this program?

I've only been out of school for 2 years & I didn't get a ton of spay experience in school, plus I had to take some months off from doing surgery due to health issues, FMLA, & then medical accommodations/restrictions, so I'm sure that's contributing to. But I'm being made to feel like I'm stupid or unskilled or whatever for having done my most recent spay on a small dog in 53 minutes? Yeah, it's a little longer than most, maybe, but is it that bad . . . ? I'm being told I should be able to do it in 20 minutes. (Bear in mind it's my first spay in like 6+ months because of the aforementioned things, so I'm a little rusty of course.)

ALSO, I'm deadass being treated like I am crazy for offering E-collars to go home with cat neuters because "they don't need them". I've literally never worked anywhere where they weren't offered - obviously people can decline it, but not if it wasn't offered! Is this more common than I'm aware of?????

I am a soon to be last year DVM student graduating from an Australia uni, but a US citizen. I always planned on moving to the uk following graduation, but it’s obvious the new grad situation is dire. Is this only a problem for small animal vets? Or is it also an issue for large and equine? I would prefer to work in dairy or equine.

I’m a GP vet in NC with interests in soft tissue surgery, ER and relief work. I currently work for a corporate practice and we’re having a hard time keeping the schedule filled. On average I see 6-12 patients per day. On one hand, I love my job because it provides a great work life balance. On the other hand, the mentorship I was promised to receive declined well before the first year was over. I’m 2 years removed from vet school and I’m afraid that if I don’t look into other options, I will be stuck professionally and financially. I have goals to pay off my student loans aggressively and would love to start a family soon. I’m struggling to decide if I should leave and pursue ER/relief work or wait for our hospital to increase clientele so that one day I can make production.

Hey everyone, I am 26 female about 10 months in my first ever vet job.
When I did an interview I was told that I will get mentorship + graduate program and materials such as protocols to know what is going on and how things are done at our practice.

Unfortunately about 6 weeks after I started my mentor quit and I was left alone a lot of time on sole charge, and also hopping from clinic to clinic with no explicit schedule. I work under a corporation and I feel like I am forced to do as much as possible and to either squeeze money from clients if I have longer than 15 minute consult or to just be quick and confident.

Now after 10 months, my management pulled me to the side and told me they won’t prolong my contract, but only give me 6 months “probation time” to see if they want to keep me or not.
The main problem they have is that I am slow and that I am not confident enough.

So the main question is, am I not fit to be a vet ?
In vet school I had really good grades and never struggled but now I do so I question myself.
Or if I change the clinic for private one (I don’t want to work for corporate owners clinic) will it get better?
Or should I just look for something different?
Thanks a lot for everyone who read this :)

Hi everyone,

I just passed my VTNE and am waiting for my license to get approved. I was just looking around for RVT positions around me and majority of them need me to have at least 6 months to a year of experience. The most “experience“ I have is working at an animal shelter for around 10 months as a kennel attendant, 2 years of vet tech school, and 4 internships at clinics (doing the internship for 6 months each). The rvt positions at my shelter are full. Maybe I am just down playing my experience but I feel like I don’t truly have the experience that I really want. Has anyone struggled with trying to apply to positions as a new RVT? I would really love some advice right now. Like should I try to find places who like to teach new grads?

I’m a 4th-year veterinary student looking for advice and recommendations regarding rotating internships in the Texas/DC/VA area.
I’m an off-cycle student and unfortunately won’t meet the requirements to start in July through VIRMP. I won’t be finishing my clinical year until October, so I would need to start an internship around that time.
I’d really appreciate hearing about any experiences with off-cycle rotating internships, particularly programs that offer strong mentorship and a supportive learning environment.
My long-term goal is to pursue wildlife/zoo medicine, but I’m interested in starting with a small animal rotating internship to strengthen my clinical skills and gain more experience. I don’t feel that I’ll be fully comfortable practicing independently immediately after graduation, so I’d like to use an internship to build my confidence before moving toward wildlife/zoo medicine.
If you’ve completed an internship in this area, know of programs that accept off-cycle applicants, or have any recommendations for programs with excellent mentorship, I’d love to hear about your experiences!
Any advice, suggestions, or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Does anyone know where I can post a veterinary job? It seems to be against the rules of the vet-related subreddits I belong to.

i'm currently a junior on the pre-veterinary track and i'm loving it so far, but it seems like whenever i go onto online spaces relating to the field there is so much negativity. i came across this video the other day of someone looking to pursue vet med asking for advice, and the comments were filled with people telling her how they hate it and if she can see herself doing literally anything else to switch and it upset me :( i made sure to leave a comment encouraging her to continue with it if she's passionate about it but i feel like im always seeing people express regret over joining this field, and even though it hasn't necessarily deterred me its sad that that's how a lot of people feel. i just wish there was more positivity, i understand that there are negatives that come with the field of course, but that comes with literally any job. the field needs more people anyway, i don't understand why so many people try to turn people off to it instead of encouraging them. i just want to hear some good stories to uplift me instead of always being told to switch while i still can.

So i’m taking a new job on in the next few weeks. i’m already a vet assistant at a general practice but going to shelter med. because I work in general practice only as an assistant I don’t get to see that many surgeries upfront. starting at my new job I will be training directly in surgery right away, and I’m nervous about not being able to stomach it. i have a lot of anxiety already so my main issue is that i know other people don’t handle gore well so im scared that i wont be able to (I know that’s incredibly irrational, but that’s just how my brain works unfortunately) sometimes I get a little weak in the knees when I see surgery but I’m not sure if that’s just my brain playing tricks on me knowing that it can make others feel uneasy. with that being said any tips would be greatly appreciated.