Some questions to ask yourself if you’re thinking about becoming a veterinarian:

Do I enjoy being in a classroom?

While some undergraduate and graduate programs now allow you to learn on-line, vet school is still very much a ‘sit, stay’ learning experience.  This is at least the case while you’re learning core subjects before the fun of clinical rotations begin.

Am I okay with things like blood, pus, maggots, and poo?

Yes, all of these and even more pleasantries one can only begin to imagine like cleaning unmentionable parts of horses and expressing anal glands.  Animals give unconditional love and a whole lot more.  Now, if you’re someone who’s incredibly squeamish about caring for humans, you may do quite fine with animals.  It’s a strange phenomenon that the same type of material (poo for example) from a dog can leave me completely unfazed.  That same material from a human and I am running as fast as this 5 foot 1.5 inch body can move itself.  After vet school, you’ll choose what you really want to do and can certainly go into a specialty where you’ll be less likely to encounter those unpleasantries that you find most distasteful.  During vet school there are no guarantees.  Key to success can be your willingness to get in there and get whatever job it is that needs done.  And sometimes it means really getting in there, up to your shoulders in whatever an animal needs done.

Am I willing to commit to a lifetime of learning?

 Veterinary school is medical school–it’s academically rigorous and it’s a lifetime commitment.  Veterinary school is 4 years long and that’s after most students have earned Bachelor degrees.  For the average student, that’s at least 8 years after high school.  The learning isn’t over after veterinary school.  To provide your patients with quality care requires continuing education credits, reading professional journals, and learning new skills.  There’s also the option of specializing.  That’s an entirely different enchilada that requires even more learning and test-taking after veterinary school.

Do I want to heal animals and can I willingly accept their people?

Common to all veterinarians is a deep ‘something’ for animals.  That ‘something’ may be love, appreciation, admiration, a desire to help, or some other unnameable yet deeply felt connection.  For most veterinarians, it’s this deep ‘something’ for animals that pulls them towards this profession.  All animal patients, however, come with people.  When there’s a sick animal, there is a human at the other end of the leash, outside of the stall, sitting in another office, or otherwise shaping the care that you’ll give that animal. It will be your job not only to heal the animal, but to manage their expectation of your healing capacities, the budget required, and how the other humans relate to this animal.  You certainly don’t have to be uber charismatic or a bubbling extrovert to succeed at caring for your patients and their owners.  It’s good though to really ask yourself if you will enjoy both the animals and their people for a lifetime.