Learning the Hard Way: Your First Job
Posted on May 4, 2011
By David Wong, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine
I was really excited to start my first job as an equine veterinarian. I joined a practice near a fairly large city as a primarily ambulatory equine practitioner with the occasional small animal thrown in the mix. I thought I was ready to go at it but I can’t express to you the amount I learned over the first few years of veterinary work. It was clear to me that I had to perfect my technical skills, but in retrospect, this was perhaps the easy task. What was far more difficult was learning to communicate with clients in regard to treatment options, prognosis and cost. If I could offer an important suggestion to new graduates, I would say that financial considerations dictate a great amount of what you do as a veterinarian and it is imperative that you relay to your clients your best estimate of what things will cost before they embark in treating their animals. Another key to client communication is attempting to provide an accurate prognosis not only for life, but for quality of life and use (i.e. riding, showing) and to discuss the complications that may occur. If you need advice, don’t hesitate to ask your mentors what they think or what they would do as well. It’s a learning process throughout your entire career as a veterinarian.
Another important thing that I learned is to take a real close look at the job before you accept it and don’t be discouraged if your first (or second or third) job doesn’t work out exactly as you thought it would. Remember, there is no perfect job! As you graduate from veterinary school, sometimes you feel like you are grateful for someone hiring you and that you’d take any job offered. This can cloud your judgment and make you overlook some warning signs that were clearly there when you interviewed but perhaps were ignored. With that being said, I had 3 different jobs over my first 3 years of private practice. Don’t be discouraged if this happens to you; you just need to move on. Luckily, there are typically many jobs available for veterinarians. Alternatively, I have had some colleagues maintain the same job that they started with since graduation and are really satisfied with their employment.
There is a great deal that I can share about my early experiences but I don’t want to ruin the surprises in store for you. You’ll learn a great deal about veterinary medicine and about people throughout your years of veterinary practice. Do not be stunned if your image of a veterinarian does not equal the reality of being a veterinarian. They seldom agree completely. Enjoy your work as you have a life-time of it ahead of you.
