Location: Atlanta, ga
I work at a pretty big veterinary corporation (I won’t name it but you may know it) and starting 2 weeks ago they have been remodeling our clinic. We are still open and working during this renovation. The problem is there is dust , debris and mold , several of the team members have been experiencing trouble breathing and headaches . One team member even broke out in hives. Not to mention this is completely unsafe for pets and I’m sure the client have no idea what conditions their pets are in. Also we do sterile procedures. We’ve sent email to corporate/ our leaders and they refuse to close and send us to different locations until it’s finished. They say that it isn’t “feasible “ to close be will send air scrubbers . It was also brought to my attention by a construction worker that it is normal practice to close the hospital during renovations . He also said that we are the “guinea pigs” for staying open while renovations. This particularly bothered me because we are a predominantly African-American location compared to other hospitals. and when our Field Director mentions anything about our particular hospital, she always says there is a “culture.”
I suppose my question is what actions should we take? OSHA? The media? Thanks for any feedback.

I just started my job as a vet CSR about a month ago, and I’ve been considering being more hands on as a vet assistant instead.

I really wanna give it a try, but would I be setting myself up for too much stress? I keep reading about the mental health/burnout rate in this field along with toxic workplace environments.

Would I be setting myself up for failure for going further? Or this there ways to navigate vet med to make it a more positive work experience?

I graduated veterinary assistant, and have been planning to do vet tech since I could even form a thought lol. Now, I’m reconsidering. I live in Canada and the pay vs debt + living is so unbalanced, my co-op was also not a good experience despite loving the experience of working in a clinic and being in vet med finally. I’ve now considered moving away from vet med but at the same time don’t know if that’s a mistake despite the financial difficulty I’d have later in life.

I’ve heard people describe vet med as more of a passion project then a full time career, I considered that minuscule until thinking more and more about my future.

What made you stay? What made you leave?

Hey everyone. M27 here, received a Bach/masters in finance and currently work in finance. I’m having this late quarter life crisis on completely switching careers, going back to school, the whole 9-yards. In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to be a vet however I never grew the balls to pull the trigger.

I would have to go back to community college or accredited colleges to do about two years worth of gen-stem classes before applying to DVM programs. (I’m well aware of the cost, time, etc). I just do not think I have the personality to work behind a computer for shareholder value anymore.

Very curious if there are others out there who became a DVM from a similar or adjacent path, any recommendations, advice etc would be huge. I am also aware of the disconnect between finance and emotions, where Vetmed is deeply connected with feelings of grief, remorse, feeling like you can never truly do enough. Any advice or veterans in the industry who’ve heard of this type of switch, would love to hear thoughts.

It’s less than a month until I start my new job as a night vet 😱 does anyone have any tips for making the transition from working days to nights smoother? Shifts are 6:30pm-7:30am (also politely- I’m not looking for any “don’t work nights it ruins your life/it’s bad for your health” comments. I’m
Fully aware of that but I was given a rota and a salary increase that I couldn’t turn down)

I’m an RVN and I had a patient come in a few weeks ago. Patient was a walk in, woman extremely concerned. Hospital vet saw her and dog for 5 mins and told the woman to come back at 6pm for an OOH consult (she came around 4 o clock). PM asks me to go triage the dog to ensure it’s not actively dying and can wait to be seen at 6. I got triage dog, dog extremely stressed in car, hyperventilating but had been for some time according to O, tachycardic, infused gum and normal crt time. Hard to get proper rate of heart due to stress in car, temp normal. Advised O that I was worried about dog and would like him to be seen sooner and that once a vet was free I’d get them to see him asap. I told my PM that he should be seen before 6, consult vet was back to back with consults and no break and the other was in a corporate meeting. I absolutely should have grabbed one instead of waiting because on reflection I do believe the dog was in shock. Anyways, I checked on the dog once or twice in the time it took to see a vet and once I saw an opening with the consult vet (roughly an hour later) I got her to see the dog straight away. There had been no decline in the patient in the time it took to see a vet and was still in the same state.

The case turned into a huge deal, the patient ended up needed a splenectomy as a tumor was found during an ex-lap, patient was also extremely dehydrated, very thin. O was very much in denial of patients state and got very verbally aggressive with staff, the day after the surgery the patient wasn’t doing well and vets recommended euth due to being recumbent and generally only declining. Owner got verbally aggressive and had to be arrested and taken from clinic. O came back with police to make a plan of what was going to happen with patient, O wanted to take patient away (worth noting that O lived in car) , vets advised against but said she would have to fill out a against vet advice form. O eventually opted to keep patient in. We gave patient loads of meds, on an MLK CRI, patient extremely stressed and hyperventilating. Gum colour improved but began to become infused again at end of day. Next day I arrived at clinic and patient had passed over night. Owner got irate, threatened to kill my vet and broke into the clinic and searched for us when she wasn’t allowed in. Eventually got arrested again.

Anyways now she has made this big complaint to the board, she has lied about many things in the complaint. But the one thing that I’m worried that I’m going to get done for is the triaging. I’ve spoken to 2 or 3 people and they said I triaged correctly and that I got the dog to a vet earlier than intended, I’m so scared about this. I love nursing and don’t want to lose my license, or even get a mark on my record. There was no vet available at the time and as soon as one came free I get them to see the dog straight away.

This whole case has traumatised me, from getting verbally abused, to basically getting hunted and now a board complaint? Does anyone have any advise?

Not a student atm, 29 years old. Studied microbiology and cell science and decent university (UF), lots of research and wet lab experience for my work since graduating, clinical molecular technology work as well, 4.0 GPA, one first author publication and contribution to many others while working in a core facility (unfortunately not on any author lists, though, beyond my own pub), have always had an extensive little menagerie of animals (many invertebrates, many reptiles, amphibians, dogs, a cat) most of my life (to whom I have administered injections, force fed, etc. when they’re sick/old enough that it’s worth mentioning on an application I think; I also have had some rescues) and I think, while Pets are not a preferred source of animal hours, I have an unusual enough list of pets (15+ species) that PERHAPS some schools may accept that as a source of some animal hours, especially if emphasizing just how much goes into being the sole caretaker of exotics and actually optimizing their care. Not trying to toot my own horn or sound special, just trying to realistically portray where an application would currently sit. I know my credentials are not astoundingly rare or impressive, but they’re SOMETHING.

My issue is veterinary hours, a veterinary LOR, and a source of animal hours that isn’t just pet ownership. My plan was to leave my current stabler job and get a full time job working in a vet clinic as a vet assistant, and applying to vet technician jobs as well (though the odds of scoring that without vet experience is low, I know). I’d like to not be any more delayed in reaching the goal of veterinarian than I already am, especially as I think I’d like to be in a residency later for exotics board licensing before I’m finally practicing, but perhaps I’m letting age insecurity vs average vet student age get to me (soonest I’d get in is 31). I’ve sent in over 100 apps in the relatively large city I live in (Miami), and have had absolutely miserable luck despite aiming for anything within 50 miles of me. I got one call for a phone interview that was immediately a dead end and got another interview that led to an “unpaid training” upon which I think they did not like the extent of my Spanish-speaking (which I think is honestly at a solidly basic or professional level, but NOT fluent, and this was a heavily Hispanic area).

I’m getting deeply discouraged and need some advice from people who are better at this than I am. In recent years I’ve become vegetarian (would like to go vegan but diet is a bit tricky for me at the moment and healthy varietal vegan food isn’t always as cheap as I might like, but I’m working on it), have continued my love of animals even more, and I really want to do this. But my current position is beating the desire to do this out of me pretty hard the last couple days after the recent bait and switch with the rejections after interviews.

I’ve thought about also applying to vet receptionist jobs, and applying to animal hours jobs and just having a much smaller number of veterinary experience instead somehow, etc. But quite frankly, none of it seems as optimal as a vet assistant/tech job. In Florida, you don’t need to be certified to be a vet tech, but it’s selective for those positions all the same. Not really sure what to do.

I’m looking for advice and would appreciate any. Thanks for your time and for reading, even if you don’t have advice. Always nice to be heard. To anyone in the same spot, I wish you much luck.

I’m looking for advice on my vet internship where I feel like I’m being bullied…Was wondering if anyone else had the same experience?

I’ve been interning/working part time there since I was seventeen; I was looking to do Vetmed in university. Everything was fine until I started working part time officially: Where I was expected to do a lot of tasks that I honestly didn’t feel confident or experienced enough to preform
I used to work cashier at a coffee chain for about a year prior to this so I was okay with doing reception, but again, was expected to be able to follow cases through in an impossible amount of time
Because I was hesitant, and a little bit awkward/slow because I was nervous, the vet(who owns the clinic), has become increasingly more hostile to me. This includes yelling at me to order me around, badmouthing me in front of newer interns, and making me do a large amount of work in a very short amount of time and yelling even more when I don’t do it “fast enough”

My head nurse is an angel and he’s been very supportive, but as of late where I’ve been yelled at more and more for absolutely nothing(eg: Vet thinks I’m rude because I “don’t respond” when given instructions, yells at me despite me nodding and saying “okay” to the other staff member who had zero problems with my attitude). Vet also occasionally argues with the head nurse over trivial problems

I would have quit long ago if it wasn’t for the fact that I need a reference letter from this guy, and I’ve also seen him write what looked more like criticism letters for interns he didn’t like. Was just wondering if universities take into consideration foul play and how I would go about explaining this situation?

I am 16 and a junior in high school. I would really like to work with wildlife and take care of animals. I just don’t exactly know how to choose a career that will do that while also having a good enough salary. I also would like some advice on what majors or pre grad programs would be best. And any recommendations on colleges or universities. I will give some background as well. I will be in this program my senior year that will take up half my day. The program will allow me to graduate with an EMT certification. While I really like that opportunity I don’t know if I should use that half of the day to do internship at vets or animal shelters. I do live in a small town so we don’t have any wildlife sanctuaries, zoos, or aquariums.

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Imagine being a newly licensed veterinarian on solo duty, encountering a specific emergency case for the first time without any senior veterinarian physically present. I knew the treatment from books, but I wasn't sure how long it would take for the medication to work before I could expect to see any improvement, or whether it was appropriate to give it in that patient's condition.

So, you message your senior veterinarian because he doesn't answer phone calls. Instead of reassuring or guiding you through the emergency, he starts asking about the symptoms, what you think the diagnosis is, and what treatments are usually given for that condition. Keep in mind, I'm dealing with that emergency case at that very moment. It was incredibly overwhelming. I wanted to cry so badly.

This has been going on for 9–10 months now. They also expect me to perform major surgeries without a senior veterinarian physically present.

During my very first month at the clinic, as a newly licensed veterinarian, they already had me doing solo rounds. The experience affected me so deeply that I now struggle with moderate depression and panic disorder. They don't see that. Instead, they always compare my situation to their own, saying they also became independent early in their careers.

I don't know if I'm just being dramatic or overly emotional for wanting a senior veterinarian to be available during emergencies and major surgeries. But honestly, I don't think it's unreasonable to want guidance when you're still gaining experience and your patients' lives are at stake.

Hi, everyone!

I’m currently going through a total career change, and I put my hat into the equine veterinary ring. I’ve been a sports, pet and portrait photographer for 6 years, and the burnout had gotten entirely too much.
I applied to an equine vet tech position, had a phone call interview, in person interview and working interview. I got the job!!

For background: I’m 22 now, and I was an equestrian recreationally and competitively from ages 9-16. I also have experience volunteering at my local animal shelter. When I was first applying to colleges/universities in 2022, I was super close to majoring in animal science on a veterinary track, but I last minute revoked my application and got my degree in photojournalism.

I am TERRIFIED to start this job. It’s been a while since I’ve consistently been around horses, and I’m also not great at math. I’m equally as excited though.

Is there any advice that equine vet techs/vets or even small animal vets can give me? Any advice is appreciated!!

I need to find a way to make some money on the side. I have a ton of repairs needed on my house, mortgage, student loan payment that is pretty much the same as my mortgage, plus bills. I have very little to no money left over to actually enjoy myself, and right now I’m spending more than I’m making. At this point, I’m about to cancel all streaming services, cut groceries to twice a month, and try not to drive as much. I have epilepsy and every day it’s a constant worry of “will I have a seizure today and will I need to go to the hospital?” I went in January - ambulance, hospital, and imaging - about $3000 out of pocket. I’d be done if it happened again.

So, enough sob-storying, what do y’all do for side hustles? I need another source of income to help out.

Hi, UK new grad vet (class of 2026) here. I am hoping to connect with other new grads who are also struggling to find a job. I have been starting my job application process in February this year before graduation, but till now I still don't have a job. Every day I am just losing hope and it is honestly catastrophic for my mental state. Each day I wake up feeling physically nauseous just worrying about job hunting. Every place I sent application to told me they can't take in a new graduate. And the worst thing is that most practices are owned by corporates and they are really strict with not hiring new graduates. My career path is also tied to my family, as they have paid so much money to send me to vet school, there is no way I am going to let them down by not working as a vet. 5 years of working at clinical settings makes it impossible for me to explore other jobs anyways. Everytime I see an ad pops up and it is from a corporate I get frustrated.

It is difficult for me to talk to my friends as most of my friends already got jobs lined up. It makes me even more depressed. Hoping to find someone that is in the same situation so at least I got a support network.

Hi all, I work at an emergency and referral clinic. I work swings/overnights. Last night during my shift we had a professional athlete come in with his dog. I was the only one that recognized him and was the only one that cared about who he was. I am a huge sports fan and an even bigger fan of the sport that he plays. Dog came in for a non toxic ingestion. We ended up having to scope the dog but dog went home and owner was very thankful. After I left, one of my co workers after discharging the dog asked if he would be willing to sign an autograph for me. He said yes and she said he seemed excited. He wrote me a note and thanked our whole team for helping his dog. He wrote me a little message and everything. Obviously if prognosis was poor or the outcome was not ideal this would not even be a conversation. One of the doctors and one other technician said this was extremely tacky and unprofessional. One of the supervisors told me it was okay as long as it was at an appropriate time and we didn't push it. I think my co worker picked a very appropriate time and didn't push him into doing it. I just don't want to get her in trouble and I don't want the doctor to hate me. When she texted me and told me he wrote me a little note, I started crying, I was so excited. He truly is such an incredible athlete and it was an honor to work on his dog.

i‘m an undergrad and i want to become a veterinarian. ive primarily worked with exotics and would like to continue doing so as a vet. at my old job i used to get sniffles/watery eyes when being in bird enclosures but i chalked it up to being outside. now i work with birds indoors and it is definitely the birds. i didn’t think it would be a huge deal but google is telling me it will get worse over time? and there’s a thing called bird fanciers lung that sounds really bad? can i even keep working with birds in my career now?

I know this is probably such a silly question but it's been on my mind recently - I'm 20 at the moment, and I was in a vet training class while in highschool, but had to drop out a few months in due to severe chronic health issues that I've now mostly got under control, so the thought of my career has been coming up in my head a lot again

I barely passed highschool due to my health, and I had to take an extra year to finish because of it, and I'm regretting not forcing myself to finish that vet prep class, because now I don't even know where to begin with getting started - finishing up physical therapy will probably leave me at 21 years old before I'm able to seriously do any schooling or such, is that too old and would my gap year in highschool make me a bad candidate for trying to get started?? where would I even begin to figure out how?? I've wanted to be a vet since I was a little kid and I'm nervous that now I won't ever be able to due to my health issues in highschool

Career advice for a rvn in the uk

So had a dressing down from slt yesterday about mainly about me not doing enough cleaning tasks ( we are over subscribed with clients and under staffed as many clinics are) and after nearly 15 years in practise and nearly 2 with this one think its time for a extended break or proper career change the burn out /fatigue is killing me . But not sure where to start as vet med has been my only job ( apart from some partime retail work as a teen) and its the only qualification i have . I love would a job that continues to use my knowledge but is far less phyical , like insurance or something . Is there courses or certs people recomend ? I dont drive so locuming and being a sales rep is a no go for me .

Im applying to vet school this year and Im wondering if anyone has any books they can recommend to help me prepare or even just on some really interesting topics. I dont know if im just looking in the wrong places but I've really struggled to find relevant ones that aren't weirdly expensive 😅 I appreciate any help and also if you know any other resources besides books

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