You Look Like an Equine Vet

 

Since I started riding and first met the ranch equine veterinarian, I've wanted to be one. I can remember begging my parents to let me stay out at the barn if a horse had any medical issue such as colic, injury, giving birth, etc. 

During our doctoring course, we did a practice client-veterinarian interaction. I of course picked the horse scenario. I had a client actor pretend that she was presenting her horse to me for a persistent lameness. I handled the interaction very well and my course/session leader was flabbergasted by my performance. She said, "You look like you're an equine vet." It just felt so natural to me, the terminology just flowed and you could really see my compassion. 

I know these are just client simulations, but her statement really impacted me. I honestly believe her, I feel destined to become an equine vet because of my experience and passion for horses. 

 With the economy the way it is right now, I worry about my future entering into veterinary medicine as a starting equine veterinarian.  It is difficult to find work. My possibilities are much more limited. Most people can't afford to keep horses as they have turned into more of a luxury item rather than a necessity. 

The charts below show a dismal future for equine veterinary medicine. As a starting veterinarian, my salary is likely to be about $40,000. This isn't much when you factor in a $200,000+ education that cost me four years. 

I'm not regretting going to veterinary school at all, I know it's my destiny, but I am considering majoring in Small Animal/Equine to prepare myself adequately for my future in Vet Med. We will see where my path takes me. I love small animal medicine as well and quite honestly would be willing to help any animal on this planet I have the ability to help. I think the following data is just something to think about. 


2009 Earnings for Veterinarians (before income tax): 

http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/usvets.asp

Mean First-Year Salary for Starting Veterinarians: 

AVMA

LINKS:

http://veterinarybusiness.dvm360.com/vetec/Veterinary+business/Can-discounts-work-for-your-equine-practice/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/600457

http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=18992

Tails from the Trenches

I love the VBMA (Veterinary Business Managment Association). They give veterinary students such wonderful experiences such as their panel discussion at Sudwerks "Tails from the Trenches." The panel consisted of five different successful veterinarians who were very open about their experiences. They answered questions regarding their experiences, career choices, personal achievements, as well as their adversities. I love going to discussions and lectures like this one because I learn so much about my profession and often discover something I had never thought about before. There are so many avenues that this profession has to offer and everyone in it is happy to share their pathway to their contribution to medicine.

The benefits and downsides of going into internships after graduation from veterinary school was debated. I feel it sometimes seems like internships are the thing to do after veterinary school, but according to the panel, in the past, internships were usually reserved for the really smart, high GPA graduating veterinarians and the others typically went right into general practice. Internships offered them a chance to get more advanced skills and training than the average veterinary graduate. Internships were highly competitive and some still are, but there are many mor to go around. 

Times have changed and people are demanding more advanced care for their animal companions. They often want someone who is experienced and will offer the best quality of medicine to their pet. I believe more veterinary students are leaning towards completing internships upon graduation because they feel like they are not confident in themselves as a starting veterinarian. I also think a lot of people take internships to gain valuable experience working at prestigious clinics with some of the most talented doctors. I think internships can go both ways, it depends on the internship and what the new graduate wants to get out of the experience. With more internships now available, I think that graduating veterinarians seeking internships need to be more careful about the internship they select. Not all internships provide an ideal learning environment for recent grads, many of them do not pay very much at all. I think it is really important to have at least done an externship at the practice you select for your internship because you want to make sure you get the experience you need out of it. 


One of the panelists from the VBMA talk was a graduate from 2009 and had completed an internship after graduation. We were very lucky to have such a recent grad willing to share personal experiences with us. When looking for jobs, many of the practices glazed over her experience at an internship, it did not seem that important to many of them. However the one that she ended up getting a job at did care about her internship. They were thrilled to have someone with that experience. 

 

Closing Budget Gaps: The Veterinary Education Crisis

In the most current Dean's update from Dr. Bennie Osburn (the current Dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine), he wrote that “it appears that over the last 2-years, the U.S. veterinary schools will have collectively lost more than $125 million in state funding.” 

This statement is not a shock to me, but is of a major concern. With the increased need for veterinarians, we need to keep our veterinary schools full and up to par with the highest education standards possible. If there is not money for veterinary schools, it will be unlikely that the schools will be able to produce skilled, competent veterinarians with such diminished resources. 

In an article that appeared in DVM 360, it was mentioned that “UC-Davis relies on state funding for about one third of its budget and has endured $5 million in cuts over the last three years. The university is planning a tuition increase of about 12 percent — from $27,045 to $30,246 — for the 2010-2011 school year.” 

These tuition hikes greatly affect my classmates and I. Many wonder if veterinary education will hit a tipping point. "Several U.S. veterinary colleges have met initial budget cuts in part by generating more revenue through higher tuition and increased enrollment.However, these institutions are likely approaching a critical threshold on tuition costs, as evidenced by median educational debt of $130,000 reported for 2010 graduates, an increase of 4 percent over 2009. High student debt load is not surprising, given that mean annual tuition for students at U.S. veterinary schools during the 2010-2011 academic year is $40,017 for full-time, out-of-state students and $22,348 for in-state students."

It is difficult for me to understand why people still think that taking their pets to the veterinarian is too expensive, with such extensive loan debt upon graduation from veterinary school, many new grads are struggling to find a job even though the need for veterinarians is high. I do understand that the general public is under a lot of pressure to meet the basic care needs of their pets due to such an unfortunate economy, but they need to understand where veterinarians are coming from. We would love to offer reduced services for those in need, but our own lives would be greatly affected by this and we would be unable to keep the clinics open and stocked with necessary drugs, staff, and tools for quality veterinary medicine. 


I really wonder how far the schools will have to go as far as accepting budget cuts and managing them effectively. How bad will the states let the veterinary schools get before they decide to raise taxes on the richer sector of our country and re-allocate this upside down pyramid of an economy.

As state buget cuts continue with no sight in end, I think our states and our country need to consider the importance of higher educational needs for the future of our country, it's citizens, our animals and the world.