It's a lifestyle, not a career

Yesterday during our break, there was a career talk "Life of an equine surgeon" given by Dave Murphy. Talks like these are rare, so off we went to listen to what he had to say. Man, was he humorous, especially when he gave us an account of one of his first few disastrous consultations with strange animals like gerbils. Meanwhile, I've always known that as vet students, what we learn in school is nothing compared to the valuable experiences gained during the first few months of practice immediately following graduation. Yet, everytime I attend these talks, the magnitude of our inexperience and "vulnerability" just hits me, and it's scary to realize that we're so poorly equipped even after studying for 5 years in this school. I was shocked to learn from my friend today that we're not going to be practising much surgery even in our 4th and 5th years, because there just aren't anything much for us to practise on, other than dead material. A minority of us might have friends who conveniently have pets requiring a free castration/spay when the time comes, but not many of us are going to be that lucky, I think.

Back to the topic of the career talk yesterday. I thought he was probably going to tell us what it's like to be an equine surgeon. But what we got out of it exceeded my expectations, for, in general, he tried to convey to us what we can expect out of our careers, be it equine or small animal or something else. His ideas are VERY inspiring. Some valuable words that I remember in particular was that, to be a vet is "a lifestyle, not a career". Which means that if we expect a 9 to 5 job, we can't be more wrong. That doesn't particularly bother me, because I guess I had always known that, and I don't seem to place much emphasis on a stimulating personal life as of now. Some student in the audience then asked him a question which was on our minds, as to how relationships and family commitments fit into the whole picture of being a vet. I can't recall what his exact reply was, other than the idea that we'll be lucky if we can find someone who's willing to travel with us to the other end of the world! To put simply, relationships can be difficult, till one has really settled down. Upon graduation, due to our inexperience and lack of exposure, we really need all the time and opportunities to "play around" with till we are sure of what it is that we exactly want to do. Research? small, mixed or large animal practice? Specialization in a particular type of animal or a certain expertise in a body part? Wildlife? Production systems of farm animals? Drugs? The opportunities are limitless. I have to thank Dave for once again opening our eyes to the multitude of possibilities awaiting us, especially those of us who have not quite decided yet. Oh wait, what was I talking about? That's right, relationships. I'm sure that Dave didn't mean to be discouraging, but the implications cannot be denied... it DOES matter to most people who want the best of both worlds... a family AND a career. Can we really have both and still excel in what we do? Not only is the matter of time and commitment a problem, but can we find others who truly accept what we do without the slightest bit of deterrance? Yesterday, Val and I were talking to a guy we met at our Lindy Hop class, and it was just as plain as day to me how disturbed he was when we were discussing some of the tasks that faced the vet students. His whole body literally went into spasm in order to exaggerate his disgust for the dissections that we have to do. Hopefully he's just an exception, but I seriously doubt it cuz I've had similar reactions from friends before. Some people can tolerate a clear distinction between work and relationships, but not me. If I work with animals whom I love, then how will I be able to live my life with someone who sees it merely as a job and doesn't show an appreciation for what I love?

I think I may be getting carried away by my thoughts :P