If you’re thinking about a career change or are starting off on a new path fresh out of university and unsure where to turn, have a glance at these ten signs. If they apply to you, you could be destined for a career in the Veterinary industry!
1. You’ve always had pets.
Perhaps you’ve always had dogs, ridden horses, kept rabbits… Whatever the animal, you’ve clearly always cared about their well being and they’ve played an important role in your life so far. So why not take that one step further with a career in Veterinary?
2. You’re interested in science.
Be it anatomy, nutrition, optometry, dentistry… There are so many niches waiting to be filled in the veterinary industry. Animals need all of the specialist care services that humans do, so don’t make the mistake of presuming everyone involved with animals has to perform complicated surgery and sew up wounds. Having said that…
3. You’re not scared of blood.
Animals, just like us, get into all sorts of scrapes. Many need emergency attention and a strong stomach is a valuable asset to a veterinary team that deal with injuries and sickness.
4. You’re good with words.
A lot of veterinary roles involve dealing with pet owners who can sometimes be unaware of health risks or unprepared for sudden changes to their animal’s well being. This can be distressing, so if you find it easy to communicate with others in a calm, clear manner you’ll be the perfect front-man (or woman!) in any practice or clinic.
5. You’re compassionate.
Simple. With any career in veterinary, caring will be central to all of your responsibilities so this characteristic is a must.
6. You enjoy setting long term goals and seeing them through.
It seems an odd one, but imagine you’re faced with a case that will need a long and intensive rehabilitation programme of physiotherapy. You’ll need the ability to project how long recovery might take and plan a course of treatment to help an animal back to perfect health. If you’re patient and enjoy tracking success over a long period of time, a role as an animal physiotherapist could be the job that keeps you interested day after day.
7. You’re interested in technology.
So many careers in veterinary require you to adapt alongside technological advances. New machinery, tools and medical equipment are brought into the industry to make it more efficient and up to date every year. If computers or engineering are your thing, there are always roles available to do with the technological development of medical and veterinary machinery.
8. You’re active.
A lot of careers in veterinary involve being hands on with animals and moving them safely from their accommodation to another room. In a surgical team, you could be on your feet for hours at a time. If you’re working with animals in active rehabilitation, you might be needed to throw a ball with them, run with them or even swim, if the animal’s programme includes hydrotherapy. (Which Sounds pretty fun to us…)
9. You have a passion for conservation.
Some veterinary careers lead to conservation and reintroduction programmes. Many roles come together to run a reintroduction programme – from physiotherapists and nutritionists, to animal behaviourists and analysts. Zoos and wildlife parks often have reintroduction programmes, so watch out for openings. It could also involve travel abroad.
10. You’ve read all the way to the end…
Either you’ve agreed with a lot of the points here and are considering a career in veterinary even more now than you were at the start, or you know somebody who fits this description… Either way, it’s time to take the next step!