6 Pros and Cons of Being a Veterinarian

If you love animals, you might be considering veterinary medicine as a future career. This isn’t really surprising since being a veterinarian is one of the few jobs that allow you to be surrounded with cute and adorable animals on a daily basis. But here’s the thing: working as a veterinarian may have several benefits, but it also has its own set of drawbacks. So, before you take the plunge, you should first know what these pros and cons are and weigh them carefully. Here’s a guide to help you get started:

List of Pros of Being a Veterinarian

1. You’ll have the chance to help animals.
Obviously, becoming a veterinarian gives you the skills and knowledge you need to treat dogs, cats, and other animals and put them on the road to recovery. This is one of the most rewarding parts of the job: helping a creature that came to your clinic in a bad condition and using your abilities to improve its health and help it get better.

2. You’ll have a job that you love.
Being a veterinarian means you’ll be surrounded with different animals. One day you might be working with small, fluffy dogs; the next day you might be treating large cows or horses. You’ll definitely run into many challenges, but all of them can be worth it since you’re following your passion and working in a job that aligns with your values and interests.

3. You can earn a decent income.
As of January 2016, the average annual salary for veterinarians is around $72,709. You’ll earn less than this when you’re still starting out, but you’ll most likely enjoy better pay once you get more experience and become promoted to a higher position. You can even enjoy more earnings if you decide to start your own practice.

List of Cons of Being a Veterinarian

1. You’ll go through emotional roller coasters.
No matter how hard you try, there will definitely be times when you can’t save a patient. There might even be instances when you’ll need to perform euthanasia to free patients from unnecessary suffering. These events can leave you emotionally broken; over time, you might experience “compassion fatigue”, a term that’s used to define a set of emotions that can range from being highly sensitive to the slightest events to feeling numb about what’s going on around you.

2. You’ll struggle for work-life balance.
More likely than not, you might find yourself working regular hours and being on call even after your work day has ended. This is particularly true if you’re in a small town that doesn’t have a lot of veterinarians. As a result, you might find it hard to balance your work and family life, and you might end up being constantly fatigued and overworked.

3. You’ll be exposed to various injuries.
Bites, scratches, and bruises are common among veterinarians. Unlike humans who are aware that they’re going through medical care, animals don’t immediately understand that you’re trying to help them and may act hostile towards you. This is especially true if they’re under a lot of pain and discomfort. This isn’t a problem health-wise since you’ll get anti-rabies shots and other vaccines that prevent you from falling ill, but it can be difficult for you particularly if you’re uncomfortable with seeing yourself bleed.

Being a veterinarian can be a rewarding experience, but it also has a few drawbacks. It’s important to carefully examine these pros and cons to decide if working as a veterinarian is the right career path for you.