As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I begin to reflect upon what I feel lucky about in my life. Of course, the obvious things come to mind first – family, friends & good health; but then I got thinking about my job.
How fortunate am I to get to go to work every day and truly enjoy what I do? How many people can say that? How many people have known since they were five years old that this is what they were meant to do and succeed at?
Here is a quick list of why it’s great to work in veterinary medicine:
1. People & Pets: anyone who has worked in this field for any length of time knows that you must enjoy people just as much as you enjoy pets. So much of what we do is based on the history & conversations we have with pet owners and what great discussions we have!
2. Science: for an analytical mind, what a fantastic field to work in! Biology, chemistry & even physics play a role in everything we do, from the anatomy of our patients to the medications & diets that are prescribed to how an anesthetic machine works. If you have the type of brain that likes things to “make sense” – this is the place to be.
3. Innovation: numerous times throughout the year, we meet with industry leaders to learn more about what research has shown for new medications, nutrition, surgical techniques and many more. If you are progressive & can appreciate ever-changing concepts & ideas – this is the field for you!
4. Communication: a personal favourite of mine. A fascinating thing. To be able to communicate with our patients – multiple species in a variety of ways is truly rewarding. I’ve always wished I spoke another language, but I guess in some ways I do! Of course, the easiest is simply being able to teach & encourage a young pup or kitten to play and investigate their world while becoming well behaved “citizens.” What’s neat is to be able to use our natural instincts coupled with our formal training to be able to recognize body language and to be able to help a scared, nervous or even painful patient learn to trust you. This is extremely rewarding.
5. Friends: perhaps I am biased, but when I reflect on who most of my friends are, I realize that the vast majority are people that I’ve worked with throughout my career. People of like mind – kind, intelligent & compassionate are the words that come to mind when I think of veterinary professionals…pretty great adjectives.
Written by: Angela Noble, RVT & Practice Manager
