Also keep in mind that veterinary medicine is much more than preventing and treating medical conditions in pets. There are veterinarians involved in ground-breaking research that helps animals and people; in public health, keeping all of us healthy and tracking down and stopping disease outbreaks; and more. Check out our materials, and keep an open mind about the different opportunities in veterinary medicine. And if you have other questions, let us know.

Any advice on how to get started in the veterinarian career?

Only you can really make the decision, but I offer some food for thought: 1) if you pursue a DVM, you’ll likely need to get some more undergraduate courses under your belt to make sure you have the prerequisites for vet school; 2) there have been students who started vet school in their 40s or later, so there’s no real limit there. The bigger issue is whether or not you’re ready or able to put in the time and effort for vet school, especially when it comes to balancing family life. It’s certainly possible, but it’s up to you individually to determine if it’s right for you; 3) the finances certainly need to be considered, as they would for anyone. You might have to finance less of your education in loans than the average student, which helps. Or, if you have to finance most of it with loans, consider the time it will take to pay them off and the impact that those loans could have on your family (for example, will your child be able to go to college, or will your loans prevent that or make it more difficult?).

I don’t think it’s an unreasonable goal at all, but you have to be realistic and know that you have to face additional challenges. Only you can determine if the DVM goal is the right thing for you. A career as a vet tech is certainly not a bad (or lesser) alternative. Regardless of the career you pursue, though, you will need to work on your ‘people skills’ and patience – after all, although the animals are the ones being treated, it’s the owners that bring them through the door and play an integral role on the team when it comes to keeping the animals healthy. You have to be able to interact well with the animal owners in order to provide the best care for your animal patients. Alternatively, consider the fact that vet techs and vets don’t ALL work in private practice – there are jobs in research settings and other areas that require less interaction with clients/animal owners.

Good luck!

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