Vet Times

Tag: Careers

  • Notes from lockdown

    Notes from lockdown

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    It has been, I think I can say not unfairly and without controversy, a funny old few months, hasn’t it? I suspect you know what I’m talking about. There are few areas of our lives where this thing hasn’t impacted, and the future we were expecting a short time ago is very different to the…

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 3

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 3

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    Belief #3: Vet science is much harder than other jobs You’ve heard those conversations where vets pontificate about the injustice of their lot in life and their poor career choices. We love to share stories about old acquaintances who are invariably less talented and not nearly as smart as us (we’re vets after all – the…

  • Who runs the world?

    Who runs the world?

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    Toward the end of my first year at university, a friend of mine stumbled upon a funny online student-made list of “things NOT to expect at vet school”. From memory, I think it included things we all related to such as Christmas holidays (curse you, exams), summer holidays (why, EMS, why?) and “a coolness status…

  • Hitting pause

    Hitting pause

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    I’ve known for a long time I wanted to be a vet. This has meant that, since a very early age, a lot of my big decisions were pre-decided; GCSE and A-level options, university course, etc. My choice in universities was narrowed down to a one-digit figure before I’d gone to my first open day…

  • Curse of the night owl

    Curse of the night owl

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    My body clock is at odds with the rest of humanity; at least, that’s how it feels sometimes. Left to my own devices, I’ll stay up until two or three in the morning, and slowly return to consciousness around nine o’clock. Is that weird? It seems to be considered so, and is contrary to how…

  • Why am I a farm vet?

    Why am I a farm vet?

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    I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about purpose lately… I suspect, as a lot of veterinary students prepare for finals and graduation, they’re probably wondering what theirs is, too. They’re only a handful of years into this career and they’ve probably had to answer “why did you want to be a vet?” thousands of…

  • Stress: your nemesis or superpower?

    Stress: your nemesis or superpower?

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    As a veterinary student, I’m certainly no stranger to stress. There’s a running joke within my friend group that “diamonds are made under pressure”, which helps us all to feel a little better when the pressure on ourselves begins to rise. But, whether it’s a coursework deadline or juggling my work-load with my social life,…

  • The vet bubble

    The vet bubble

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    On my course, in a year of 300 students and with a timetable of mostly nine-to-fives, it’s safe to say I spend a fair share of my time with other vets. However, in the first few weeks of university I was warned by older vets to beware of the “vet bubble” – and I understand…

  • All work, no play

    All work, no play

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    Christmas is almost here, which means a much-awaited and deeply longed-for break from the 9 to 5 pattern of university life. The holiday period for Bristol students is starting a little later than normal this year, so, naturally, my friends and I are counting down the days until we get to retreat to the festive…

  • Retention prevention: stop blaming students

    Retention prevention: stop blaming students

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    My interview at the University of Bristol was as terrifying as all my others, although it was my last chance. The interview at Edinburgh hadn’t gone well; I had been sent to the wrong room in the library and subsequently forgotten about, then hastily hurried in during lunch, with grumpy interviewers and a flustered interviewee.…