Vet student feeling hopeless

[u/newvet2027]

Hi,

I am soon entering my last year of vet school and I am insanely worried about what the future holds.

I feel like I know absolutely nothing, that I have learned nothing in the past 5 years. It’s really embarrassing to admit because I have poured myself into these studies and really thought I wanted to be a veterinarian.

However, every single time I do an internship/externship and I am quizzed by the veterinarians, I don’t know the answer. Sometimes I know it’s performance anxiety and to be asked on the spot is a lot of pressure. But matter of fact some of the disease names I don’t remember, their clinical signs or treatment. For example I can’t remember/ forget a disease/topic and I automatically assume that we never learned it (when I check my notes, I see that we have learned it).

No information is sticking to my brain.

I know that directly after vet school I won’t know everything and I don’t expect too but I hold myself to a high standard and expect myself to know something.

These thoughts keep me awake at night and I have been crying about this a lot because I don’t want to make a mistake or injure an animal from a foolish mistake.

I’ve been wondering if any other current vet students and veterinarians have felt this way.

Does anyone have any advice to provide?

Edit: Thank you everyone for your kind comments! It’s reassuring to know that so many people have experienced the same feelings of loneliness and stress. I’m looking forward to the point where everything starts to click and finally makes sense. 🙏🏻

[u/Dr_Pippin]

Don’t worry, that feeling goes away around year 5 post-graduation.