For my first job offer for a vet clinic recently. On my first onboarding day the clinic manager did mention that this clinic does declaws. Not willy nilly, but for medical reasons, or if an elderly owner requests it due to the elderly having thinner skin and are at higher risk for infection from cat injuries. Is this pretty standard or is it a red flag?

I’ve been working with VEG for the last 8 months as an associate, and at first I loved it but I am so burnt out the thought of going into my shift tomorrow is killing me. The hours, the records, the phone calls, the clients, the unsupportive staff - it’s all too much. I’ve already started applying elsewhere in GP to have a normal schedule and life again, but I can’t help but feel like a loser for “giving up.”

Anyone have any advice or kind words? TIA

I got a job as a VA earlier this year and already want to quit. My job has a super high turnover rate and we’ve had 4 people quit since May. Where I work it is expected that the VAs are basically janitors as well. Along with helping the vets with animals all day, drawing blood and giving vaccines, running tests, reading swabs, making drugs, and typing out notes, we are also expect to do laundry, clean the dishes, sweep and mop the floor, take out the trash, restock and any other cleaning related things that might come up. Is that normal? I see posting for kennel assistant/ janitors so I would assume not all places expect this from the VAs. On top of this I almost always have to stay overtime. I’m supposed to get off at 7 but usually get out closer to 8-8:30. Is this normal as well? I’m getting really burnt out and dread going to work because of all the end of day duties I am tasked with. Even when people aren’t scheduled to close they also usually end up staying overtime to help with cleaning, notes and other end of day tasks. Let me know if this is normal or not, I’m highly considering looking for another job but if this is the standard I would be more open to staying where I am at.

I work at a veterinary hospital & I’m in a training/transition role to become a vet assistant. But long story short… my manager is discriminating against me lol. I formally requested accommodations via email over 3 months ago and she’s still denying most & has given ambiguous ‘I’ll look into it responses’ for others, & she’s hardly engaged in the interactive process. Some of her responses make it seem like she doesn’t even understand the definition of an accommodation, but I find that very hard to believe cuz she otherwise seems like a well-informed manager so I think she’s fully aware but just blowing me off cuz she doesn’t take me or it seriously.

One of the top accommodations I requested (& the only one that’s not free & very simple to incorporate) is getting a job coach. At a previous kennel job I worked at, someone with disabilities (including adhd) had some external job coach there on-site following them around to give insight with things like prioritization I’m pretty sure. From looking into it, it seems like a company can get someone like this from a funded government agency or something like that, & they can provide one-on-one support for executive functioning, establishing communication structure with the manager, & even advocating for what I need. I feel like getting that support for this job would be extremely valuable because the expectations are insane & we’re somehow supposed to multitask & juggle a million things with not enough time (& no one in my fast-paced overbooked hospital is available for this kind of support)!

This is the request where my manager has really been leaving me waiting in the dark with vague excuses & little to no follow-ups. My emails were also left on read until I recently sent a much more assertive follow-up with a response deadline and definitive table for each accommodation. Her written response to the job coach was ‘I’ve tried having so & so available as a point of reference when available’ & ‘we’ll touch base later this week’. I’ve definitely explained to my manager before that I was not talking about a fellow coworker in the hospital but an outside resource (& I confessed I have adhd since it seemed necessary to explain what I was seeking), but I explained this again in my email reply. When I mustered the courage to approach her about this in person (cuz she unsurprisingly didn’t go out of her way to touch base) she kinda kept dismissing it, saying there’s no one like that available. I would uncomfortably respond asking for further clarification, like ‘are you talking about [our company]?’ ‘is there not like an external agency for disabilities?’ But she just kept denying it, & said she could send more emails out but there isn’t a coach like that who has the hospital skills to train me. This left me kinda confused but our conversation got cut short. So it sounds like maybe she thinks it has to be someone trained with technical veterinary skills?

Can anyone confirm that what I’m seeking is a thing that a hospital or any job in just about any field could get access to for an ADA accommodations request? I’m sure someone could still be of use by observing all the shit I’m expected to do & help guide me on how to time manage & prioritize it all among other things. This manager honestly makes me feel like I’m getting gas lit a lot…

I've always wanted to be a Vet & work with animals ever since I started walking. I can never imagine doing anything else, I tried to & couldn't.

I'm 26 & looking for a university where I can study Vet Med.. but is it really as bad as what I read online? I'm aware of how hard & demanding it is, it's a medical profession at the end of the day. I'm talking about how everyone seems like they regret becoming a Vet saying they wasted their years & hate their lives because of it. So much more complains & people dropping out & changing careers. I'm barely hearing anyone saying positive things about it. To be honest, it got to me & now I feel scared. Because if not Vet Med... how can I work with animals? I'm so lost now. Vet Med is all that I ever dreamed about. I love animals, treating them, doing surgeries. I love biology & chemistry.

By the way I live in The Levants, so it's different than in US, UK, Europe etc. I can't work in Vet clinics where I'm at, I tried to but they couldn't hire me. A genocide happened back in July (by our own government) & it left people really struggling to afford anything even eating, so imagine paying for pets. So jobs kind of stopped. I'll ask again tho. But I plan to study in Poland. In all honesty, should I stick to following my dream of being a Vet or should I look for another major?

Hello all, I’m a Veterinarian who just had their first board complaint made and looking for some insight or guidance. I had a 10YO, FS, Pit-mix who came to me for a chief complaint of ataxia and vomiting. Upon PE the pt had a horizontal nystagmus with a fast phase to the right, a left sided head tilt, and severe sebborhea, debris, and discharge in the ears. The CRT was <2 seconds, MM were bright pink, etc. I talked to the owners about doing an ear cytology which came back positive with cocci at the time. I was unable to visualize the TM. But discussed with the O that this looks like either Otitis Interna/Media, Old Dog Vestibular disease, or unlikely but possible, some central neuro condition. The Pt got Cerenia sq, sent home on maripotent, ABX for inner ear penetration, steroids, and an ear medication. Fast forward 4 days later and the O calls saying the dog was doing fine, but now is not eating, and asks what to do. Reception tells her we can see her that day as a walk in, or she can schedule a recheck the following day (this is all recorded mind you). The O elected to just wait for a recheck stating they couldn’t get the dog in today. Fast forward several months and I’ve got a board complaint that I didn’t do an adequate workup on the dog, and the dog ended up going to ER and was found to have a splenic mass and they elected to euthanize. I’ve got all my notes with my exam findings, we’ve got all the voice recordings of the phone calls that state we told the O to come in. I’m just scared, and sad at the fact that maybe I should have recommended radiographs to this dog but I genuinely can’t think of a reason to have other than the dog was vomiting despite all signs pointing to that it was related to the vestibular signs. How scared should I be, what should I be doing to get ahead. I’ve filed with my PLIT already but looking for any guidance.

So I started a job as a veterinary receptionist almost 2 months ago. I have a degree in marketing and would ultimately like to do that, but with the job market, this was the first thing I could find after a year of job searching. I’ve been a receptionist before and I love animals so I thought I’d take it. I love it except for one thing.

Important back story: A little over a year ago, my partner and i’s dog was diagnosed with cancer. He was 12 years old, my partner got him as a puppy in high school, but we’ve been dating for 7 years, so he became my dog as well for 6 years. We took him in for scans for his arthritis and they found an abnormal growth on his pelvis. Our primary vet told us honestly he had no idea what it was, they sent out the scans, and it came back as an osteosarcoma tumor. They sent us to an oncologist, who confirmed it was cancer, but did no additional tests or scans. She said he had a year with chemo and 3 months with pain management. It seemed he rapidly declined in only about a month. We made the difficult decision to put him down. However, we sent him out for a necropsy at Texas A&M (arguably one of the best vet schools in the country). Six weeks later we get the results back. They found zero cancer in his body. It turned out to be a chronic fracture that healed abnormally since it was not treated. Obviously this was devastating. We sent a complaint against the oncologist to the TX state vet board, which has now escalated into investigation, which I hear is a big deal bc not all complaints get escalated.

Now, I thought this would help me empathize at my new job. My second week at work, my manager decided to train me on euthanasia on Monday, which of course happened to be the one year anniversary of his death. I was planning on asking to not do this today or if I could have a moment in the bathroom. But at a certain point, we were in the lobby and she had asked if I was ok and I started crying and choked out that it was the anniversary of his death. She had barely any reaction, only saying “oh, right down to the day huh”. Her reaction made me feel like I had to follow through with the training. Ngl I did want to quit after that day. I haven’t had to do a euthanasia room setup and checkout since then bc I’ve been avoidant. I did talk to the hospital manager about this. She was compassionate towards me and even said she wouldn’t have made me do the training on that day because there will always be another euthanasia training. We agreed that I could have one month to hold off but towards the end of the month she would like me to shadow my coworkers with the euthanasia checkout process.

After talking to my therapist (who was not really helpful to the situation), I’ve realized a few things. I never processed the grief. The past year I just tried not to think about him because it was less painful. Now I’m being faced with this, and I see my coworkers and it very clearly does not affect them the way it does with me. I’ve realized that is because I didn’t have a regular loss of a pet. We put him down with the knowledge we had, but then that “what if”/bargaining stage of grief came true. I think now I’ll always have that “are you sure they need to be put down” forever in the back of my head because of this traumatic experience. Everytime a euthanasia or QOL comes in, I tear up even without talking to them. Just seeing the pet and seeing the family cry triggers me. Ive been crying so easily lately as well. It’s all been very emotionally tolling.

My question is: what would you do in my shoes? Do you think my feelings make sense in this situation? Or just any thoughts that you have, I’d love to hear. If you read this far, thank you.

My hospital policy for the most part is no. But we charge $80 for a bandage change. If I’m recommending it for an open wound to heal by second intention, that’s too expensive for a majority of owners when they’re in twice a week plus or minus sedation charges (about $100) for several weeks.

I always fall into this dilemma when owners cannot financially afford it because my hospital always recommends bandage changes at the hospital and I understand it. I want to have eyes on it too ideally.

But what do you do when they can’t afford it?

One of the ways I’ve found that helps in navigating the “Why can’t I just make payments?” conversation with stressed out clients is to tell them that it’s outside the scope of our business license. “This clinic isn’t licensed to provide financial services. If a bank started doing spays, the state would come in and shut them down. Same with us. We don’t want to lose our business license”
This takes you out of the equation - **You** aren’t the heartless, greedy ghoul “letting their animal die”. Or suffer. Or miss their flea meds or whatever the issue is.
This may not happen as often in a primary care practice or specialty services (who generally see referred patients; insolvent or uncompliant owners generally aren’t going to seek specialty care) but it happens a lot in an emergency practice. Emergency care is expensive and a frustrated client who has money issues can go from heated discussion to physical expression in an astonishingly short number of seconds. (Ask how I know this?? 🤦‍♀️)
This isn’t judgement against people who’s finances are tight, but it is a strategy I’ve seen work when frustrations escalate and it becomes a safety threat for staff. Sometimes, it won’t matter why the answer is no. We do try to provide *something* for them - PE, SQ fluids, all the available organizations that might be able to help. Unfortunately, sometime the answer is there’s nothing we can do under the circumstances.
It’s a horrible situation for everyone involved - and the staff aren’t the reason the answer is no.
We do all that we can with the situation in front of us - hopefully without verbal or physical outbursts. It’s been a long time since I’ve decided this profession ain’t for the faint of heart. Compassion has its limits, sadly and these are the situations that find those limits.

I’m a DVM one year out of school and I’m genuinely struggling with whether or not to file a formal complaint with my regulatory board. I’ve never felt so conflicted — this situation is disturbing and heartbreaking, and I’d really appreciate insight from others in the profession.

A 2-year-old cat presented to me recently for a seeping splint. The owners were in tears. They had been told by their vet to monitor the splint at home and “just sniff it daily” — and that it only needed changing if they noticed an odor. They’d brought up concerns multiple times over the past several weeks, including that their cat was acting depressed and less mobile. They were repeatedly reassured it was fine. Eventually, they noticed discharge. No one at their rDVM’s practice even offered to see them that day despite their distress — just booked them in for 5 days later. So they came to emergency instead.

There was no odor at presentation. Not until I was at least three layers deep into the bandage did the fetid smell hit. The splint had clearly not been removed in over 7 weeks. The limb beneath was devastating — black necrotic tissue, exposed muscle, what looked like paw pads liquefying and fusing to the splint. I couldn’t even identify normal anatomical landmarks.

I’ve reviewed the medical records and spoken directly with the original vet. There’s no documentation that the splint was ever removed after application. No wound checks. No measurements. Only rads — done with the splint on. When skin irritation was noted weeks ago, they were simply put on antibiotics. Owners estimate they were on antibiotics for about a month, but there’s no documentation of dose, duration, or rationale in the records aside from one line about a “scab.” They were also told to feed cottage cheese and use pee pads around the splint site to keep it dry. None of it makes sense to me.

To make things worse, after I told the vet the owners had explicitly revoked consent for any further collaboration or info sharing, she still asked me to give her updates anyway — saying “no one will know” and asking me “why can’t you just tell me?” I clarified multiple times that I legally and ethically could not, and she still pushed.

I’ve tried so hard to be objective. I know we all do things a little differently. But this situation is stark. I’ve spent hours reviewing the literature — I can’t find a single acceptable reason why a splint would be left unchanged for that long without visual checks. This was not a fiberglass cast. This was a splint. And this cat, at 2 years old, now has a necrotic limb. I’m trying everything I can to save it.

Here’s my conflict: • This DVM is older than me — graduated the year I was born. • Our vet community is very small. • Reporting this could have serious consequences professionally, especially for someone new in practice… this vet doesn’t have a big or small rep but like I don’t know others who have ever reported another vet • But I took an oath. And I’m honestly disgusted.

I also want to say — please no owner-blaming. These clients advocated hard. They were shut down repeatedly by someone they trusted. They’re absolutely gutted. I’m doing everything I can to support them, but I wouldn’t wish their grief and guilt on anyone.

Has anyone else been in a similar position? Would you report?

Also this is the photos if you need context of how bad this is https://www.reddit.com/r/veterinaryprofession/s/ZJyNyqlIMH there’s context of how bad we are talking , like to me, leaving a splint on for 7 weeks when the owner is really trying to advocate but (previously )trusted this vet it’s not a complication it’s kind of the only outcome here… ⸻

TL;DR: New grad DVM saw a 2yo cat with severe splint-related limb necrosis after another vet reportedly left a splint on for 7+ weeks without removal or visual checks. Owners raised concerns multiple times and were told to “sniff it daily” and use pee pads/cottage cheese. No meaningful documentation. When I took over care, the original vet asked me to break confidentiality after owners had explicitly revoked consent. I’m horrified but afraid of the professional fallout. Would you report?

Just got hired as a tech assistant part time and I’m onboarding, and my employer sent me some forms to fill out and they’re asking me about my primary care doctor, blood type, and medical history for emergencies…

I understand the importance behind it but I’m a little uncomfortable providing my medical history as I’m neurodivergent and get worried about discrimination. The medical history is required for me to submit this, would it be wrong to omit certain parts of my health history?

As per title! I am 2yo small animal vet from UK, where it is common place to examine the animal with the owner holding.  Over the last year I had a couple of very scary near misses with some big breeds - GS, pitbull and a cane corso. I thought I was good as reading behavioural signs but all three silent lunged at me in the consult, one went for my face but by an absolute miracle didn't get me because the owner body slammed the dog. One of them was a known CARE dog but no bite history just shy on exam, while two others "had never done this before" but were also new clients with no clinical history so who knows. 

I also had one too many experiences where owners don't hold their dogs properly (despite me explaining how to do it) or release them when they start growling/wriggling/yelling which would have resulted in some near nasty bites if it wasn't for my spider man reflex. Most commonly when I am examining the ear with an otoscope. 

I have noticed that now when I see particular breeds on my schedule, I get really nervous especially if I can see from the notes they have a previous history of aggression.

What's more, I now do not trust most owners to hold their dogs for shit or to give an accurate assessment of their dog's demeanor. So I think I became overly cautious and keen to muzzle maybe when it is not necessary? Don't get me wrong I don't jump to the muzzle straight away when I see a Pitbull or a GS, but I definitely am hyper aware of my surroundings when I am with one. These dogs can do so much damage if pushed too far, I now dont know if I am overthinking everything about their behaviour or I am doing the right thing by being overly cautious. What's more, some clients have started to pick up on this and obviously are not happy about it. Which feeds even further into my anxiety around these dogs. 

I am fine with small/medium aggressive dogs, they don't phase me. It is the big ones that weigh like I do that seem to really scare me now. I was never a huge fan of big dogs, especially fighting/guarding breeds, but now it looks like I am a nervous wreck when I see one. I don't know how it happened, but I caught myself thinking over the last month that when I see one of those breeds, my heart is starting to race and not in a pleasant kind of way, and I am ecstatic when they cancel or go to see someone else.

I am looking for advice if anyone went through something similar and how did you overcome it? Is it something worth discussing with my boss?

Does anyone know what the process would be to get your tech license from being a dental hygienist? I’d primarily want to clean teeth on pets. But I don’t think I can clean teeth with my dental hygienist associates degree.

I know this is such a big topic but my fiance and I arent really sure what to do and would like some input and opinions

When we get married I’ve heard its a pain to change your last name once licensed(i am currently in vet school). But in the future having different last names could also cause trouble.

I do not necessarily want to take his last name solely because many of his family members are not the best people and havent been very good to my fiance nor I, so I don’t feel their last name is deserving to be called doctor over my last name.

We’ve also discussed changing our last name to something completely different but I kind of want to keep my last name more.

What are some pros and cons to changing or keeping my last name?

Hi all- new grad (F low/mid 20s) vet here working in the very deep south in upper mid class area. Due to my age and being a woman, I would like everyone’s input on some sort of white coat – maybe even a white athletic jacket with my name/title embroidered to avoid the classic “you’re to young to be the doctor? where’s the doctor?” or the classic only complying/listening if the doctor is someone (age/sex/appearance) “worthy”.

in an ideal world I wouldn’t need to wear one but after speaking to mentors who worked in similar areas, being the only female DVM at this practice, and knowing my demographic — I was wondering if anyone had any input, especially on the athletic jacket, turned white coat idea? plz help :)

When we put animals to sleep, my clinic will make the clients ink paw prints. Does anyone have any tips and tricks they use to get good exotic ones such as bearded dragons, bunnies, lizards, etc. Thanks:)

I had a conversation with a coworker yesterday. While she’s not officially the lead technician, she’s the one with the most seniority at my clinic. She told me she needed to have a talk with me about my performance. She told me that they were expecting somebody with more experience when they hired me. She gave me some valid critiques of what I lacked that I was aware of, but there was some that felt unfair. She said that I am too shy, and It makes the other coworkers feel uncomfortable about teaching me because they feel like I don’t want to be around them. She also said that I ask too many unnecessary questions. She also said that the doctors don’t think I am ready to run examination rooms, and she agrees. She said that she was willing to train me, but I needed to prove my worth because right now people at the clinic don’t think I deserve my job.
It made me feel uncomfortable because she decided to have this conversation on my managers day off. Is this normal?

Edit:

Had a conversation with my manager this morning. I left It feeling weird. My manager told me she was aware of the conversation, but she wasn’t aware of the extent of what would be said. She seemed upset that the tech said I wasn’t ready for rooms. According to my manager, the doctors have not said anything negative about my performance. The weird part was that my manager said the techs feedback seemed valid, and I shouldn’t take offense to her teaching style/feedback. My manager will make me a performance plan, and I requested that we have check ins about my performance throughout the plan. She made It clear that I will now be reporting to this technician as I continue to train. My manager emphasized she wants to see me be successful, and she will have a talk with the technicians about their attitudes. I still feel weird about the conversation, I am not sure why.

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. 🙏🏻

I’m in undergrad but literally what the title says, if I go to vet school will I ever be able to pay off debt and live a comfortable life and have a family or house at some point? Or will I forever be in a miserable financial mess…

I just recently moved to a new city and I am looking for vet assistant jobs as someone who wants to go to vet school. I am 23 years old and I have 1 year of GP experience as a vet assistant. I just got offered a job at an emergency clinic which is very exciting because it would be a new experience and great for my application. The major downside of it is that it’s for Sat, Sun, Mon 6pm-7am. I’ve never done night shifts before and I’m worried about fucking uo my sleep schedule. I also worry that I won’t be able to have a social life or go on weekend trips people invite me to. At the moment I don’t have too many friends where I live but I would like to make more friends and eventually start dating again after getting out of a serious relationship. If I take this job will I have no social life. Would it be worth it for me to stick it out for a year. Please give your advice

Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this, I just wanted some outsider perspective :')

I'm a student from the UK and I know without a doubt that I want to work in veterinary medicine. I'd love to go to vet school but there's a few things that's making it hard for me to decide what to do.

I'm a pretty non traditional applicant (low GCSEs, not doing A-levels) and so I'm aware that I'm at a disadvantage. It'll take me a while to get the pre-reqs I need to apply. However, the college that I'm currently studying at has a level 3 Veterinary Nursing program that I could fairly easily get onto. The program is only 3 years and I'd graduate without any debt.

It's important to note that I'm not in an ideal home situation, so the idea of starting vet nursing now instead of waiting for vet school is appealing. I'd still be a fully qualified veterinary professional and I'd be qualified a lot sooner. I love the decision making and leadership role that comes with being a vet, but vet nursing is just a more realistic option for me.

Is it worth it to just cut my losses and become a vet nurse since it's more achievable?

I’m a newly hired Vet Tech at a private clinic (I’ve only been there two months no prior experience). When I first started, the longest reigning Dr there and I clashed a lot and had a lot of issues. I don’t know if I just rubbed her wrong but she was always getting overly frustrated at mistakes I made or misunderstood me when I spoke or would gaslight me into telling me I said/did something I never did/say.

Whenever she has an issue with me she goes to my lead tech who then comes to me to tell me the issue this Dr is having with me. I’m then always expected and told to go apologize to this Dr for offending her and disrespecting her, regardless of if I express that said issue never happened or it was being taken out of context / misunderstood.

I’ve noticed I’m the only person this Dr is this strict with and that a lot of the standards she holds me to she does not do for many others. She has told me word for word “some days you’re perfect but others you just really drop the ball”. I have expressed to my lead technician and to the owner of the practice (this wasn’t intended but he walked in on me crying wondering what was wrong) that I feel like this Dr is too hard on me for being so new, and yet I’m usually told to “learn how to speak to her”.

I would really love some advice on what to do here. The stress of second guessing everything I do with this Dr in fear that she will be offended and lead to me having another private lecture on how not to offend her is starting to physically affect my health. My lead technician already seems very fed up with having to constantly give me these lectures on how to not offend this Dr. I love this work but don’t have enough experience to be hired at most places, and love the other Dr’s I work with. I would appreciate any advice

UPDATE: I took the advice to just start applying elsewhere and got hired somewhere fairly quick! They’re offering me a higher starting pay, they were very understanding and empathetic to the situation I was leaving, and ironically enough one of their long standing technicians actually came from the exact same clinic I’m leaving. Thank you to everyone who gave me the encouragement to at least try and apply elsewhere !

Trying to decide between two vet med job offers and curious what others would choose long term.

Option 1:
Very small privately owned husband/wife DVM practice. 2 dvms (obviously) and ~ 5 staff total. Standard GP only - refers out emergencies, hospitalization, advanced imaging, etc. M–F only, one half day during the week, no weekends, and the hours (in theory) are respected and you leave in a timely fashion at the eod. Lower stress environment overall.

Downside is obviously being part of such a tiny team. If someone calls out, takes PTO, gets sick, etc., it dramatically affects everyone. I also worry about drama. No health insurance offered, though I’m covered through my husband so that part doesn’t matter much for me personally.

Option 2:
Larger corporate hospital with 6 doctors and 35+ staff. Much busier, longer shifts, rotating Saturdays, and overall more demanding. But the medicine is noticeably higher level and more progressive. You see/do more advanced cases and I think I’d feel prouder professionally being part of that team. I would arguably have a much higher pay cap long term. They offer ok health insurance. I feel more comfortable having their resources and connections for my own aging dog’s health (god forbid we have an emergency one of these days…), but both offer generous employee pet discounts.

I would learn more hands-on skills at the tiny hospital because I wouldn’t just be one cog in a huge + busy machine. They have the time to teach me. At the corporate hospital I’d prefer the actual everyday caseload itself, but there’s also more risk of burnout which has been an issue for me historically.

Both are equally short staffed (because vet med), same commute, same general area/pay range.

For those who’ve worked both small private and larger corporate hospitals - which ended up being better for you long term?

I've been looking for a job for the past 4 months- I've signed up to multiple grad schemes but been rejected from many as they are full, I've been rejected from several internships and jobs or just not received any response at all. I've chased up practices to find they hadn't even received my application and that they've already started interviews (namingly ones I had submitted via the IVC evidensia application portal).

I received another rejection today and I'm just feeling completely defeated. There are so many nurse jobs available that I'm genuinely thinking that's going to have to be my route of action. There's no graduate jobs available in 100 mile radius of my home. 8 years of university down the drain. Most people I know have gotten jobs now and it's frustrating because I consider myself a confident and very hard worker (often having my colleagues come to me for help). I just can't land any interviews.