To be a competent vet requires a very diverse skill set ranging from radiology, pathology and medicine to surgery, oncology, dentistry, endoscopy and so on.

Veterinary medicine and surgery is constantly changing requiring further education along the way.

Working with owners to help with their pet’s problems can be a satisfying experience, but unfortunately veterinary medicine also has a dark side – it has a very high rate of depression and suicide.  

This is a topic close to my heart as three of my colleagues I went to university with died prematurely.

All three were intelligent, vibrant people who were passionate about their profession, who enjoyed life, yet succumbed to depression.

Although there are many positives to being a vet, there are aspects of the job that can be mentally tough.

The veterinary profession attracts very compassionate people who are naturally empathetic and caring, especially when animals are involved.  

These are wonderful qualities to have when dealing with clients and their animals under stress. But it also entails dealing with disappointment and death on a daily basis.  

Many animals require humane euthanasia which can leave owners and vets with feelings of guilt despite this option being the best one for their beloved pet.

Complex, difficult cases that do not respond to treatment can be frustrating and devastating to the treating vets, leaving them feeling helpless and questioning of their abilities.

In addition, decision making in veterinary medicine is not as simple as what is best for the pet.  

There are occasions where the best therapies are either unobtainable or unaffordable which can lead to more stress for veterinarians and owners alike.

Coupled with this is dealing with clients under stress who can react with grief, anger, aggression, sadness and surprise which can be very confronting for vets to deal with.

Underlying all these issues, a lot of vets work long hours and are tired, sometimes exhausted and sleep-deprived from after-hours call outs.  

In our roster for example, full time vets have one week per roster where they work six days straight with three of those being on call.

The demanding hours, the unpredictability and the tiredness also take a toll on family life.  Most families of vets sacrifice a lot of family time and limited holiday dates. Some families cope and some fall apart.

The impression I get from my friends is that vets have a reputation for being very well-remunerated.  The reality is that most vets are only modestly paid with first and second year vets earning less than most of their contemporaries such as school teachers.

The profession contains lots of students that are used to solving problems and expecting to be able to fix most problems.  

In reality, veterinary medicine is not black and white and has lots of grey areas adding another layer of frustration to their psyche.

Despite all the challenges, veterinary science is a very exciting, challenging career which I love.   

In particular working with people’s wonderful pets and with caring owners gives great satisfaction and pride – which most vets would not swap for anything.