When I was a young girl, I decided that animals needed me. Every time I found a wounded or stray animal, I felt as though it were my duty to doctor it or find it a home. Sometimes my attempts at healing the wounds worked, but sometimes they failed miserably.
Once, when I was six, I found a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest and had been abandoned by its momma. I brought it home and my mom and I fixed a little nest in a bowl for it. We put it above the kitchen stove to keep it warm. My dad came home from work that night and did not know the bird was there. He turned the stove on to fix himself a snack before bed and cooked my poor little bird!
That is when I decided that I wanted to open a shelter for homeless animals and be able to have children bring me all of the birds, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, cows, sheep, etc. that they ever found. To a six year old, that was a perfectly logical thing to do so that no more birds would unknowingly get cooked.
Now that I have grown up and become a little wiser, I still want to take care of animals, but I know there is a lot more to it than just opening a shelter and telling the kids to bring me sick, homeless animals. What would I do with them? How would I know what was wrong with them? Where would I get the medicine to give them? How would I pay for the medicine if I could get it?
So, by doing this research paper, I hope to fill in some of the blanks in my mind about the details of being a veterinarian. I also hope to get a clearer idea of what fields are available to specialize in, the average salary of a veterinarian, and if age makes a difference when it comes to finding a job in whichever field I decide to specialize.
That’s what a veterinarian takes care of! If it breathes and you can see it, there is a veterinarian around somewhere that can doctor it! I hope to someday be included in the list of exceptional animal caregivers known as veterinarians.
The place I spent most of my time doing this research paper was the Mansbach Memorial Library located in the Ashland Community and Technical College. The staff there was most helpful in helping me locate research material. I also got several pointers from the book by Ken Macrorie, entitled “The I-Search Paper”. It suggested several different questions to ask myself about what I wanted out of my career choice. I want to be able to support my family and give my kids a few of the luxury items I have never been able to give them up to this point. I want to be able to send them to Disney World if they wanted to go. I want to have a nice house instead of a cramped, two-bedroom mobile home. I want to be able to take my son shopping for new school clothes at the beginning of the school year instead of waiting for the items to go on sale at KMART halfway through the fall. I just want a better life for my family. That is what I want from my career choice. And I am willing to work harder than the average bear to accomplish my goal.
To become a veterinarian, you must go through eight years of college. That is a long time to someone who is just starting their schooling at the age of 39! I will be going to Ashland Community and Technical College for the first two years, then I will transfer to Morehead University for two more years. The next four years will be spent at a veterinary college. That is, if I get lucky enough to get accepted. I don’t know what I will do if I get turned down. I guess I will apply to be a veterinary assistant somewhere.
The first question I wanted answered was “how much money does a veterinarian make?” One of the librarians directed me to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2002-03 Edition published by the Dept. of Labor Statistics Bureau. It stated that
New veterinary medical college graduates who enter the
Federal Government usually start at $35,808…The average
annual salary for veterinarians in the Federal Government
in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions
was $67,482 in 2001. (276)
I still wanted a little more information on the salary issue, so I went to the “Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance” 10th Edition, Vol.4. The salary range it gave was from $27,800 to $81,200.
O.K., maybe I was a little hasty in my choice of being a country vet! But I still have a long way to go before I have to make a choice, so I can still explore many other options. Maybe, in the end, it won’t be the money that determines my final choice.
I have always had a high respect for veterinarians. Vets have the ability to diagnose, treat, and most of the time, cure something that can only speak to them with their eyes, tails, and body actions.
Through this research, I found out that being a veterinarian doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be stuck in a little clinic, taking care of dogs and cats all day. There are lots of different kinds of veterinarians. For instance, I found that I could be a Veterinary Anatomist. That is someone that studies the form and structure of animals. Or I could be a Veterinary Epidemiologist. That is someone that studies or treats skin diseases in animals. This is only a couple of types of veterinarians. For a more complete listing, you can look in the “Dictionary of Occupational Titles”, 4th Edition, Vol. 1.
I spoke with many people in the Grayson and Louisa, Kentucky area, and asked them what kind of veterinarian this area needed. All of them were quick to respond “one that will make house calls!” In Lexington, Ky., they have just that. In an article in the Lexington-Herald Leader, Aug.19, 2002, it tells us of “a veterinarian named (what else?) MacDonald, that runs Veterinary House-Call Services.” MacDonald says, “By treating patients in their homes, I gain insight into health issues that might affect them”(MacDonald).
Also, many of the people that need house-calls for their pets, are elderly. My mom lives in a Senior Citizen apartment complex. There are quite a few of the residents that have dogs. They say that they often have trouble getting to the vets office because of their own health issues. So for them, a mobile vet could possibly be the difference between the life and death of their pet.
The area of veterinary care I am most interested in right now, is the care of large animals, such as farm animals. If I choose to be a large animal vet, I know I will be subjected to many different, sometimes unpleasant, working conditions. The “Occupational Outlook Handbook” says
Veterinarians in large animal practice also spend time
driving between their office and farms or ranches. They
work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and have to treat
animals or perform surgery under less-than-sanitary
conditions. When working with animals that are in pain,
veterinarians risk being bitten, kicked, or scratched (275).
If I didn’t know better, I would say they had veterinarian and parent mixed up, wouldn’t you?
I wanted to get some first-hand information from local veterinarian, Dr. Donald Gibson, D.V.M., so I took advantage of the college library once again and used their computer study lab to create an interview packet. I had to decide which questions would benefit me the most to have answered. And, once again, the I-Search Paper (Macrorie) came into use. It helped me come up with some great interview questions. I had an appointment to interview Dr. Gibson today at 5p.m., but when I went to his office, he was still so busy that he did not have time for the interview. I am supposed to go back tomorrow and pick up the completed interview packet. Here are the questions that I put in the packet.
Do you think there is a particular type of person that becomes a vet?
Are the hours involved worth the pay?
Is there more paperwork than animal care?
What is involved in starting your own practice?
Do you have to work for someone else before you can open your own clinic?
Is it hard to get people to trust you with their animals?
Do you have to do a lot of surgery?
Do you think it is easier to take care of large animals, such as farm animals, or small house pets?
What kind of community involvement should a potential veterinary student participate in?
What advice would you give to someone just starting college with the intentions of becoming a veterinarian, and would the advice be the same for a young person as it would be for someone that wasn’t getting started until they were older (such as 39).
What kind of insurance do veterinarians have to carry?
What happens to the animals that die while in a vets care?
And, finally,
If I don’t make it all the way through college, could you use another assistant?
Thank you so much for your time. Maybe someday I will be able to put the letters D.V.M. after my name, too!!
Sincerely,
Kimberlee Sincell—student at ACC
I finally cornered Dr. Gibson and got several questions answered. The answer to the first question “Do you think there is a particular type of person that becomes a vet?” was “Yes, there is a great deal of school involved, which requires a determined and hardworking individual.”
“Are the hours involved worth the pay?” “Most of the time.”
“Is there more paperwork than animal care?” “No.”
“What is involved in starting your own practice?”
“Do you have to work for someone else before starting your own practice?” “No.”
“Is it hard to get people to trust you with their animals?” “Not usually.”
“Do you have to do a lot of surgery?” “No, it’s your choice.”
“Do you think it is easier to take care of large animals, such as farm animals, or small house pets?” “Small animals.”
“What kind of community involvement should a potential veterinary student participate in?” “Volunteering is important in all parts of life, but anything with animals would be good. Fairs, pet shows, pets to nursing homes, etc.”
“What advice would you give to someone just starting college with the intentions of becoming a veterinarian, and would the advice be the same for a young person as it would be for someone that wasn’t getting started until they were older (such as 39)?” “Work hard! Get experience in the fields of interest.”
“What kind of insurance do veterinarians have to carry?” “Malpractice. Others include disability, workers comp.”
“What happens to the animals that die while in a vets care?” “They are either returned to their owners, or they receive a proper burial.”
I do intend on going back to Dr. Gibson and getting more in-depth answers to these questions when he is not quite so busy. After I become a vet, I will be sure and take the time to answer any questions a potential veterinary student comes to ask me.
By doing the research for this paper, I have discovered that I want to be a veterinarian more than ever. I now know I have more options available than just being a country vet. I know I can make a good life for my family and possibly send my youngest son to college with the pay a veterinarian makes.
But most important of all is the happiness and self-satisfaction I will have, knowing I finally made a dream come true for the little girl that cried over a baby bird.
WORKS CITED
Dooley, Karla. “Vet Makes Patients Feel Right at Home.” Lexinton-Herald Leader (KY). 19 Aug. 2002: C3
Gibson, Donald. D.V.M. Personal Interview. 1 Aug. 2003
Macrorie, Ken. The I-Search Paper. Portsmouth, NH. Boynton/Cook 1988
United States. Labor Statistics Bureau. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. 4th Edition. Vol.1. 1991
United States. Labor Statistics Bureau. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2002-03 Edition. Washington D.C. Labor Dept. McGraw-Hill. 2002
“Veterinarian.” Encyclopedia of Career and Vocational Guidance. 10th Edition. Vol. 4. Chicago, Il. J.G. Ferguson. 1997
Abstract
I have really enjoyed creating this research paper because it has taught me that I have many options available to me in the veterinary field. The potential to make up to $80,000 annually is there. You just have to want it badly enough to stick with your schooling no matter what happens. Hard work and dedication are the makings of a successful veterinarian.
In my paper, I do an interview with a local vet. I have a few set-backs with the interview, but finally, it happens. To me, that is one of the ways you know a vet is successful; when they don’t have time for anything besides animal care. I have learned that being a vet is truly my hearts goal.
I have also learned that there are certain tasks one needs to accomplish in order to have a better chance of being accepted into a veterinary college. Doing a research paper is a great way to find out what these tasks are, no matter what field you are going into. I am thankful to Professor Joe Napora for giving this particular type of assignment. He wanted us to basically, research ourselves. He did not want to read what he could go to the library and find out for himself. He wanted to read a personalized research paper that described exactly what we went through in the search for knowledge about our chosen subject. I hope I have created just such a paper.
Kimberlee Sincell---English 102---August 04, 2003
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