Why I’m not a veterinary clinician (or a tale on why I’m not a “people person”)
I’m a veterinarian. Or not.
Sure, I went to veterinary school, through the mandatory training, and all the cats and dogs and cows included in that. So how did I end up with a PhD in consumer behaviour, founding a tech company and teaching biostatistics?
Actually, the answer is easy. I don’t like to interact with people. And I guess not liking people while being a happy, fulfilled veterinary clinician didn’t seem like compatible life goals.
So let me start from the beginning. I went to veterinary school because I loved animals and the thrill of a medical profession attracted me. If you are a vet or know a vet, you know this is the common drive and calling for most of them.
But I ended up knowing from the very bottom of my heart and soul that I did not want to be a clinician. Why? Because I still love animals and taking care of them, it’s the clients I can’t stand.
Nothing wrong with the clients (well, at least not with the vast majority of them), I’m the one lacking the people skills. I don’t really like to meet new people, I’m not a very patient person and I do suffer and struggle with small talk.
I had this visionary moment in a summer internship after my first year in vet school. I went to work for a small animal practice, and that was it. By the end of the internship I was determined NOT to take care of animals, because that meant I would have to deal with people.
These days, being a teacher at a veterinary school, I always ask the freshmen students why they ended up there. And my original drive and motivation are the ones I find in my students.
But if you go and consider how many veterinarians are not truly happy with their jobs, it kind of makes me wonder… What if they don’t like people too?
As a friend said in a nice story you can find here, vets are trained to take care of animals, not to be managers or business people, so they become miserable when having to be hospital or clinic managers.
I suspect the same applies to dealing with people. Vets love and are trained to take care of animals, not people. We are not told that for every dog or every cat, an owner comes inevitably attached. The one who pays the bills, the one we have to make small talk with, the one we have to explain everything to and convince and remind of all that’s best for the pet.
For many of us, that is just not… pleasing. We don’t feel the right recognition for our work, we feel frustrated that owners go home and do the exact opposite of what we told them, we hate those that we have to tolerate because their dog is what we are really concerned about.
So maybe, just maybe, someone should tell veterinarians to be, or wannabe, the truth about cats (place any other animal you want here) and people (owners, parents, whatever you prefer). Because if these vets-to-be dislike people like I do, they may be happier doing something else. I hear pet related technology is a really cool way of helping pets and reaching out to their people in a not so hands-on approach. ;-)
