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by Cats Protection Veterinary Officer
 At
the age of eight, a relative who was taking me to the zoo asked, "Do you still
want to be a vet, Margaret?" Looking back, I consider myself to be one
of the lucky ones because I became a vet but it has taken a lot of hard work and
determination.
Many people watch TV programmes such as All Creatures Great
and Small or Animal Hospital and think what a great life it must be
but, these programmes do not show the years of studying or the sleepless nights
when on call!
To become a vet you must get a degree in veterinary medicine
at one of six universities around the country and this takes five or six years.
There are very few places so there is lots of competition and it is vital to get
A grades at A level in biology or zoology, physics or maths and chemistry. You
must also have as much practical experience as possible. This can be anything
connected with animals including spending time at a vet's surgery, working at a
kennel or stables or learning to milk cows. When you train as a vet you have to
deal with all animal species so try to gain experience with as many different
types of animals and not just cats and dogs.
Once you reach vet school the work has only just started.
There is so much to learn that you must work very hard and the holidays are
spent on farms or at the vets. There are literally hundreds of exams to be taken
so, if you don't like studying, it may not be the career for you.
Once you have passed the course it is quite easy to get a job
but you must work long hours including nights and weekends. Animals don't just
get sick Monday to Friday! Also a lot of your work involves dealing with people
so you must like them as well as animals. But it is very rewarding seeing
animals get better and no two days are the same. There are sad times when
animals do not get better or they have to be put to sleep.
Most vets work in practices but there are also jobs in
laboratories, zoos, charities and the government.
 Being
a vet is not the only job working with animals. Veterinary nursing is a very
rewarding job but it is not just playing with puppies and kittens; it also
involves long hours and some unpleasant tasks like cleaning dirty kennels. The
nurses' duties include helping during operating, nursing sick animals, applying
dressings, dispensing drugs, etc. You can work as a veterinary assistant without
qualifications if someone will give you a job but, to become a qualified
veterinary nurse, you must undergo training and then there are more things you
are allowed to do like minor operations. You can study at college or at home but
you must have worked in a veterinary surgery first to gain experience. You must
have four GCSEs, including maths or a science to start, or complete an animal
care course first.
There are many other courses available that teach you the care
of horses, farm animals and pets and special courses for pet store workers. Most
of them are run at agricultural colleges. These could lead to jobs in stables,
kennels, farms, etc, looking after animals. Unfortunately most of these jobs are
poorly paid and involve working long hours but, if you really care about
animals, you will not mind. Some people learn whilst working such as jockeys who
usually start out as stable lads (or lasses).
The Army, Air Force, Police, Customs and Prison Services all
use dogs and some horses and they generally do their own staff training. Usually
these jobs involve learning the normal duties of these professions as well as
the animal side. There are a few vets employed by the Army but not as many as
they used to as they don't have so many animals now.
If you want to work for a charity like Cats Protection or the
RSPCA, a good start is to work as a volunteer either fund-raising or helping
with the animals. There are some rules which mean that you may need to be 16
years old to help in some Shelters. A lot of people who work for Cats Protection
started as volunteers. In charity work you have to deal with sad cases such as
cruelty and neglect and so you mustn't be too soft-hearted.
Whatever career you choose the most important things are to be
hard-working and keen. This is especially true of working with animals and you
must be prepared to put up with little money, long hours and heartache. Most
animal-related jobs bring you into contact with the public so you have to get on
with people too (and the people cause more problems than the animals!) But work
with animals is very varied and rewarding and, if I had my time again, I would
still reply, "Yes, I want to be a vet!"
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