Being a vet is one of the most rewarding careers you could choose, however it can also be very demanding and difficult at times, so you need to be dedicated and be prepared to work hard. Here are some hints about how to go about becoming a vet.
The first stage is to find out what it's all about, and find out whether being a
vet really is what you want to do - it's not all as glamorous as it appears on
TV! The best way to do this is to do some work experience with animals. For work
experience here at the Garston Veterinary Group, contact our head nurse, Sarah
Adamson at the Frome Surgery. As a vet you'll have to work with all sorts of animals, and all sorts of people, so try to get work experience in other places
too.
A cattery, boarding kennels or an RSPCA centre is a good place to gain experience with cats and dogs; for horses, contact a local riding school, and ask a local farmer if you can help out with cattle, sheep or pigs. Many of these places would be happy for you to help out at weekends or after school, and you'll gain practical experience in handling animals that will be invaluable for your future career.
Work experience is essential to gain a place on a course at university - competition for a place at university is high, and plenty of work experience shows that you are keen and know what being a vet involves.
The next stage, unfortunately, is school work. The universities require good GCSE and A level grades (two A's and a B or thereabouts at A level), in science-based subjects - contact the universities for actual requirements. Veterinary science is a huge subject to learn, so you need to have a good grounding in science, and to show that you are capable of learning more.
The web sites for the universities that run courses in veterinary science are as follows:
The course at Cambridge is six years; all others are five years. This may seem like a long time; there will be a lot of hard work, and lots of exams to get through, but there will also be plenty of time to enjoy all the other aspects of university life.
Once you have successfully made it through school and university, the hard work doesn't stop - calls in the middle of the night in all weathers,
challenging cases, and keeping up with new innovations, but it's all worth it: You'll meet lots of interesting people, find yourself in all sorts of situations and have the satisfaction of bringing sick animals back to health.
