Yes, but without the big DVM, it’s just a hobby. If you’re a vet, you can put it on your résumé. Think of the doors that could open for you!
OK. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
Not all it’s cracked up to be frankly. Too many tourists, and no ethnic food.
What do you call a man with his arm up to the elbow in a horse’s ass?
An Amish mechanic.
–Robin Williams
That Robin Williams – mighty damn funny.
Hey, SA, ol’ buddy, we got an entertainer spouting off about political topics being Pitted. Haven’t seen you post there yet. 
Why, that sorry ass motherfu…oh, wait, he’s a rightie.
Never mind.
With all due respect to any nurses on the Dope, there is a little, shall we say, competition between nurses and lab techs? If you really want to get a lab tech’s goat, call her a lab nurse.
Heck, in UK (at least true 10 years ago) it was more difficult and more competative to get into Vetinarian school than to get into Medicine. Then again we Brits are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers.
So Antigen why didn’t you enter vetinarian school, you’re far too bright to be a mere lab assistant 
Wow. You are in the exact situation as me. I have an engineering degree but I work on the floor in a semiconductor fab.
I also have 14 days off a month.
I find myself frequently saying, “I work to live, not the other way around.”
I thought Vet school was easier to get into then med 
I assume that since you are dealing with people’s lives, you would be more strict in accepting med school candidates.
It’s supply and demand: More students competing for each vet school slot than medical school slot, so the vet schools have a larger pool to pick from and can be more selective. That’s the situation in the United States, anyway.
I think it’s the same here in Alberta, too (probably in all of Canada, actually). There just aren’t that many vet schools (doing a quick search, I see four in all of Canada.)
There are only 27 vet schools in the US. As I recall, there about 110 medical schools.
Just FYI.
Sorry about hyjacking your thread…
Anyways back to the OP. I think the person was trying to be nice but failing badly. Like saying “you’re so beautiful you should be a model” though the attempt is praise the implication is that the person should not be what they currently are.
This may be off the topic a bit, but I think it’s related, and it’s something that’s annoyed me for a while.
There are people who are smart, and they would like to make a lot of money. And everyone (including them in many cases) think they should go to medical school.
While I would like my doctor to be smart, I would also like him or her to have an interest in caring for people’s health. Somehow, this seems to be lost in the whole “what should I do with my life” equasion. And further – the making money aspect. Yes, doctors have important jobs and should be well-paid for what they do. After all, lives can hang in the balance. But–as a reason to enter medicine? Just wrong.
A friend of mine is a doctor, and she reported that many of her classmates were perfect assholes who only entered the profession because they could make a lot of money. Further, the areas they considered for specialities were weighted based on how much they would make in future earnings.
Not suprisingly, most of her female classmates chose family practice and pediatrics, traditionally lower paying specialities. Those assholes I spoke of opted for surgery and other specialities. Some even chose urology, specifically because it was high-paying, had predictable hours and little on-call requirements.
Back to the OP.
So my belief that specialists and especially surgeons are assholes of the first water isn’t completely off the mark, then?
Well, I would say it’s up to the individual, but there are alot of surgeons who think that God sits on the right hand of them. IMO, it has something to do with the culture of the OR–he is Captain of the ship and all that.
Frankly, to me, it’s anesthesiologists who have the biggest egos, ever. Specialists who can’t or won’t simplify matters for you or take time to explain things should not be seen again. In an ideal world, you should tell them the reasons why you are not continuing with them, but that’s not alwasy desirable or possible.
But, yes, overall, Marcus Welby is indeed dead. Not that most docs aren’t hard working nice people–but they aren’t driving the bus anymore.
oops-forgot this.
I have known plenty of nasty female docs, including one OB-GYNE who didn’t even warm the speculum. She was a cold fish and belonged in research or somewhere administrative.
So, there’s no guarantee that female=compassionate. The worst doc I ever encountered was a female pediatrician who was quite rough with my daughter. I gave her a piece of my mind. She left the practice shortly afterwards–she wasn’t cut out for peds. She now works ER.
Not picking at you, Ellen, just sayin’.
I know! And plus, you have more experience with it. I’m just reporting what my friend said, 15 years ago when she was in medical school.
Well…what is/was it?
I’m hoping to enter medicine, and although I certainly agree with your post, I wanted to add that from a strictly financial standpoint, lots of other professions in the medical field are starting to come out as even or way ahead from a financial standpoint compared to doctors.
It all depends on how old you are, when you retire, etc., but for many careers being an RN or sonogram tech will come out out ahead financially after you factor in a $120,000 (minimum) four year education plus several years of $30-35k/year training, especially if you’re willing to put in a lot of hours.