Questions for Aspiring Veterinarians

Questions for Aspiring VeterinariansQuestions for Aspiring VeterinariansThe decision to pursue veterinary medicine is a major commitment- one that should be carefully considered. There are certainly many great reasons to become a vet, but it is important to realistically consider all aspects of the career before making a final decision. Here are seven questions that an aspiring veterinarian should consider before embarking on this challenging career path. Can You Handle Taking on Significant Student Debt? The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that over 90 percent of veterinary students must borrow to fund their veterinary education. A veterinary student generally takes on an average educational debt of $162,113 during the course of their studies. It is important to know that you might be responsible for mortgage-sized payments after graduation. Are You Being Realistic about Your Starting Salary? The AVMA Market Research Statistics report (2013) indicated that ne w veterinary graduates could expect to earn an average starting salary of $67,136. The debt to income ratio has unfortunately become quite high (31) in recent years due to the rapidly rising cost of veterinary education. While veterinary medicine is one of the top paying animal career paths, it can take several years for the salary to climb to a level where you will be comfortable. Can You Focus on Your Career When Time with Friends and Family May Be Limited? It is difficult to launch a career in veterinary medicine, and it may cost you valuable time with friends and family (particularly in the early years when long hours are often necessary and expected). It can be a real challenge to balance work and home life for individuals hoping to raise a family. Do You Plan to Pursue a Specialty? Becoming a hauptplatine-certified veterinary diplomate requires a great deal of additional training after the basic DVM degree is achieved (often three more years of study and clinical pract ice). There are more than a dozen specialty areas that a vet can choose from including dermatology, surgery, radiology, pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, and more. Specialists can earn much higher salaries than the average veterinarian, but there are additional educational costs incurred during their residencies. Residents do, however, earn a small salary while pursuing their board certification (reportedly an average of $30,916 in 2014). Do You Plan to Become a Practice Owner? The earlier you can decide that you want to pursue practice ownership, the better. It can be a significant expense to start your own practice (or buy into an established practice), but it can lead to significantly higher earnings in the long run. In a 2009 AVMA study, partners earned an average of $40,000 more per year than associates. If you plan to pursue this path start saving early, and make the investment as soon as possible. Have You Identified a Particular State or Area where You Would Like to Practice? It is important to be realistic about where you will feel comfortable practicing. There are many programs that reward veterinarians for working in underserved areas for a few years (often compensating them for up to $75,000 in student debt), but if you cant reconcile yourself to working in such an area this wont be a good fit for you. Be sure to make connections in the areas where you would like to work if at all possible. Also research the cost of living, area amenities, and economic prospects for success in that specific veterinary market. Can You Handle the Emotional and Physical Stress that Is a Part of this Job? Veterinary medicine can take a lot out of a practitioner both mentally and physically. The hours are long, some procedures are unpleasant, and there is the stress of having to give schwimmbad news to owners. Some vets report in surveys that they can suffer from depression and a variety of other symptoms related to stress. This can be a very rewarding job, but you have to anticipate that there will be some tough things to get through from time to time.

Harvard Laws Therapy Liger

Harvard Laws Therapy LigerHarvard Laws Therapy LigerHarvard Law isnt all about gazing at ivy, rowing boats while reading your torts casebook or calculating ways in which you and your fellow law students will rule the legal world. That crimson bunch likes to laugh too. And whats more humorous than polking fun at your biggest law school rival?Last week, Yale Law offered a unique opportunity to destress reserving time with a therapy dog named Monty. Students could hang out with the pup for thirty-minute sessions at Yale Laws library. According to the law school, It is well documented that visits from therapy dogs have resulted in increased happiness, calmness, and overall emotional well-being.Inspired by Yale Laws new perk, Harvard Law has decided to offer some therapy of its own Harry the Harvard Law School Library Therapy Liger. According to Calvin A. Tompkins, a research librarian at Harvard LawWe were excited to hear about Yales wonderful program that allows students to rent a dog t o relieve stress. We knew that Harvard had to get in on the action. But we thought that dogs were a bit pass, you know, twentieth century, so we thought that we should do something different. We decided to go big and exotic.Well played, Harvard Law. Im sure playing fetch with Monty is great stress relief, but nothing eases the nerves better than a good laugh.Read more about Harvard Laws Liger Above the Laws post on Yales therapy dogFOLLOW VAULT LAW ON TWITTER VaultLaw

Holiday Billable Blues

Holiday Billable BluesHoliday Billable BluesThe clock is ticking down to sweet holiday freedom. You can practically smell your familys home-cooked feast from your office, and the thought of abandoning billable hours for a day is making you giddy. And then it happens- the most dreaded pre-holiday sound. Your office phone rings. Youve been assigned to an emergency matter and must drop everything to help, including your holiday plans.As many lawyers know, holiday work isnt just a plot line to escalate the drama in movies. When a client calls, lawyers answer, regardless of the date. But that doesnt make it any easier to miss out on time with friends and family. Below are some tips on navigating this tough situation.Dont Try to Rationalize ItIf youre experience is anything like mine, your non-lawyer family and friends just wont understand how you could possibly have work on a holiday (or weekend or after 6 p.m.). Its futile to try to explain the why to them, and your attempts will likely only be met with frustration and calls for you to quit or stand up to your boss. Instead, tell your loved ones that you are doing your best to complete the work so that you can be with them. And if youre unable to make it, schedule another time to celebrate with them.Its hard not to complain- missing a holiday is a huge bummer. If you need to get out a few gripes, go for it, and then move on with the hopes that you can get your work done quickly and still make it for some of the festivities.Weigh the SituationDepending on your personality, you may be quick to accept or reject a holiday assignment. Before doing either, consider your history with the firm and your goals. If youre somewhat of a newbie, still forging your path, and youve never been called upon in an emergency situation, saying no isnt the best idea. Its inevitable as a law firm associate that youll face an inconvenient assignment or two (or a hundred). If its your turn to take one for the team, its probably best to acce pt your fate. But if you are called on continuously while your peers arent, perhaps you could have a frank- but respectful- conversation with the assigning freund about other times that youve helped out and share your holiday plans with him or her. Of course, if youre planning your exit soon and have no aspirations of partnership, youre in a much better position to respectfully decline the work.Call in a FavorIf the assignment is an isolated one that doesnt require your specific expertise, and if this holiday is particularly important to you, consider calling in a favor. Perhaps you know that a fellow associate has zero holiday plans or doesnt celebrate the holiday. With that associates permission, ask the assigning partner if the other associate could fill in for you and explain how important the holiday is to you. Make sure you thank that associate for helping, and pay it forward in the future. Also, it would behoove you to jump in the next time the assigning partner needs a volun teer to show that youre a team player.Take the Opportunity to ShineIf you get saddled with holiday work, use it to your advantage. The partners may be expecting resistance and probably feel terrible about keeping you from your friends and family. Make a bad situation better by having a positive attitude and doing your best work. The partners on the case will remember your attitude and the great work you produced despite the unfortunate circumstances.Make the Best of ItYou may not be able to spend your holiday exactly as you had hoped, but that doesnt mean it has to be a total waste. If youre stuckverzierung in the office- or worse, traveling- build your camaraderie with the others staffed on your case. Take a break and order in a special meal, share some holiday traditions, or just chit chat to cheer each other up. For many, co-workers are like an extended family. So if you must be stuck at the firm, at least you can enjoy each others company. If youre not locked in the office and a re working remotely, enjoy the time that you do get with your friends and family. It may not be the exact day you had expected, but any time with them is better than nothing.Be EfficientIt probably goes without saying that you should focus and try to get your work done as quickly as possible. When I received an assignment on Christmas Eve as a junior associate, I put my head down and cranked it out with the goal of making it home in time for Christmas Eve dinner, and I succeeded. Resist the urge to sulk and complain about your misfortune- its a waste of time, and time is everything at this point. Figure out how to be as productive as possible with the goal of saving as much of your holiday as you can.Being on call 24/7 as an associate is never easy. And while holiday work isnt necessarily the norm, it can happen. Try to hold on to as much of that holiday spirit as you can, and do your best to stay positive and produce your best work in the most efficient way possible.