During my senior year of veterinary school, I remember many of my classmates were interested in pursuing a small animal rotating internship and then residency. I knew I wanted to go into General Practice or Shelter Medicine. I thought about doing a shelter or small animal rotating internship once, but quickly realized it was not a good option for me.
I think an internship is a great mentorship opportunity but there are a few reasons I decided not to apply:
- I believe mental health can be severely affected during internships due to high levels of stress. It can trigger anxiety and depression and decrease the quality of veterinary care. I have heard about interns who have panic attacks and ultimately lose interest in their careers after completing an internship.
- I think a low salary can be extremely stressful—even more so if you want to move to a big city where life is so expensive. It can lead to financial constraints and depression.
- A healthy work-life balance is not achievable during internship training. Many interns have to work at least 5-7 days in a row, so there is no equilibrium between personal and work life. There is no time for lunch or snack breaks, often times meaning you must eat whenever you can, leading to burnout and physical exhaustion. Interns are then forced to use their days off to catch up on sleep or run errands and buy groceries.
Some of my classmates, however, told me internships are worth all of the struggles and burnout. Others changed their career paths and decided to wait before pursuing a residency.
Instead, I have decided to apply to a virtual internship offered by VIN (Veterinary Information Network) this summer. During this opportunity, I will be able to learn about interesting cases and simultaneously continue working as a GP veterinarian.
Read more by Maria.
