Veterinary school has the capacity to give you extreme tunnel vision. Perhaps it is not the nature of veterinary school itself, but the profession. As a whole, the student population aspiring to become veterinarians is goal-oriented, motivated and extremely intelligent. We know what we want and how to get it.
We are constantly inundated with information about our future careers, whether we are interested in small animal medicine, large animal surgery, exotics or zoo medicine or microbiology or public health. Externships, internships, residencies, fellowships. Sometimes, just figuring out the jargon is the most overwhelming part of it all! It can all be very stressful when you have your days planned to the hour, including when to wake up and what to make for dinner. Your career as a veterinarian, at one point, may become all that you think about.
That’s how I was up until a few days ago, when something happened that caused me to take a step back and realize that being a veterinarian means nothing without my family.
My family.
I suppose you could say that my family’s connection to horses is pretty obvious. My Dad has raced Standardbreds for a living his entire life, and my mom grew up “in the barn” as well. My sister and I showed Quarter Horses for about five years when I was a teenager, during which my love for the animal was completely solidified within me.
I always enjoyed watching my Dad’s races, but for one reason or another never got involved with the actual profession. Now, I feel lucky to be in a position where I will one day be able to provide care to the animals that have given my family so much over the years. In a way, becoming a veterinarian for me is more about how it always reminds me of my family more than anything else.
Recently, my father had the misfortune of being in a pretty serious accident at work. I was in the last hour of lecture in Surgical Principles on Friday afternoon, during which I was so enthralled by the lecturer I nearly neglected to look at the text from my mother saying that Dad was in the hospital. In that moment, my tunnel vision subsided.
Now, as my father recovers from the accident, I am able to reflect on my position in veterinary school and my family’s role in getting me to where I am today. Ironically, the reason I am so interested in veterinary medicine is because of those horses that my father has raced his entire life. Those same horses that have taken him down on the seemingly rock-solid track are the horses on which I want to be able to practice medicine.
After some serious “family time” these past few weeks, I am reminded of why I am here in veterinary school in the first place. I love veterinary medicine- but it is so much more than that. Being a veterinarian means never having to lose that connection with my family, even years from now. At the end of the day, you have to remember why you are here in the first place. Otherwise, what’s the point of it all?
