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Veterinary Practice News Editorial Blog:
Wednesday, May, 5, 2010
The Rat (or Hamster) Race
By Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR
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"Even if you are on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there."
-- Will Rogers
 This is an amazing quote from Will Rogers, and so true. You must always be moving in some direction or else you will get left behind or run over. Are you moving, or just sitting still? And, are you on the right track, or just aimlessly moving forward with the momentum of the events in your life? If it’s not a path or track that you’ve chosen, then it probably isn’t the right track for you. When you reach the destination, if you even recognize the end of the line, you will likely be somewhere that you did not want to go.
As veterinary professionals, we have so many choices in our career. Yet we often feel stuck, either in the type of work we are doing or the place we are working. There is so much more to veterinary medicine than working in a small-animal companion practice, even if the majority of us work in that environment. If the place you’re working doesn’t feel right for you, or never did, then you have options. It is challenging, I will admit, especially if your job is the second, lower salary, job in your family. Traditionally you have to protect the higher bread-winner, so picking up and relocating for a new opportunity in veterinary medicine may not be practical. Yet that doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck.
Besides looking around your community or region for other, somewhat “non-traditional” veterinary roles, you can also stay in the same place but prepare yourself for a change in the future. Determine what you want to be doing, what interests you have or areas you enjoy, and then take steps to better your skills and increase your knowledge. For example, if you work in a small animal practice but have an interest in emergency medicine, use this time to read journals, attend continuing education events, and explore what types of facilities in your area could use someone with your new skills and knowledge.
Consider volunteering if there isn’t a paid job in the field you desire. Many places would be delighted to have the free help, and your skills as a technician, receptionist, assistant, etc. could be put to good use while you expand your knowledge in your desired areas. The point is, don’t just stand still and let others run you over. Find the direction you want to go, and take steps in that direction.
Hopefully you’ll have more success than my dwarf hamster, Snowy (pictured above - he’s a Winter White Russian dwarf, for those of you confused by the name…and he does turn lighter half the year). We entered him in the Petco Hamster Derby last weekend. After some coaching by my daughter, he took to his ball and took to the track. He was going at a pretty good clip, but unfortunately he was headed the wrong way. By the time we got him turned around, you guessed it, some other fast hamster had taken the prize. Luckily, Snowy didn’t take it too hard, and got to go home with some new treats to boot!
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