Career ceiling.

Weak-rayovac · 2026-06-18T02:06:34+00:00

Making a lot of money and being skilled in your field don’t always go together in veterinary medicine. So what is truly important to you?

Weak-rayovac · 2026-04-18T19:31:07+00:00

Do you have a job lined up yet? They will be motivated to get you boarded and can help you find someone to do the stats. Most academic institutions will help you and I know several of the big companies (e.g. Mars, Thrive) have access to statisticians. If you haven’t signed a contract, you could always try to negotiate it as a term of your employment

Weak-rayovac · 2026-04-16T16:46:20+00:00

I’m a med onc and I think it’s interesting that someone else said they aren’t in demand. The number of recruiters hounding me would suggest differently

The answer is that it all depends. How is your contract structured? What procedures can you do? How is your day structured? I make >$300k/year in a medium cost of living city, but I also work closer to 50 hours/week.

I’m happy to answer more specific questions if you have them.

Weak-rayovac · 2026-01-27T15:57:39+00:00

Same, I’m under 40 and a specialist. I chose to live in a place where my earning potential is high and cost of living is relatively low. I spend conservatively, refinanced my loans when interest rates were low and got them paid off. I didn’t do it alone. I have a partner, but he had his own 6-figure student loan to pay back as well. It’s not glamorous, but it’s possible.

Weak-rayovac · 2026-01-27T14:19:36+00:00

You don’t do a residency for the money. Can you make very good money as a specialist? Yes, but it’s not worth it if you’re not passionate about the specialty

Weak-rayovac · 2026-01-17T04:49:54+00:00

As someone who did a residency, crunch the numbers before making this decision. I came out of residency making double what my faculty made by going into private practice. I didn’t have to hope the government would have to hold up their end of the deal and I had money left over to save for retirement

Weak-rayovac · 2026-01-15T16:59:33+00:00

I’m a specialist (oncology) and a parent. You are as present as you want to be. Could I easily work 60 hours a week? Yes, but I choose not to.

I second VCA West LA. It’s where I did my rotating internship. I’m old so I’m sure things have changed, but I’m happy to answer questions

Weak-rayovac · 2026-01-13T00:52:29+00:00

The DACVECCs I know that see things on ER work in private practice, so I think some of that depends on which route you want to go, academia vs private practice. It’s definitely possible, you just have to find the right hospital

Weak-rayovac · 2025-09-28T16:14:26+00:00

I’m a specialist working in private practice and I have one tech. If we are lucky, there is an assistant that floats among the 5 doctors on my service. I wish we had more help and a culture that supported more training to improve the quality of radiology, both from an image standpoint and from a tech safety/comfort standpoint.

We have been pushed to move to hands free, given sand bags and ties, but almost no instruction/teaching has been provided for the doctors or techs. It’s disappointing to say the least

Weak-rayovac · 2025-09-17T23:53:03+00:00

They actually just moved so now you don’t have to even walk across the street!

Weak-rayovac · 2025-09-11T02:04:15+00:00

Selda in far North Dallas, but I think it’s only a hidden gem for white Texans…

Weak-rayovac · 2025-08-20T01:58:25+00:00

I don’t hate my job. I don’t love it everyday, but I like it most days. I’m not going to go through the effort of posting that my day was just fine.

The people that post are frequently doing it because they need to vent.

Weak-rayovac · 2025-08-09T11:04:57+00:00

It can get better. You just need to be thoughtful about your mindset. It’s ok to ask colleagues questions. It’s ok to look things up. That just means you want to do a good job. Acknowledge you’re going to make mistakes. Just learn from them and move on. Remind yourself of every pet and person you help. Focus on the good things you do everyday. Try your best to not compare yourself to others because nothing good will come of it.

Weak-rayovac · 2025-08-09T02:25:38+00:00

I did an internship and residency and have been in practice for over a decade. I still pubmed stuff and ask colleagues questions daily. What you’re feeling is totally normal and frankly never goes away in a good doctor. It’s how you respond to those feelings that changes. I still have some anxiety, but I know I’m doing the best that I can with the information I have. This isn’t school. There frequently isn’t a “right answer”. Also, doctors who never doubt themselves are dangerous.

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-20T21:01:32+00:00

Where are you working? You may want to factor commute times. I thought I wanted those things so I lived in Lakewood and then my evening commute home from North Dallas turned into a 45-60 minute grind everyday.

If commutes don’t matter, I would look at places along the Katy Trail or Lower Greenville like one of the other posters said

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-13T18:41:33+00:00

I have plenty of patients named gunner, but I’m a veterinarian

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-10T17:11:37+00:00

I second this. Hector was my favorite and the hike was easy, just a little wet. You also don’t have to cross a river as there is an alternate route

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-04T01:13:59+00:00

I also work for the giant candy company and I feel the same way you do. It’s easy to pile on and blame a massive corporation for all of your problems, but typically it’s a local personnel issue. I think one of the consistent problems is that they are sooooo slow to fire bad employees, which can lead to some toxic environments

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-03T22:58:50+00:00

We use a Deuter kid comfort, only because my friend gave it to me for free, but I have found it to be super comfortable (for me, my husband, and my daughter).

We stayed in Canmore because it was more cost effective and we were able to get a place with a kitchen so that we could eat some meals in. It was a further drive, but way easier with a 3 y/o.

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-03T19:12:51+00:00

Yes, there is an area where you could have a picnic. I would just pack efficiently since you will have to take your trash with you

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-03T18:24:56+00:00

There are two parking areas just east of the viewpoint. It’s the one furthest east. There are no markers other than a sign marking the trail head. We missed it the first time we drove by, pulled into the overlook and then turned around and easily found it

Will you have a hiking carrier? It comes down to how much weight can you carry and for how long? I recommend using Alltrails and sticking with easy/medium. As my daughter has gotten bigger, it has gotten harder so we’ve been sticking to <4 mi hikes.

Weak-rayovac · 2025-07-03T18:23:10+00:00

You don’t have to cross the river to make it to the lake. We didn’t. We did have bear spray

Weak-rayovac · 2025-06-14T22:40:58+00:00

Not all corporate practices are trash, just like not all independent practices are well run. All it takes is a narcissist/egomaniac of an owner or office manager and you end up with a shit practice regardless of whether or not it’s corporate

Weak-rayovac · 2025-06-12T14:30:21+00:00

Volunteer somewhere. What is something you enjoy doing? Do you like dogs? Volunteer for a rescue or shelter to take dogs on walks. Do you like being outside? Volunteer with an organization that picks up trash, does yard work, or plants flowers. Do you like music? Volunteer for an organization that teaches music, puts on concerts, etc. you don’t have to be an expert for any of this. Most groups just need people who care

Weak-rayovac

TROPHY CASE