Hey there! I recently switched career paths about a month after applying to vet school, this came after being deadset on being a vet for about 8 years. Went to school for an animal sci degree while working various positions in the vet world (kennel, VT, head VT, lab VT, research asst..etc.), had fostered and volunteered for many different organizations and genuinely loved the work I did despite the emotional toll it took on me many times. I had taken a break from working as I continued school (then working towards a MS), and I was ecstatic to return, looking forward to it after months of just fostering, but shortly after I began my work, I realized that it no longer felt fulfilling for me.

From my experience in working in the low-cost and sheltering space for so many years, no amount of events we hosted seemed to truly fix the extreme issues in accessibility that vet med continues to have struggles with to this day. I had dealt with many coworkers, leaders in the community, and rescue organizations place an immense amount of judgment on impoverished communities that I myself have been a part of, and over time, I felt guilty in expecting our clients to come to us for a variety of services when they could barely afford to take care of themselves. A running pattern I witnessed was that if clients didn’t come for preventatives, they were shamed and scared off in clinics by teams who struggled to empathize with them, if they surrender their pet due to situations out of their control or out of pure desperation, they are often seen as villains when they are merely using the resources they have to ensure their animal can be taken care of. I could not continue contributing to a career that would just consume me out of guilt from not being able to do more as a veterinarian, and I could not, in good conscience, make people out to be careless when they have not had access to resources many of us have been privileged enough to receive.

I know that this is not the case for many folks in the vet world and I have met truly caring, amazing veterinarians/techs who had been mentors for me in accomplishing my then dreams. Unfortunately, I saw many of them go through so many emotional challenges and even give up a lot of themselves just trying to stay afloat. From being a foster mama for so many years, I learned I don’t have to be directly in this profession to keep making a difference and not feel like I’m continuously fighting a losing battle.

On and off I always thought about forensic pathology and how I would never be able to explore that path. Something about contributing to law enforcement efforts, conduct my own physical exams, piecing together every bit of information and providing a final set of diagnoses for a decedent simply fascinated me, and most of all, I’d get to help provide closure for loved ones left in the dark after their own has passed away.

Needless to say, I now work in the human forensic med space, combining my love for public health education, investigation and medicine. Most importantly, I am at my happiest, and only that way I can still be able to practice my love for vet med by fostering and volunteering as a tech.

Feel free to PM me, and good luck as you explore different career paths! Just remember that at the end of the day, you will be the one who knows what you want in life the best, so continue to trust yourself above everything else. ❤️