I get a fair number of people (kids and parents) that come up to me and ask what it takes to become a veterinarian. They already know it takes a love of animals, but then I tell them that they need a lot more than that. It takes commitment, compassion, hard work, good grades, good people skills, persistence, a curious mind, and a good sense of humor.

For starters, young people need to know for sure that they want to work with and be around animals. I volunteered at an animal hospital when I was young, but I also did volunteer work at local animal shelters. When I was older, I worked with the Fish and Game officers outside of Yellowstone for a study on local wildlife populations of Grizzly Bear and Mountain Goats, and then did some work at the LA Zoo feeding the animals, cleaning out stalls, and observing their behavior. This all gave me a well-rounded idea if I wanted to work in a hospital, out in the open, or at a shelter or zoo.

I also did pretty well in school, which is a must to get into the limited and competitive veterinary schools in the country. Virginia Tech and the University of Pennsylvania are the closest to Ashburn, but there are others like North Carolina State, Tufts, and Cornell on the East Coast, and UC Davis and Washington State in the West. One has to do well in all areas of science, as well as math. I wasn’t too keen on math, but I stuck with it and managed to do well enough.

I also think reading “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriott is a great book to read because it combines all of the attributes that I mentioned above. It’s a bit outdated medically, but still a terrific read. You may wonder how good people skills come into play, but since our patients can’t talk to us, and it’s our patients’ providers who bring them to us and tell us what’s going on, then you see how important communication is to our profession.

I wish all you veterinarians-to-be out there good luck. Study hard and have fun.

Till next time, Dr. Steve, www.ashburnanimals.com

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