Being A Vet And A Mom
Monday August 14, 2006
JAMSHAN asks: "I'm considering switching my major from nursing to one that would allow me to fulfill the pre-vet requirements, but one major concern I have is the ability to work part time when I have kids. I was wondering if there are vets that are moms out there that can let me know if it's plausible for me to work part time when my children are young. Ideally I would only want to work a couple days a week for a couple years. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated."
Comments
Hi there, I am a veterinarian and a divorced mother of three beautiful girls ages 3, 6 and 11. Yes you can be a mom and a veterinarian. I graduated from vet school in 1998 and the majority of my classmates were women who have since gone on to start families. We all manage our family life in different ways but it is possible to be an involved parent as well as have a career in this field.
I am the owner of my business so I can set my work schedule to allow me to both be available for my girls as well as my patients. I have the advantage of having an emergency practice in my community and associated with my general practice that allows my clients to be served after my regular clinic hours and on weekends.
There are plenty of women in my practice area that work part time as a way to allow them to be both mom and veterinarian.
I am the executive director of a state veterinarians’ association.
Here in MA (and nationally, to different degrees), we have experienced increasing numbers of part-time veterinarians, most of whom (but not all) are women. I know of veterinarians working part-time as associates in practices owned by others, as a relief (substitute) veterinarian, as the owner of a mobile veterinary practice, in research, and – in the least common case – as a private practice owner. Unfortunately, no one in large animal practice comes to mind, so I’d say that small animal practice or lab/research work would be the most likely options.
The pool of part-time workers makes staffing a practice much more challenging for practice owners, but for the most part the older generation no longer views part-timers as “not dedicated” to the profession.
Also, FYI, there will likely be a minimum hours requirement to qualify for certain fringe employment benefits (especially health insurance).
I believe that you will find the same trend, especially among women with young children, in human pediatric medical practice. I think, though, the trend is stronger in veterinary medicine, perhaps because the profession is increasingly populated by women.
Good luck!