5 things new graduates should know
New graduates entering the veterinary profession should carefully consider the type of clinic they choose to work at for the first few years of their career
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Congratulations to the graduating class of 2024! As you prepare to leave veterinary school and enter the workforce, it can be an exciting yet stressful time, especially when trying to figure out where to start your career.
In order to help you all get your careers off to a good start, Frank Bozelka, DVM, returns to the podcast to give 5 tips to new graduates. Bozelka and host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, discuss how to pick the clinic that is best for you, what to look for in a clinics culture, and what to avoid.
Below is a partial transcript.
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: So what would be a piece of advice that you would give these the new graduates?
Frank Bozelka, DVM: Prepare for a long but fun road. The profession is definitely not what it was when I came out. There's always an end to the tunnel. It's going to be scary, you're not going to know a lot, you're going to make mistakes, but embrace it. Understand you're a person and my No. 1 bit of advice that I give every new grad is make sure you are taking time for yourself. Whatever you have to do to mentally just check out from everything, do that. Whatever it is, whatever makes you happy. Make sure you're doing that. And the sad part is we do have to say this—if you ever start getting those dark thoughts of 'is this it,' [remember] there's always an out, you don't have to stay in this profession, if it's going to drive you to the point of thinking about things like suicide and if you're thinking about those things, for the love of God, please reach out to somebody because that's never going to be the answer.
