nursing (humans) vs animal jobs

queserasera, RN · Sep 3, 2013

I have a friend whose a vet tech. She thought about Nursing school and followed her dreams to work with animals. She said it's the best decision she ever made and also said the fulfillment she gets from the job is worth the pay cut.

ShelbyaStar · Sep 4, 2013

I actually started with animals. Nursing was not on the table, no way, no how.

I went to school majoring in Animal Science with a pre-vet option. I didn't really want to be a vet either but didn't know what else to pick. Eventually I dropped the pre-vet and did equine, with the intention of being a horse breeder/trainer but mindful of taking other classes to have other options if that didn't work out. For example, I took a farm & ranch appraisal class.

I worked for a trainer and showed on a nationally ranked team throughout school and then got an internship working with a show horse breeder doing everything from day to day care to foaling out to breeding to breaking out 2 year olds to updating the website and answering emails from prospective buyers. I did that for most of a year and then got an assistant training position a couple states away. They turned out to be abusive and I moved back after a couple months to work for another trainer.

That went all right, I learned a lot but after being there for months it became clear that it wasn't going to pan out the way it was promised to so I quit and started trying to take clients on my own. I learned I really hate running a business. I don't like trying to convince people I'm more skilled than the cheap hooligan next door or more honest than the guy that I know for a fact beats or drugs the horses behind closed doors.

Even if you "make it" it's rough. There's no days off. You ride all week and show all weekend. There's no benefits, which is significant considering any given horse could've sent me to the hospital (and one did... even with private insurance it cost $2k for the ambulance ride). It's fun when you're in your 20s, but eventually you want a family and house and stuff, and a high risk business where in the end you make about $10/ride wasn't going to cut it. I'm a lot happier now that it's a hobby. I have a fantastic mare that one day I'll actually be able to afford to show and breed.

So that's one facet of the industry but I feel most are similar. I can't really think of much to bother going to school for unless you want to be a vet. It's all about experience. Vet techs and assistants don't make crap; it's sort of like being a CNA. A good place to work when you're in the process of becoming a vet and that's about it.

After getting my animal science degree I interviewed for an appraisal job but other people that had already paid for more classes out of pocket were more qualified. I interviewed for a floor management position for Foster Farms but they wanted someone bilingual at least. I have a friend that works in veterinary pharmaceuticals and some others that work for feed elevators. Another was qualified to work at a zoo due to a nutrition program we'd used in school.

And that's about it, for jobs in Animal Sciences or Zoology, unless you go into research. There's also dog grooming, which you can make decent money if you drum up enough business. Dairies employ a lot of people but they have been in the red so badly there are owners jumping off their silos. There are big incentives to become a poultry vet, but in the end if something's really wrong then the thing's just going to have its head cut off.

The money isn't the only reason I chose nursing over animals, but this is what I figure after my mess of a job search in the depths of a recession: pets are a luxury. When people lose their jobs, luxuries go out the window. They go to less shows, take their horses out of training, stop buying high end feed, stop taking Fluffy in for their professional grooming appointments, stop buying animals, maybe even get rid of the animals that they have.

People never stop going to the hospital.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, if that's where your heart is pulling you. But research your options very carefully and I would choose experience over schooling.

Nursing_Student'15 · Sep 4, 2013

Wow! Thank you....thats kind of how i feel...i mean i want to help/work with animals but in todays world it isnt the "smart" thing to do. If you dont mind me asking, you said horse shows r now your hobby, about how often are you able to do that around work. I'm scared that if i go into nursing i'll be too preoccupied with work and going to more school and always havig to recertify things that my interest in animals with be the least of my worries. I kind of made a negotiation with myself: if i become a nurse great i can still volunteer at shelters and donate to them but then i rethink it and say yeah that would be great but can it really workout that way

ShelbyaStar · Sep 4, 2013

I'm not a nurse yet, and I figure that in the beginning I probably won't have the type of work schedule that will allow me to just jet off to whatever show I like but I can work into doing a 3 12s schedule or something like that. While I'm in school I'll ride enough to keep my horse in shape and do some fun shows but nothing serious until I'm done and settled.

If it makes it any more relateable, I also used to show dogs but haven't since high school. Another thing I hope to get back into :)

If you don't have time to go to the shelter and volunteer, you can always take in foster animals and help with the adoption process that way!

queserasera, RN · Sep 4, 2013

Adding to my first post too, I plan to forgo children for a farm of rescue dogs and a California king bed that we can all snuggle in together. :smug: I suppose my nursing salary will support that dream

savoytruffle, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2013

I first went to college for an associate of applied science degree in veterinary science technology with plans to go to Cornell for Vet school. It's very very tough. I worked with some great vets. I took X-rays, administered and monitored anesthesia, scrubbed in for surgery, and even put animals down. It's emotionally rewarding, and challenging, and exhausting. And the pay absolutely stinks. I make triple as a nurse. I can feed my three kids and clothe them and pursue a nice lifestyle. I own dogs and very much enjoy animals. I miss the atmosphere of the vet offices, but I like to eat too. Learning several species in vet tech school was way harder than learning one species in nursing school. The vet tech boards were harder as well. I ultimately let my license lapse. I'm a BSN and I love being a nurse as much as I loved being a vet tech. Volunteer with animal shelters, foster cats or dogs, look into wild life rehabilitation if you want an animal connection. Just my experience. Every family has different needs. Good luck to you.

VampyrSlayer, CNA · Sep 4, 2013

Adding to my first post too, I plan to forgo children for a farm of rescue dogs and a California king bed that we can all snuggle in together. I suppose my nursing salary will support that dream

This is my dream too! But I want the kids as well lol

monaa · Sep 4, 2013

Hope you are able to persue your dream. It is the best thing, working with something you love.

ant2cory · Sep 4, 2013

I am getting my BSN and would someday love to provide equine therapy. After I am settled in my career I plan to buy a farm and get at least one horse :) If I don't provide therapy in the future (by adding horses and a program) I will at least have my horse, plus cats and dogs too. I think equine therapy is AMAZING and I hope to work with domestic violence survivors.

GaGeek · Sep 4, 2013

I'm an RVT (registered veterinary technician) right now. And I'm working on changing fields to the human side.

Here's my story. How I got to where I am now.

I've worked at a veterinary clinic since I was 16. It was where I fell in love with medicine and science; not just animals. I decided early on I wanted to be a veterinarian. And then after high school and three years of college I finally realized that I wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility. I'd been vet-teching all along anyway, so after I graduated I went back to school, got my associates and took the test to become registered as a VT. I made it a full year. I felt like I was selling myself short. I had a bachelor's degree and a separate associates and I was making $10 an hour and working along side people straight out of high school (not unlike myself at one point). You can go on to specialize as a vet tech, but when you do that it can potentially limit where you work and what kind of animals you work with. There were a lot of factors to that option that didn't appeal to me, personally.

Also, in the veterinary world, the rules aren't as strict as in the human world. There's very little that a registered technician can do that Jo Schmo right out of high school can't be trained on the job to do. Legally speaking. And even where there are laws about what I can do that Jo Schmo can't, many Veterinarians ignore them. Because of this overlap, pay rates are low. Ridiculously low. And when you go through school to do something with your life, it can feel disappointing to work alongside someone who hasn't, who may even be your superior.

I ended up getting out of the veterinary world and going into research for several years. I loved it and was very passionate about what I was doing. I ultimately left because it was lacking the medicine and people factor. But the pay difference was huge. And I wasn't rolling in it. I'd make more as a nurse straight out of school (someone said 3x as much... that's what I've found too!). But it was enough take care of my family the way I thought they deserved. And now I'm even more aware of the "**** end of the stick" that vet techs get. It's too bad because it's really a lovely field. I'm vet teching again because the hours are better for me while I take my pre-reqs. And I still love the work.

I'll be honest and tell you that right now (10 years after the above pay rate) I am making $14 an hour. I am married with two small children. We own our home and we each have our own cars. But I can't afford to put both of my kids in daycare on that income so my hours are limited to working around my husband's. I can buy a cheap piece of clothing for myself once every few months. I shop at consignment stores for my kids clothes, and often birthdays have to be for "needed" items instead of fun ones. We aren't struggling to pay our bills, but we definitely don't have money to play with either. And of course, some of that depends on what your significant other does for a living... Mine happens to work for the railroad. He makes decent money, although it's not as great as everyone thinks it is.

I've never been materialistic or one who thought that money should be a factor in choosing a career. I thought about nursing school before I went to vet tech school. But I was 20 years old and living very ideologically. I could afford to take care of myself on that salary. And I didn't think about my future at all. Money still isn't terribly important to me, but at 32 years old I've realized that on this small salary, I can't offer my children the life I would like to offer them.

I'm not trying to say "no don't do it!" I think if that's what's really in your heart, then you should give it serious consideration. But be aware that you'll be working alongside people who have never been to school, and be aware of the pay rate. And be aware of where your future may be headed when you make the decision. It may be that all of this sounds wonderful to you and is all you could ever ask for. If that's the case, go for it! I'd be happy to answer any more questions for you if you have any! Just message me :-)

Satori77, ADN · Sep 4, 2013

Savoytruffle and GaGeek said it very well. And I am in the same boat. When I first went to college, I was pre-vet. But after 2 years, and learning more about veterinarians, I didn't think it was for me. But I always loved animals and wanted to work with them. So I took a year off, went to work at a vet as an assistant, and loved it. Decided to go to vet tech school. It was a great experience, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved what I did. In the past 14 years I have worked in small clinics, large specialty and emergency hospitals, and a shelter. Each rewarding and challenging in their own ways. But like GaGeek stated, I worked alongside many people who didn't have degrees, but made just as much as I did. Some were great techs. Some only knew the skills but not the science behind what we did. It was very frustrating that our profession was not regulated like human nursing.

And yes, the pay sucks. The most I have made was $13 an hour. You can make more, but not much more. When I was single, I didn't care as much. But I have two kids to help support. I never am able to buy things for myself, and buy second-hand at consignment stores for my kids most of the time. I struggled to get their school supplies this year now that they are both in full time. When I was working (I am not now), so much of my paycheck went to childcare, even when they are in school. When they are out for the summer, it is MORE than what I make a week. I just couldn't justify working anymore. My husband is a truck driver, and on the road for weeks or months at a time. This is after getting laid off years ago and unable to find other work. So his paycheck can be good, or can be horrible. Plus, he isn't home to help me out. When he was home, I could work around his schedule and we did ok. Now we struggle to pay bills every month and put food on the table.

That is one of the reasons I want to go to nursing school. I love medicine and doing nursing care. But I will get paid more of what I am worth. And I can actually feel like I am providing for my family the way they deserve. But there are still many ways you can be around animals and help them while nursing (or doing another job). I now volunteer and the shelter I worked at, and love it. I go in during the morning and assist with surgery, which was always my favorite area to be in. There is actually an OR nurse that volunteers in the vet department as well. If you can't make it in, fostering is a great thing to do! The shelter here is always in need of foster homes.

Plus, I feel like if I make more money, we can have more pets, and take better care of them. As a vet tech, you can usually get the basic stuff, like exams and shots for free or at cost, and you get a discount. But I soon realized if my animals needed anything major, even the discount wasn't enough to help. And I couldn't afford a lot of the care needed without borrowing money. How awful is that? So I decided that taking care of my family (furry members included) was most important. You have to figure out what you can handle in life, and what your priorities are. Doesn't mean you don't follow your dreams. Sometimes, you just have to modify your dreams a bit to fit the bigger picture.