What is veterinary medicine? Why is it so special and precious?
The simplest explanation is that veterinary medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with the healthcare of animals. But it is so much more!
Veterinary medicine deals with prevention, diagnostics, treatment of diseases, injuries, behavioral disorders and a lot more challenging subjects. Veterinary science helps humans through monitoring, prevention, and detection of zoonotic diseases.
The fact that some people have devoted their human lives to the needs of another species that cannot say where it hurts is a clear sign of the unique motivating power of love when it comes to the career.
Many people will say that I became a veterinarian solely because of the love for animals. Sure, I adore animals, I have always had a special connection with them, but oh boy the medicine! The science! The everyday challenges and diagnostic puzzles! The look on that dog’s face when you finally cure its diarrhea, the cats purr when you fix that broken leg and it doesn’t hurt anymore… I love veterinary medicine because of all of that! To be honest, being a veterinarian was never my dream job. I always expected that I will end up as a lawyer or an inspector, or even maybe some lab rat. The moment when I decided to enroll at the Veterinary Faculty I actually had my documents ready to become a Molecular Biologist. Everything changed one day, I woke up and felt the calling. I became a veterinarian 7 years later. ????
It is not easy to study veterinary medicine. For me, the two breaking points were Anatomy and Pathology. When I was first introduced to a fresh corpse of a dog I couldn’t speak to anybody for two days. Same was at Pathology. I believe that this is a problem for many veterinary students and they must overcome the issue so they can be the Healers this planet needs. The only thing that helped me through those classes was the image of myself helping an animal in need.
When you are a veterinary student it is very important to learn as much as you can, but not from books. From experience! Your own as well as from other students and professionals. That’s why it is very important to seize the chance to attend veterinary workshops, congress, seminars, conferences, and Erasmus exchanges. I had the pleasure to spend one year in Ljubljana, Slovenia for an Erasmus exchange and realized the importance of knowing the difference in veterinary procedures between countries. You can always improve your surgical techniques, your approach to solving diagnostic problems and the way you “speak” to the animals ????
8 years later I am still “a student”, trainee at a small animal clinic in Rome, Italy. Here I found a new perspective. The way Italians handle animals amazes me. They almost never have to use sedation ????
In my free time, I love veterinary medicine even more and that’s why I decided to start a blog website for veterinary advice. I feel that the people in my home country, Macedonia, need to learn more how to care better for their pets. The website is in my native language, Macedonian, and if you’re curious you can visit at www.veterinarnica.mk
