That First Day
The first day of work as a new vet is always nerve wracking for everyone. You don’t want anything to go wrong. You don’t want to look stupid or foolish or totally lost, and you definitely don’t want any clients to realise that they’re your first client (and patient) as a brand new vet.
In my case you’re also trying to learn a dos program (It’s 10 years old!) and find your way around a rather disorganized place with no real duty other than ‘do the vet stuff’.
As a new graduate vet you are a little limited in what you can do, because you’re not as experienced and you do take more time to work through things. So while I couldn’t spay one of a dozen rabbits, or join the semi-specialist surgeon, I did get a chance to do basic sorts of things, get to know the clinic and staff and meet some of the locals.
The first day was pretty good I felt a little stressed at the end, but pretty good. It was the second day that was the hard one.I got a car with the job. A fairly old, rather beat-up looking thing that nevertheless was a car for me to drive as I pleased, and have the clinic pay for petrol. I got it home, and then it wouldn’t start.
I had to call the clinic for help to get to work, which I suppose isn’t the worst thing to need bailing out on, but terribly embarrassing nevertheless. It upset me for the rest of the day, although it worked out alright in the end, little things going wrong like that can shake your confidence.
The days are long and exhausting, leaving me uninspired about cooking dinner when I get home. It’s different to be managing a house and working a fulltime job, as I ‘ve never really lived alone before.
I am enjoying it though, despite the exhausting hours, sore feet, and difficulty establishing a phone and Internet connection in the house. There’s a lot to do, a lot to learn, and a lot to organise. Not the least of which is figuring out how to get black marks out of my kitchen lino.
But I’m swimming, not sinking.
4 comments
You’ll get there. My wife and I have a rule (albeit it usually deals with children, but…) give yourself a 3 month grace period. By the end of the 3rd month you will have a routine in place, just don’t beat yourself up for much until then. Now, after the 3 month point, have at it…beat away
But seriously, it takes 10,000 hours to perfect something and right around the 1,000 hour mark, things begin to get more “standard” If you were only home for 12 hours a day, by 3 months you are at 1,081 hours…go ahead, give it a try. 
I hear you about the days being long and exhausting Dr Ferox. And the sore feet! I’ve just started at a suburban small animal practice. There’s the sheer stress and little mistakes that linger in my head before I go to bed, but then those little moments of triumph are so great. The latter have kept me going through the week!
Moving is such a weirdly sudden thing. I have now moved too.
Congratulations on graduation and the new job – we followed you as NEARLY Dr. Ferox and are now watching This Vet’s Story as it unfolds.
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