Editorial

Membership

Veterinary Advisor

Awareness / Educational Programme in Schools

International Year of Volunteers

Want To Be A Vet

If A Dog Had Been Your Teacher

Why Kittens Are Better Than Babies

Update On Past Activities

Coming Up

The following is an article contributed by one of our members from abroad, Dr. Marty Becker, a veterinarian in the U.S. He certainly gives an interesting account of his experience which veterinarians and those aspiring to be vets may be able to identify with.

Ever dream of being a Veterinarian? Still do? Or Want to be a vet too?,

This past May 8th, I was the graduation speaker for 68 of my newest colleagues at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. For one new vet, lightning struck twice, as I was his high school graduation speaker seven years earlier. Gosh, I hope he doesn't do any postgraduate work or I could be preaching a "three-peat" address with my cane slapping on the podium for emphasis!

As I stood on the stage and looked at the graduates with their legions of proud families, it struck me that millions of people would have given anything to be one of these chosen few ready to introduce themselves to the world as a doctor of veterinary medicine or DVM.

Young, old, male, female, black, yellow and white, many dream of or doggedly pursue one of only 2500 openings at the 27 veterinary schools in the United States. Long after boys lose the dream of being a pilot or policeman and little girls quit dreaming of being an actress or astronaut, millions still carry the dream of being a veterinarian.

Do you?

How many of you are still drawn to the dream by the words of James Herriot, the simple country vet, who told stories that made us laugh, cry and provoked in us a passion that we would someday be like him?

Many of your parents recall your childhood where you read James Herriot stories, brought home every stray, made them stop for animals on the side of the road, dressed your pets up and worked on them as a 7 year old veterinarian. Others, like myself, have daughters who are horse crazy and have always said they want to be an equine veterinarian.

Where once the words of James Herriot kindled the dream, now as a result of the 50 million plus viewers of 'Animal Planet' with their top-rated shows such as Emergency Vets, millions more children have visions of dog doctors, horsy hospitals and kitty clinics dancing in their heads.

I first decided to be a veterinarian when I was about 7 years old. I liked science, loved animals and observed that the veterinarians in our community ruled the roost when it came to admiration, respect and trust. Nobody, but nobody, was more revered...and I wanted to be just like local veterinarians, Dr's Hammerquist and Thompson.

Good grades, unbridled passion and a little luck presented me with the coveted "thick letter" that meant I'd been accepted into veterinary school. Thin letters were bad. They meant simply that you missed getting in again.

Sometimes it's a little tough being a veterinarian. Almost without fail, when someone finds out you're a veterinarian they say one or both of the following: "I always wanted to be a veterinarian!" or, "I hear it's harder to get into veterinary school than medical school."

Nevertheless, I do know that for the last almost 20 years, there has not been a single day that I wasn't proud beyond measure to be a veterinarian. Veterinarians hold a very special place in the history of humankind, in the fabric of communities, and in a generation where pets are family. They are of the chosen few who provide the connection between humans and animals and get to celebrate, protect, nurture and share it. It's not a job it's a calling.

One of my family's favourite movies this year was Patch Adams. Actor Robin Williams' portrayal had many in the audience, including me, in tears.

Here was an MD who cared about his patient's lives, not just their condition. Far from a clinical doctor/client relationship he sought a lifetime partnership with them. He wasn't afraid to laugh with them, cry with them, or touch them at a deep soul level. Rather than entering the room with his head buried in the medical record, he worked hard to match the science with the soul and connect with them in a different, but better way.

Patch Adams was an extraordinary man and they honored him in the movies for good reason.

But I left the theatre so proud that I was about to bust my buttons. Because I realized that while there was only one Patch Adams MD, there is a Patch Adams DVM, in every community.

The Spokesman Review Newspaper
Column #31 for "The Bond"
Marty Becker, DVM