I decided to take a job offer as a general practitioner with
one of the large corporations that owns many (many) veterinary practices. As
with any job there are advantages and disadvantages to it. Here are the ones
I’ve found so far:
+
Established training program and process
Pays very well
Reasonable work hours
Standardization of policies and procedures*
-
Standardization of policies and procedures*
Few emergency cases
Not many surgeries
*Standardization can certainly make things easier when you
are first learning your way around. It also helps to maintain a minimum level
of quality. HOWEVER, once you start to know what you’re doing, you realize some
of the things that are “always” done don’t mesh well with your practice
philosophy. For example – I wouldn’t run a crap-ton of liver function tests on
a patient with an ALT of 120 if given the choice.
As far as the light emergency caseload, that’s okay for now.
I need to solidify my general practice skills first. The light surgery caseload
worries me a little bit. I don’t count laceration repairs or dental cleanings
as surgeries. I count things like spays/neuters, abdominal surgeries, and so
forth. So … I’m trying to get lined up with a local rescue organization to help
them with spays and neuters. Hopefully that will help keep my skills somewhat
sharp!
I suspect that the low emergency and surgery case load is
pretty common in all “day practices.”
At any rate, so far it isn’t too bad. In my previous career
(information technology) I worked for a huge consumer products company and then
for a huge high-tech company, so I’m used to some bureaucracy.
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