Beeping of a heart beat. Organized chaos. The warm slimy and slippery organs. Mechanical responses. Sweat beating down her face. Saving another’s loved one. This is the life of a Veterinarian.

When I was little I couldn’t own or adopt any animal with fur because some of my family members in my household were allergic.

I was stuck with the boring old generic fish. What I really wanted was a dog. A dog that I could play catch with, a dog that would sleep next to me on my bed at night, a dog that would defend me everywhere and anywhere I went, and most of all I wanted a dog that I could call my own.

On every special occasion, especially Birthdays, Christmas, wasted shooting star days and even non-special occasion days, I wished with all my heart that some day I would be surprised. As a result of my yearning to have a dog of my own I realized the job for me is to be a Veterinarian. My fantasy is to become one.

I sought out Mililani Mauka Veterinarian, Dr. Jamie Furutani. She said, “A veterinarian has to complete four years of undergraduate work studying mostly biology and chemistry. She or he must complete four years of Veterinarian school. After graduating from Veterinarian school, each applicant must take a National Board Exam that lasts two days to become certified. The exam is taken on a computer now and not on paper like the old days. After passing this exam, each individual must take a State exam for the State he or she wants to practice in.”

To practice means “to work” in Veterinary terms. At this point in time, graduating Veterinarians can practice where ever they want to in the world. According to the Careers Internet Database, “the shortage of Veterinary jobs are starting to reach crisis levels in some areas according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).” This news opens up a lot of opportunities to new Veterinarians that have just graduated.

America hasn’t expanded capacity at its twenty eight Veterinary colleges in over three decades. The amount of graduating Veterinarians every summer is about two thousand five hundred. This also hasn’t increased.

“The most outstanding event that happened in my work was a time when I got to work with a camel in Vet school. That was really neat.” said Dr. Jamie Furutani.

I learned from Dr. Furutani that its so much more than the income (forty five thousand to a hundred and twenty thousand dollars per year) that a Veterinarian may earn. It’s about how to be committed, being modest, interacting with clients, being a multitasking person, being honest, trusting people, being compassionate, and going that extra mile. It’s more than the money. It’s about the owners and their fury friends.

Dr. Furutani taught me all of these things in all of our discussion with her. Our little adventures went on. Dr. Furutani showed me how to be committed. In one experience Dr. Furtani brought a dog home and kept it in her bathroom tub. I asked her why there was a dog lying in her bath tub. She said that the dog wasn’t doing so good so she had to wake up every two hours to check how the dog was doing. All of her work that night paid off. The dog lived through the night, became well enough to go home and survived to live another happy day. She was so committed to saving that dog’s life and made sure she did everything in her power to ensure that dog would live. I was so inspired by how committed Dr. Furutani was, that I found new respect for Veterinarians and how committed they are.

On a fieldtrip in the sixth grade, there was a one day fair for job interests. I was interested in being a Veterinarian so I went with some of my peers to listen to a speaker from a Veterinarian clinic. The Speaker asked us “What do you think a Veterinarian needs to be successful?” I answered, “To love the animals.” He smiled and said, , “Actually no. It would help to love the animals, but you don’t have to love the animals to be a successful Veterinarian.” I was puzzled by this because my experience with Dr. Furutani showed that a Veterinarian should always love animals and that is what I thought was success. After thinking about what he said for awhile, I understood what he meant. I remembered a story about a Veterinarian that couldn’t save an animal. That animal that needed to have a surgery done at that moment. The Veterinarian set everything up as fast as they could so that the surgery could insure the highest percentage of survival. The Veterinarian couldn’t start the surgery without the consent from the receptionist to start. The Veterinarian went to ask why and the receptionist said because the owner hadn’t come back with the money for the surgery. The Veterinarian had to wrestle to start the surgery before it was too late or wait until the owner would come back with the money. The “successful financial decision” was to wait until the owner came back with the money to start the surgery. In the end, the Veterinarian started the surgery too late to save the animal and the animal died.

I still believe that money isn’t the most important thing. Hawaii Veterinarian’s salaries range from $41,000 to $127,000 per year. Most Veterinarians love what they do. If animals are in dire need of medical attention, help should be given. I learned that Veterinarians are hard working and dedicated. With the shortage of Veterinarians nearing crisis levels, good Veterinarians are needed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Veterinary Medicine is one of the fastest growing occupations. Veterinarians are also important to ensure a safe food supply to the community on farms and ranches. I also learned that you need a lot of education, equaling a medical degree. After researching this job, a Veterinarian is still my fantasy.