I chanced upon your blog when I was looking up some vet
related blogs. I read that you completed your bond with
the PPD (Primary Production Department), then started up
toapayoh vet clinic (Toa Payoh Vets,
www.toapayohvets.com).
Was it difficult to transition from a government vet to
a small animal vet? How do you keep the knowledge learnt
for small animals fresh in your mind as being a PPD
government vet requires a completely different set of
skills?
Would be great if you could provide me with some advice
on this issue. I've been pondering on career pathways
recently and I need guidance.
Regards,
Name
E-MAIL REPLY
FROM DR SING
Thank you for your email. In reply to your
questions:
1. It is not difficult to change to small animal
practice from regulatory practice for me as I had
a mentor (an experienced senior vet) whom I
spent time in the evenings (closing my practice)
learning from him, assisting him, working as locum
and doing house-calls.
2. Lots of reading on small animal vet
journals. In 1982, when I started Toa Payoh
Vets, there was no such thing as the world wide
web. So, lots of reading vet articles and journals
and subscription to the British and American vet
journals. The PPD had a small vet library at 40
Kampong Java Road, now the K.K. Hospital.
3. For your situation, be an employee in one of
the 46 vet practices in Singapore for at least two
years. Choose a busy one, otherwise you would have
not sufficient variety of cases. Work the night
shifts and really attend to each emergency as if
it was your own pet instead of being a "lazy" vet,
letting the vet technicians do the hands-on blood
collection, urine collection and X-rays.
Give practically free services to the dog
breeders and animal activists. So much small
animal veterinary work to do nowadays.
Read up and discuss with mentors. Review cases
done and see if there are better and more
efficient and cost-effective ways to handling the
case.
Add value to your employer. For example, I
note that some young employee vets use more than
necessary (increasing expenses to the practice and
reducing the bottom-line) the sutures and
materials used in surgery and treatment. This may
not endear yourself to the Principal of the
practice as it shows you don't care about the
bottom-line. In private practice, the costs are
high and you need to be aware of the economics of
practice, other than the salary and benefits you
are getting.
In conclusion, venturing to a new field requires
a new mindset to work the long hours to
achieve competence and success. Small animal
private practice hours are longer and will not be
similar to the regular hours of civil service as
most clients are free during weekends and public
holidays when the civil service vet is having time
off.
Passion is required if you wish to excel.
Competition is great nowadays as I expect
more than 50 small animal practices to be set up
in the next 5 years if you intend to open your own
practice. Know the economics of practice. Add
value to your employer or principal. Continuing
education. Network. Be proactive in vet matters.
Phone me if you need more advice as writing
advices are not as good as one-to-one talk.
E-MAIL REPLY TO DR SING DATED OCT 17, 2011
Dear Dr Sing,
Thanks so much for your reply. It has motivated me to
work a lot harder, and that nothing is impossible. Your
advice has given me the direction I was missing before
as I did not know who else to ask. Thank you once again.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
