I chanced upon your blog when I was looking up some vet
related blogs. I read that you completed your bond with
the PPD, then started up toapayoh vet clinic. 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,
XXX
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING DATED OCT 8, 2011
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 cases.
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.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
