Emma Tobin is a vet. She loves her job. She loves animals and she can't help smiling as she speaks with excitement about how diverse and challenging her job is. But she issues a warning to would-be vets: "I don't have very much free time," she says. "It's not just a job - it's a complete way of life. It's very hard work and it's a demanding job."
She had wanted to be a vet since the age of six growing up in Kilkenny, and no amount of talking was going to change her mind. But be careful, she warns - think about your choice. A career in veterinary medicine is not for anyone who isn't ready to work hard.
After the Leaving Cert, she thought it would all be "a bed of roses". She looked forward to dealing with animals and studying for the degree at the UCD veterinary college in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The course proved to be "a major shock" because there are "exams all the way up, which are really hard work. You learn that you have to study hard for five years. It's a good, challenging degree."
Tobin loves her work and her studies. Currently, she is studying for her master's in radiology, but she is still busy after college hours, working as a vet in a range of different areas. On Tuesday nights she's in Blanchardstown, where she works with the Blue Cross charity mobile clinic. Then, on Wednesday, she is the resident vet on the children's Den TV programme on Network 2, providing advice, information and tips to young viewers about their pets.
She spent two years practising as a vet before returning to college to study again for a master's. "In practice, you are on your feet dealing with clients, operating and handling emergencies - I love dealing with all the different cases. Each case that comes in is different and exciting. We see all sorts and sometimes we see very sad cases.
"The hardest part is saying that a condition is incurable or that putting an animal down is the best option. Pets become members of families - they hold a huge place in families' hearts. It can be heart-breaking."
Along with a basic love of animals and an interest in science, Tobin says that one of the most important qualities in veterinary science today is "an ability to communicate". Talking to the pet owner is vital, she says. "You have to explain what's wrong with the animal and how to treat it.
"You have to be a bit of a detective too," she says, in that deductive skills are important. "You have to look at the animal and pick up on any hints it's giving you. You have to question the owner and put it all together."
It's worth remembering that you also have to "keep your distance, but that's easier said than done if you love animals. You can become involved and that's draining."
She sat her Leaving Cert in 1990 and repeated it the following year. She graduated in June 1996. There were approximately 80 in her year, made up of about 50 men and 30 women.
Tobin is back again at the Veterinary College of Ireland and she expects to have finished her master's later this year. Then she'll decide whether to stay in the university environment, go back into practice or go abroad, but she adds: "Veterinary in Ireland is becoming a lot more progressive. It's an exciting profession to be involved in."
