It’s at this time of year when my e-mail inbox is full of requests for student placements at the clinic. The schools are sending out their bright young pupils into the world of work for some much needed on-site experience.

It is so important for young people to gain a glimpse of what life is like outside of the school system that has been their lives so far and get a taste of their futures yet to come, wherever their interests lie.

This is particularly important in the veterinary world.

I absolutely love what I do; the animals, the people, the challenges and triumphs all fill me up and make me feel I have really accomplished something every day. But it’s not for everyone, and it can be hard physically, mentally, and emotionally.

So, what do I tell these bright young things that look at me like I’m living their dream?

Who think that my job is all about playing with puppies and kittens, and strutting around whilst clients hang off my every word and do everything I suggest without question?

I had a fourth-year vet student ask me recently, ‘What is the owner compliance rate generally?’ meaning how many of the suggestions I make will owners listen to and act on?’.

I answered honestly about 20 per cent at best and she was shocked. She asked why? And I answered that we all know what we should be doing to be healthy, but it doesn’t always follow that we do it and our pets are an extension of ourselves.

It is a vet’s job to give the most evidence-based information to our clients and allow them to make informed decisions about their animal’s care and lifestyle, in the same way my doctor tells me alcohol is bad for my health, but I still choose to have a glass of wine here and there.

I have been asked to give a talk at a local school next week for career day, which is something I really enjoy doing. I have been going through my photos looking for interesting anecdotes and informative pearls of wisdom to help the students decide if this job is for them.

I’m sure I will lose 80 per cent of the room by slide three, but there will be a couple of young people sitting there whose eyes will widen, their heart rates will increase, and a spark of interest will be ignited.

I will spot the flicker in their eyes and remember how I felt as I began my veterinary journey.

These are our next generation, the ones that will go the distance, understand the call and carry the torch for animal care and wellbeing into the future when my time is over.

It is an important part of my job to foster and mentor them, answer their questions and show them a path to achieve their goals.

Until, twenty years from now, they will find themselves sitting in front of a room full of bright-eyed students, wondering how they can possibly explain this wild beast of a career in the next half-hour.

• Lucy Richardson graduated from Edinburgh University in 2005. She started CedarTree Vets in August 2012 with her husband, Mark. They live at the practice with their two children, Ray and Stella, and their dog, two cats and two guinea pigs. She is also the FEI national head veterinarian for Bermuda