Can't decide between Vet School or Med School...

[Riscatto]

i have spent my whole life working towards vet school. recently graduated from a 2 yr program to become a vet tech and to take my VTNE in april of next year. Although recently i have hit a rough patch in terms of what to do. i enjoy the medical field in general and don't see myself really doing anything else. Going through tech school, externships, volunteering i just don't feel that passion anymore.

i have always enjoyed learning about human diseases and do more reading on that then i do animal diseases. The only problem is i have no experience in the medical field. All in all i love animals but i don't know if i can work with them everyday without getting burnt out because for starters i do not like working with cats or dogs and really no other way to work with other species, plus my parents always tell me not to do it because of the debt and they don't want any of the burden, but its all i ever worked towards.

Since i have no experience in the med field i don't know if its worth it or not. the major problem though is i grew up in an anti social home and don't really talk to people. Also for some reason i have a problem with the reproductive system. i feel wrong if i learn about it, always have and the idea of reproductive exams is a little worrisome.

Does anyone else have this problem, or figured out how they decided on which to pursue?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[stenodactylus]

Honestly, if you aren't set on vet, don't do vet. Its sort of financial suicide.

Also, being a vet, you have to work with people a LOT. Its not a good field for someone who likes animals and hates people, and from the sound of it you don't really like animals. I don't really get what you mean about feeling wrong learning about the reproductive system, so no comment on that.

You probably shouldn't go to vet school.

 

[deleted676737]

Wait, I'm confused. You said that you've recently finished a vet tech program and that you're taking the VTNE next year... are you wanting to be a tech or a vet? Or is the tech thing just sort of some intermediate step? Do you understand that vet tech requirements are completely different from vet requirements? Have you looked into taking prerequisites or the GRE? I'm not trying to snobby or probe; I am genuinely trying to see where you are in terms of the process.

That being said, I'd recommend med school any day of the week unless you are very passionate about vet med, and it sounds like you aren't. Yes, that means you'll have to get some good experience under your belt, which may take a little while, but it is far and away the better option financially. You'll likely wind up in a similar level of debt as vet school, but your starting salary will at least be high enough to be able to make a decent dent in that debt right away. I understand that it can be immensely difficult to turn away from a profession you've been working towards for a long time, but if you honestly have no enthusiasm for vet med anymore beyond "I love animals" and by your own admission feel like working with them in a clinical setting will burn you out, I really don't think vet med is worth it for you. The good news is, if you ultimately decide on human med, is that there is quite a lot of overlap between prerequisites and general requirements, so the only things you'd have to do differently is get experience in that field, take the MCAT, and (maybe) take a couple additional classes. Just be sure to have a solid reason for the switch if it comes up in your interviews.

Then again, you say you don't like people? That's going to be an issue with either career. There may be a couple of areas of vet med where human/client interaction is minimal, and there is always the option of working in research, but if that is a real point of serious anxiety for you, it just isn't going to work out. Social skills are absolutely imperative in both professions (and, honestly, pretty much any job); if you're serious about pursuing medicine in any form, you need to work on that.

And, yeah, I'm not quite sure what you mean about the reproductive system. You're going to have to learn and work with it in either human or vet med. What about it makes you feel uncomfortable?

 

[LuckySpartan]

1. If you aren't happy with the path you are on change it.
2. Do understand being a tech and a vet are entirely different professions.
3. If you are interested in human medicine get some hours in shadowing.
4. Once you have appropriate knowledge of the medical field you can make a choice that best fits you.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

i have spent my whole life working towards vet school. recently graduated from a 2 yr program to become a vet tech and to take my VTNE in april of next year. Although recently i have hit a rough patch in terms of what to do. i enjoy the medical field in general and don't see myself really doing anything else. Going through tech school, externships, volunteering i just don't feel that passion anymore.

i have always enjoyed learning about human diseases and do more reading on that then i do animal diseases. The only problem is i have no experience in the medical field. All in all i love animals but i don't know if i can work with them everyday without getting burnt out because for starters i do not like working with cats or dogs and really no other way to work with other species, plus my parents always tell me not to do it because of the debt and they don't want any of the burden, but its all i ever worked towards.

Since i have no experience in the med field i don't know if its worth it or not. the major problem though is i grew up in an anti social home and don't really talk to people. Also for some reason i have a problem with the reproductive system. i feel wrong if i learn about it, always have and the idea of reproductive exams is a little worrisome.

Does anyone else have this problem, or figured out how they decided on which to pursue?

A couple of things: For starters if you are having trouble deciding, you need to get some human medicine experience (shadowing, whatever). You can't make this decision without knowing what you're getting into. I understand getting hands on experience in human medicine is harder than in veterinary medicine, but you'll need to figure out what you can do.

Yes, the debt for veterinary students is crippling. You must understand that. No matter how passionate you are and how sure you are, the debt will still be there. Also, there are tons of ways to work with animals other than cats/dogs. Exotics vets, food animal vets, equine, wildlife/zoo, pathologist (which would likely include dogs/cats, but still), etc. Just based off of the fact that you don't think there are ways to work with other animals, I'm going to suggest you try to get a larger variety of veterinary experiences. I'm confused as to how someone in tech school would think this way.

Also, if you cannot handle the idea of reproduction, no field of medicine is right for you. Plain and simple. It is a biological process that is 100% natural for every living thing on this planet. Maybe you didn't mean to imply that you feel uncomfortable learning about it, but that's certainly how it came across to me.

Also, as for being anti-social: You need good social skills to work in any medical field (actually, you need those for everything ever). I recommend you work on developing those skills ASAP, regardless of what you decide to do.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Also, there are a bunch of threads on this discussion already. Go ahead and search for them and you'll get to see the usual answers you'll get for this type of question.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ing-between-med-school-or-vet-school.1150561/ this thread is pretty good. It discusses shadowing and debt.

 

[Lilly63]

You should look into a career of clinical research. I'm currently in a grad program for it. You learn a great deal of medicine and are trained to be the scientists behind new treatment therapies, medications, and new medical findings.

 

[shortnsweet]

You should look into a career of clinical research. I'm currently in a grad program for it. You learn a great deal of medicine and are trained to be the scientists behind new treatment therapies, medications, and new medical findings.

I was going to say maybe research is best for you.

But you also said you don't feel any passion for the field anymore, and you've got to find that to be happy.

 

[Riscatto]

I went to tech school as a precursor step. Going through the whole process I just don't know if I can do it anymore. I am fine learning animal anatomy but for some reason human anatomy, I just don't know. Almost feels like sin sorta thing if that makes sense yet I'm not religious so it's weird thinking process that I've had since I was younger.

I don't mind people but I just get anxiety and speech slurs when I talk to strangers, it all started in high school and grew up with parents who never got out much. I have other issues but I'm working on that.

From what I learned in tech school in order to work in other fields you need the experience from like birth and I have my own cats that drive me bonkers.

Hopefully this clears things up.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

You should look into a career of clinical research. I'm currently in a grad program for it. You learn a great deal of medicine and are trained to be the scientists behind new treatment therapies, medications, and new medical findings.

I was going to say maybe research is best for you.

But you also said you don't feel any passion for the field anymore, and you've got to find that to be happy.

I heavily disagree. I would not recommend a science PhD by itself to anyone right now given the horrendous carousel of endless poorly-paid (and often soul-crushing) postdocs, lack of tenured faculty jobs, and dearth of funding in general. You wouldn't believe how many PhDs I know who can't find proper jobs.

In addition, if you are anti-social or have severe anxiety talking to people, your career in research is going to be a short and poorly-funded one. Networking, pitching, and schmoozing are musts in today's research environment if you want to get ahead. The days of the old-timers who could hole up in their office and be showered with NIH money is gone. The scientist of today is an entreprenuer, a businessman, a collaborator....personality counts.

Between the social anxiety, hangups with the reproductive system, and "other issues" I think it might be wise for you to explore therapy. It sounds like are things that need to be worked out here that are much more important than which professional school you choose right now.

 

[Riscatto]

So I've read some other threads on this topic and was wondering how everyone else decided on which field to go into.

I love animals and just finished vet tech school. I took it as a precursor to becoming a vet to get more experience. I do understand they are different fields and I have worked at an animal clinic and interned before so I have that experience. Not sure if I'm burning out or lack of support from family and friends but I don't feel that passion anymore.

I enjoy medicine but never been a people person but with time I can get more comfortable. I have knowledge of the medical and don't know how to start in order to get experience to see if it's a fit. Also are there many people that don't like human medicine for certain reasons and learn to get through that portion of that makes any sense.

In other words I want a job I can be financially stable but also feel like I'm getting satisfaction for doing good. Any ideas on how to get knowledge? Whether it's classes, volunteering, ect. Plus with human med there's so much more in specialization than there is in vet med.

Any help appreciated.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

So I've read some other threads on this topic and was wondering how everyone else decided on which field to go into.

I love animals and just finished vet tech school. I took it as a precursor to becoming a vet to get more experience. I do understand they are different fields and I have worked at an animal clinic and interned before so I have that experience. Not sure if I'm burning out or lack of support from family and friends but I don't feel that passion anymore.

I enjoy medicine but never been a people person but with time I can get more comfortable. I have knowledge of the medical and don't know how to start in order to get experience to see if it's a fit. Also are there many people that don't like human medicine for certain reasons and learn to get through that portion of that makes any sense.

In other words I want a job I can be financially stable but also feel like I'm getting satisfaction for doing good. Any ideas on how to get knowledge? Whether it's classes, volunteering, ect. Plus with human med there's so much more in specialization than there is in vet med.

Any help appreciated.

What do you mean there are people who don't like human medicine, but learn to work through it? If someone doesn't like medicine, chances are they aren't trying to become a doctor. Can you be more specific about why you think this is the case?

You can specialize in vet med, but the job market starts to shrink and you usually go longer before you can start making major dents in your loans.

I think there's a whole host of jobs that allow you to do good other than medicine. Heck, you can even work in finance/accounting and volunteer in your free time. There's no one way to 'make a difference.'

Without being 100% familiar with HIPAA laws and whatnot, I'm not sure how free you are to shadow in human medicine. You can try getting a scribe job in a hospital (really, really good experience), get your CNA certificate, etc.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

In other words I want a job I can be financially stable but also feel like I'm getting satisfaction for doing good. Any ideas on how to get knowledge? Whether it's classes, volunteering, ect. Plus with human med there's so much more in specialization than there is in vet med.

Any help appreciated.

What do you mean by this? We have most of the same major specialties that human medicine has. Admittedly they have more overall because theirs can get super, super specific (i.e. pediatric cardiology and stuff), but it sounds like you aren't aware of the dozens of specialties that are available in vet med.

 

[Riscatto]

To clarify things I was wondering if there were people in the md field that didn't certain aspects.

I do understand that there are vet specialties but most fall under treating cats and dogs. Never have I heard of an Equine neurologist. I just feel there's more to offer in the md field than vet field plus is going to vet school worth it when you have mountains of debt and no matter what you do you may never pay it off unless your that lucky.

Plus I do like animals and have always wanted to be a vet but I'm not a cat or dog person, I don't find it exciting to work with them and never have been comfortable around dogs since I've never owned one only cats.

I'm just trying to figure out how to see both worlds and decide since I love medicine and no other careers interest more or have a desire to pursue.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

To clarify things I was wondering if there were people in the md field that didn't certain aspects.

I do understand that there are vet specialties but most fall under treating cats and dogs. Never have I heard of an Equine neurologist. I just feel there's more to offer in the md field than vet field plus is going to vet school worth it when you have mountains of debt and no matter what you do you may never pay it off unless your that lucky.

Plus I do like animals and have always wanted to be a vet but I'm not a cat or dog person, I don't find it exciting to work with them and never have been comfortable around dogs since I've never owned one only cats.

I'm just trying to figure out how to see both worlds and decide since I love medicine and no other careers interest more or have a desire to pursue.

When you specialize, you tend to treat all species (or at least the ones people actually bring to you). Example: A zoo vet will contact a veterinary cardiologist to seek advice about a gorilla with cardiac problems. A small animal vet could contact the exact same cardiologist for a consult or refer clients to see him/her. All animals can experience all kinds of problems. That's what's cool about it, you never know what you're going to see next. Pathology gets everything ever, too. It doesn't stop with those two, either.

Only you can decide if veterinary school/the field is worth the debt. You can eventually pay it off if you plan well and nothing screws up those plans, but don't expect to be free anytime soon.

 

[cowgirla]

To clarify things I was wondering if there were people in the md field that didn't certain aspects.

I do understand that there are vet specialties but most fall under treating cats and dogs. Never have I heard of an Equine neurologist. I just feel there's more to offer in the md field than vet field plus is going to vet school worth it when you have mountains of debt and no matter what you do you may never pay it off unless your that lucky.

Plus I do like animals and have always wanted to be a vet but I'm not a cat or dog person, I don't find it exciting to work with them and never have been comfortable around dogs since I've never owned one only cats.

I'm just trying to figure out how to see both worlds and decide since I love medicine and no other careers interest more or have a desire to pursue.

Look up Dr. Johnson at the New Bolton center. She's an equine neurologist. There are plenty of people who specialize in large animal disciplines, and even specialize within the "surgery" or "internal medicine" subsets. There are large animal people out there who focus on cardiology, ophthalmology, neonatology, sports medicine, anesthesiology....

 

[hazelmoo]

To clarify things I was wondering if there were people in the md field that didn't certain aspects.

I do understand that there are vet specialties but most fall under treating cats and dogs. Never have I heard of an Equine neurologist. I just feel there's more to offer in the md field than vet field plus is going to vet school worth it when you have mountains of debt and no matter what you do you may never pay it off unless your that lucky.

Plus I do like animals and have always wanted to be a vet but I'm not a cat or dog person, I don't find it exciting to work with them and never have been comfortable around dogs since I've never owned one only cats.

I'm just trying to figure out how to see both worlds and decide since I love medicine and no other careers interest more or have a desire to pursue.

It sounds like you've already made your decision then.. But if you think dogs and cats are boring, you might have a tough time in vet school since you spend so much time on these animals!

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

To clarify things I was wondering if there were people in the md field that didn't certain aspects.

I do understand that there are vet specialties but most fall under treating cats and dogs. Never have I heard of an Equine neurologist. I just feel there's more to offer in the md field than vet field plus is going to vet school worth it when you have mountains of debt and no matter what you do you may never pay it off unless your that lucky.

Plus I do like animals and have always wanted to be a vet but I'm not a cat or dog person, I don't find it exciting to work with them and never have been comfortable around dogs since I've never owned one only cats.

I'm just trying to figure out how to see both worlds and decide since I love medicine and no other careers interest more or have a desire to pursue.

Not really. You are talking about something you do not know much about as if you understand it. Most specialists in a general field (radiology, neurology, optho, path, etc) must be comfortable with diagnosing disease in companion animals, large animals, exotics even sometimes. Surgery and internal medicine are exceptions; people tend to stay more in "species lines" there although you still must be comfortable with several species at least. Hell, I've done everything from dogs and cats to pigs to camels to iguanas to cattle to dogs to snow leopards to koi, and I'm expected to know everything about all of them from a disease pathogenesis standpoint. Species variation, at least for me, was one of the main draws of veterinary medicine. I would get bored only focusing on one (i.e. humans).

However, you are correct in that human medicine offers a lot more financially. You sound like you have already made your decision, and based on what you have presented in this thread I agree with you. You would be better off in human medicine. Again, after you work on sound strategies to improve your social skills as well as possible therapy for why you have unhealthy issues with anatomy.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Yeah, if you don't like cats/dogs, and you want to really narrowly specialize in something, and not be poor, human med is definitely going to be a better fit than vet med. Not saying you can't find a job that fits these criteria, but that closes a lot of doors.

 

[dyachei]

Just think of it as primate only medicine

 

[cloverbug]

I agree with others about getting experience in human medicine before really making this decision. If you really like diseases, you should also look into epidemiology. You might find that you really like it. Personally, I'm not much of a people person and get burnt out quickly with having to deal with people all day everyday so I understand where you're coming from there. It's hard to be around people constantly and be social when you're an introvert. Anyway, definitely look into what you can do with a veterinary or a medical degree that you would be happy doing. There's so many subsets of both that I'm sure you could find something.