Logistics of a combined DVM/MPH

[cloverbug]

Some people have brought up this topic before, but I'm going to do it again. I'm very interested in epidemiology as well as veterinary medicine, and have looked into careers that combine both a little bit. I feel it's something I could be happy in seeing as I worry about compassion fatigue common in private practice (I'm way too much of a softie). My big concern is that I'm getting married and I made a deal with my fiance that once I finish school then I'll support our family while he goes back to school. For U of I, I know that it's more of a 5 year program to do the combined and I guess I'm just wondering if doing it will be worth the extra year or could I possibly still get into that career field without it. This all becomes a lot harder when other people's lives are involved...

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[Country_roads]

My advice would be that ultimately it's worth it. Having that extra training and degree really does mean something

 

[WildZoo]

Some people have brought up this topic before, but I'm going to do it again. I'm very interested in epidemiology as well as veterinary medicine, and have looked into careers that combine both a little bit. I feel it's something I could be happy in seeing as I worry about compassion fatigue common in private practice (I'm way too much of a softie). My big concern is that I'm getting married and I made a deal with my fiance that once I finish school then I'll support our family while he goes back to school. For U of I, I know that it's more of a 5 year program to do the combined and I guess I'm just wondering if doing it will be worth the extra year or could I possibly still get into that career field without it. This all becomes a lot harder when other people's lives are involved...

It seems to me it would depend a lot on your financial situation and how sure you are that you would be able to get a job that would make the extra year and the extra money worth it. Those aren't things you're going to easily be able to predict though. I don't know your situation, so I may be making assumptions here, but I wonder about your plan to support your family yourself as a new graduate of vet school while your husband is in school. That is already going to be a stretch - you aren't going to be making a lot of money right away and you'll have your student loans to worry about. Add to that an extra year of school and you may not see much of an initial return on your investment in the MPH. I'm not sure how much that particular degree impacts your ability to work in epidemiology, and I'm also not sure how much of an increase in starting salary it would be likely to bring you.

 

[Country_roads]

The degree can bring a pretty significant pay increase if someone starts in the research/public health field right away. Granted it won't be a boatload of money like it will be when you're well established, but it will be more than the average veterinarian. I'm not sure how much extra the MPH would be at U of I, but you might be able to get some of the tuition subsidized either by speaking directly with your PI or maybe even through a private company.

Also, there is a loan forgiveness program through the government that if you work in a public service field (public health is obviously part of that), they will repay a good portion of your loans.

Now finding a job exactly where your husband wants to go to school...that might be harder depending on the size of the city.

 

[MooVet]

Something else to consider: I'm also interested in public health, but my school doesn't offer a dual degree program and I'm itching to get out of the classroom asap anyway. I also really want to get some general practice experience, since I think it's a valuable career-builder even if you don't intend to do it for the rest of your working years. So I was looking into online MPH courses and found this: http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/mph-for-practicing-veterinarians/

It's a Masters in Public Health from the University of Iowa that's geared toward working veterinarians. The bulk of it is online, and then you do two weeks/summer for two summers on the actual University of Iowa campus. It's not cheap ($35,000) but it does give you the advantage of having a steady income and earning that second degree at the same time.

 

[TheComfyCat]

Vet students can also get a dual degree at the University of Minnesota. You don't have to be a UMN vet student for their DVM/MPH program, and it's set up so that you can complete the degree within 4 years (alongside your DVM). You take some classes during the summer in Minnesota, and the other classes are online or completed during your normal veterinary curriculum. I plan on doing it, since it's relevant to my current/future interests (shelter medicine).

 

[cloverbug]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to talk to admin today if I can and then talk to my fiance. I think the widening of employment options will help a lot.

 

[RPCVvet]

I talked to a vet from the USDA about that, he said that while an MPH is not required to work for them, it does start you out at a higher pay grade. How much higher I don't know. Not sure if non govt sectors operate the same way.