Pre-pharmacy to Pre-vet

[s0y0un91]

So I'm kind of in a mid-life crisis right now because I don't know if I should continue what I have been trying to do the past 5 years or stop everything and start over again. I am applying to pharmacy school this year and am taking the PCAT again. I also have a pharm tech job at CVS. However, after working in retail pharmacy I realized how much I hated the job. I cannot deal working with customers who yell and cuss at you for not getting their meds due to early refills. I tell myself everyday I would rather work with ANIMALS than spend another day trying to help those people. So my question is, how long would it take to apply to vet school and what are my chances of getting in? I just graduated with a Microbiology degree. What other classes do I need to take? I am so clueless as what I need to get accepted. Do I need experience as a vet tech? I know most schools require a rec letter from a vet. How am I going to get that? And is the GRE test hard? I have so many questions but nobody around me can provide me with answers. Please give me suggestions and advice. I know vet school is really hard to get into like med school but if the job allows me to help save animals I know I would work really hard and never give up because of my passion for them.

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[epivetlove]

Newsflash: Odds are extremely high that you will be working with people (clients), and if you think the yelling, cussing, shaming, and complaining go away because you're in vet med...well, you'd be dead wrong. Start with volunteering/shadowing at a few clinics first. You don't have to be paid for it to count toward school and it is absolutely necessary to have if you want to apply. It's also important because you really need to see first-hand what it's like in the profession before you decide to switch over. You may be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. If it seems like a better fit than pharm, then check the websites of schools you'd be interested in and see what pre-reqs are required. Each school varies a little. Also, I believe all schools require at least one LOR be from a veterinarian.

 

[s0y0un91]

I understand there are people like that in every profession but if I'm working with animals it would be more worth it. I have applied to vet tech jobs and submitted a volunteering online application the past 6 months but haven't heard back. I guess I need to try harder if I really want it. But thanks for your advice. I will just have to sacrifice another year or two in order to do what I really want.

 

[epivetlove]

Sorry, your post just came off as if animals were the only important thing about vet med. If may be tough to get a tech/assistant job without any prior experience. I started out as kennel and was able to be cross-trained after a month or so back in high school--this could be an option for you. You can also try contacting clinics to see when they're not too busy, then go in and introduce yourself and ask to see if you can shadow for just a day. That's easier for vets to commit to than something longer. If you're enthusiastic and polite and such, they may be willing to let you come in for more days. Or they may even let you fill an open position.

Yes, I'd imagine it'd take you at least a year to be a competitive applicant. Strive for as many vet experience hours as possible and try to get a variety (i.e. small animal, large animal, equine, exotics, etc.). Classes you may need to take could include nutrition, cell bio, animal science, biochemistry, genetics (no idea what a Microbio major entrails, also depends on school). Be prepared to explain your switch, if you do decide to pursue vet med. Also, if you aren't aware already, research the issues facing this profession.

Good luck.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Epi is right, you'll still have plenty of difficult client interactions. But I get it that having animals involved can make it easier to deal with people for some reason.
The shaming can be one of harder ones to deal with, in my opinion. I haven't even started vet school, and I already get people telling me that I'll be a greedy, horrible person if I ever refuse to do surgery for free on an animal, or if I don't adopt every homeless animal that's brought to me, etc. If you can shadow at an emergency clinic (which might not be possible, I don't think every emergency clinic allows shadows) you'll probably hear about that a lot.

I understand there are people like that in every profession but if I'm working with animals it would be more worth it. I have applied to vet tech jobs and submitted a volunteering online application the past 6 months but haven't heard back. I guess I need to try harder if I really want it. But thanks for your advice. I will just have to sacrifice another year or two in order to do what I really want.

Try going in person. Also try asking to shadow for a day. It's a good way to get your foot in the door if you have zero vet experience. One day can turn into a longer, repeated shadowing opportunity, or volunteering or working at that clinic. Then when you apply to jobs, you can mention on your resume/cover letter that you've shadowed however many hours and are more familiar with the vet field than if you'd never been in a clinic except as a client. You might also have better luck applying to kennel assistant positions instead of tech positions.

 

[DVMDream]

I understand there are people like that in every profession but if I'm working with animals it would be more worth it. I have applied to vet tech jobs and submitted a volunteering online application the past 6 months but haven't heard back. I guess I need to try harder if I really want it. But thanks for your advice. I will just have to sacrifice another year or two in order to do what I really want.

I strongly suggest getting experience by shadowing a vet first prior to delving into heading towards vet school and vet med.

It is clear from your posts that you don't understand that vet med is really not all about the animals. Clients can be mean, cruel and evil. Also, while you are working with animals, the vet techs are usually the ones doing treatments, giving medications, setting up IV catheters and fluids, recovering from anesthesia, etc. You are really the doctor coming up with a diagnosis, which bloodwork should be run, how much fluids should be given, what meds to give and how much and then relaying the information to your techs to actually give to the patient.

I suggest you get some experience first because I think you might be in for a bit of a shock when you see what vets really do on a day to day basis and what clients can be like.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I am tired of all you pre-vets/vets ragging on vet clients. We are a sensitive bunch and I think unfairly portrayed. We are not all crazy cat-ladies, or crazy IG-dog owners. Are we? And just because we research everything on google doesn't mean we are wrong, does it? And why should we pay so much money? Dogs and cats are MUCH smaller than humans, so the procedures' cost should be commensurate with size I say.

So leave us alone. We are well-meaning, and are not afraid to use social media to shame you.

 

[DVMDream]

Note to self: If I ever see an older man walk in with IG's, run away.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Note to self: If I ever see an older man walk in with IG's, run away.

Are you kidding? And pass up all the income you would receive? We are worth the trouble!

 

[DVMDream]

Are you kidding? And pass up all the income you would receive? We are worth the trouble!

Just as long as you don't start showing me articles about how lemon juice cures parvo, I think we can work it out.

 

[dyachei]

Are you kidding? And pass up all the income you would receive? We are worth the trouble!

It's cool, I'll still see you and your pets, SOV

 

[s0y0un91]

Oh wow, you guys are giving me so much more insight on this. I never even knew kennel assistant positions existed. I will def. start calling some vets and asking if I can shadow or volunteer.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I am tired of all you pre-vets/vets ragging on vet clients. We are a sensitive bunch and I think unfairly portrayed. We are not all crazy cat-ladies, or crazy IG-dog owners. Are we? And just because we research everything on google doesn't mean we are wrong, does it? And why should we pay so much money? Dogs and cats are MUCH smaller than humans, so the procedures' cost should be commensurate with size I say. .

So leave us alone. We are well-meaning, and are not afraid to use social media to shame you. .

Well played sir.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Oh wow, you guys are giving me so much more insight on this. I never even knew kennel assistant positions existed. I will def. start calling some vets and asking if I can shadow or volunteer.

Yep, there's Kennel Assistant, Vet Assistant, Doctor's Assistant, Vet Tech, and other positions. Different amounts of prior experience required, different requirements for education/licensing, and different responsibilities at the clinic.

If you do get a job as a kennel assistant, it would be a great idea to also shadow, either at the same clinic or a different clinic. Kennel assistants don't always interact with the clients much, so you might not see what that side of the job is like.

 

[Kpowell14]

Yep, there's Kennel Assistant, Vet Assistant, Doctor's Assistant, Vet Tech, and other positions. Different amounts of prior experience required, different requirements for education/licensing, and different responsibilities at the clinic.

If you do get a job as a kennel assistant, it would be a great idea to also shadow, either at the same clinic or a different clinic. Kennel assistants don't always interact with the clients much, so you might not see what that side of the job is like.

Doctors assistant?? I must say Ive never heard of that before..

 

[pipab]

epivetlove and DVMDream are right.
I'm shadowing the vet (2nd vet) at the moment. I see unhappy clients (pet owner) all the time. Dog/cat can't yell at you (well they bark), but their owner can.

 

[derwent2052]

I have to agree with what DVMD, epivet, and pipab have said... You'll get clients (pet owners) complaining about medication refills too (refilling too early, clients not wanting to bring their pet in for required bloodwork for the refill, clients walking in and asking for a refill and expecting it to be made up for them w/in 10 minutes no matter how busy you are at that moment...) and that's just one area.
Then you have clients complaining about costs of everything, people trying to guilt-trip you, general weird or crazy people who call you constantly, noncompliant pet owners, I could go on and on... And don't forget the very emotional/sad times when a pet doesn't recover or is euthanized.

Granted, there are amazing clients as well, and, if it's something you like, there can be great opportunities to build rewarding relationships with pet owners in things like General Practice, where you may see a pet over the course of it's whole life. Then all the great things of helping animals and the tons of other aspects you can enjoy.

As others have excellently suggested, I'd recommend shadowing a vet or volunteering at a clinic (esp those two to get in the door, if you can't get in somewhere as an assistant of some sort) to see what day-to-day life is really like. It can be an amazing experience, even with all the crazy clients - I don't know if we'd all be willing to endure vet school if we didn't absolutely love what being a vet is all about!

There are also other areas in vet med that others have mentioned which you could potentially look into; for example, becoming a licensed tech. The techs work a lot more directly with the animals, delivering treatments, doing patient care, etc. There's usually interaction with clients too (though that might vary some based on where you work/type of hospital you're at), but it can potentially be a lot less than what the vets have to deal with. I think there are also areas of vet med that aren't so customer-oriented as well, but I can't speak well on that end as I'm not hugely familiar with them.
There are also other science- and animal-related jobs out there that aren't as customer service oriented, if you're mostly interested in the science and/or animal aspects of vet med. I'm not sure how old you are or how flexible your current career goals are, but there are a lot of areas out there to explore.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

There are also other areas in vet med that others have mentioned which you could potentially look into; for example, becoming a licensed tech. The techs work a lot more directly with the animals, delivering treatments, doing patient care, etc. There's usually interaction with clients too (though that might vary some based on where you work/type of hospital you're at), but it can potentially be a lot less than what the vets have to deal with. I think there are also areas of vet med that aren't so customer-oriented as well, but I can't speak well on that end as I'm not hugely familiar with them.

Pathology

 

[DVMDream]

Pathology

You are just trying to recruit people to the dark side.....

 

[dyachei]

You are just trying to recruit people to the dark side.....

so very dark. Don't get me wrong, I love pathologists, it's just not for me

 

[WillowLeaf]

Doctors assistant?? I must say Ive never heard of that before..

Some clinics around here have different names. Doctors assistant. Exam room assistant. Technicians assistant (which is different than vet tech or vet assistant, kind of another name for a kennel assistant). I know there a few other terms that I've seen too.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

so very dark. Don't get me wrong, I love pathologists, it's just not for me

We do get moments of "Hurrah!"

E.g. we get that biopsy that they are convinced is a horrible tumor and we can tell them it is benign and the dog will be fine. Things like that are the silver lining

 

[dyachei]

We do get moments of "Hurrah!"

E.g. we get that biopsy that they are convinced is a horrible tumor and we can tell them it is benign and the dog will be fine. Things like that are the silver lining

Just don't be surprised if you get an oral mass labeled "for dr. Wtf"

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

And I want to see it just like that on the submission form