What do you need to know before going to vet school?

[Solidgun]

I have finally determined that this is what I want to do and I am making preparations to reach my goal.

One question I have is whether I need to know more about animals before going to vet school. I have the basic knowledge as I have pets in my family but I am not familiar with large breed differences or specific types of animals.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DVMorBust]

How far along in preparations are you? It sounds like you're just starting out, so there's a few things to keep in mind.

In terms of concrete knowledge, I don't think there's a set rule on WHAT you need to learn, but you do need to work on getting the following:

Veterinary experience (either through employment as an assistant'tech, volunteer work, or through shadowing veterinarians (i.e. following them around during their workday). You need a wide range if possible - small animal, large animal, zoo, equine, wildlife, etc.)

Animal experience (There's no set rule on how much you need but anything from volunteering at humane societies to being a kennel worker to working at a riding stable. Basically, interaction with animals outside of typical pet ownership experience.)

These experiences are important not only for the application process, but also to ensure that you really know what you're getting into and to reassure the adcoms that you really know what you're getting into.

Does that answer your question? Or did you have something else in mind?

 

[IcyPatch]

I think as DVMorBust said you need a working knowledge of the Veterinary profesion as a whole. So it is very important to have a wide range of experience with working with veterinarians or animals.

As far as knowing the detailed anatomy of an animal, it will help in vet school, but is not a requirement for getting in. As a DVM told me, once you are in they will teach you everything you need to know.

 

[Solidgun]

I have two undergrad degrees and have met all pre-requisites thus far. Getting ready for GRE in May/June and have been out of school for a little over 3 years and have been working and saving up money...so I believe I am ready in that manner.

I believe I have fair understanding of veterinary medicine profession as I have distant relatives I have talked to a few Christmas' ago about being in the profession and have been in touch with them.

Thank you for the replies thus far.

 

[DVMorBust]

I believe I have fair understanding of veterinary medicine profession as I have distant relatives I have talked to a few Christmas' ago about being in the profession and have been in touch with them.

Thank you for the replies thus far.

Be that as it may, you're still going to need to clock some actual hours working with veterinarians in some capacity, otherwise schools aren't going to give you much of a second glance. You do need a letter of evaluation from them, and part of what they have to talk about is how you handle animals and how you act around them in a veterinary presence - neither of which a relative who you've simply talked to will be able to do.

 

[AgtOrange]

There are no requirements for technical or medical knowledge - aka, you aren't required to know how to draw blood, read an x-ray, or name all the breeds of cattle. However, if you've collected enough breadth and depth of veterinary and animal experience to be a competitive applicant, you'll gain a good amount of knowledge along the way. Most vet students have A LOT of experience, either in research, small animal, large animal, equine, or wildlife medicine (ideally several of these).

Vet schools also want to see that you have been exposed to and understand the realities of the veterinary profession - salary, student loan debt, and current events are good topics to be intimately familiar with.

Good luck!

 

[twelvetigers]

There is a specific section on VMCAS (the universal program/form thing we use to apply to all vet schools) that asks for veterinary experience. Many applicants have hundreds or thousands of hours working or volunteering for a veterinarian. The greater the variety of experiences you have, the better it will look.

There is also a section for animal experiences, which are experiences that involve animals but are not under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. This would be, say, volunteering at a local humane society or rescue.

This is just a vague idea of what sort of things the admissions committees are looking for. Of course, different applicants will have different stats, and there's no universal formula for being a "good applicant," but having experience hours is necessary.

Also, as DVMOB mentioned above, you need at least one (and for some schools two or more) letter(s) of recommendation from a veterinarian. This vet can not be a family member, and must be able to comment on your ethics, work ability, professionalism, personality, etc. etc. so they actually have to know you.

I'm trying not to sound harsh or bossy - just informative! I'm sure you are an excellent applicant otherwise, but the experience thing is a requirement. So, if you would like to apply this fall, you will need to start working on that right away. Good luck, and feel free to ask if you have any questions!

 

[david594]

I believe I have fair understanding of veterinary medicine profession as I have distant relatives I have talked to a few Christmas' ago about being in the profession and have been in touch with them.

Thank you for the replies thus far.

While you may believe you have a fair understanding of the profession of veterinary medicine from talking to distant relatives there is no chance an admissions committee would ever believe that. And without working directly in the field I highly doubt you really do understand what exactly the profession entails, even if you think you might.

You need to get veterinary experience to prove that you really do have an understanding of what exactly you are getting yourself into.

 

[lailanni]

Well said, David. I agree. If you want to go into clinical medicine, talking about it is very different from experiencing it.

You can talk about 12 hour days, euthanasia, restraining angry cats, dealing with owners, assisting in surgery, getting crap and blood on you, having your arms scratched up, drawing blood, and running lab work. You can talk about it all day, watch it on Animal Planet and read it from Herriot - but it's completely different from experiencing it.

That is why schools look for a wide range of in depth experience in a clinical setting. (Or research if that's your thing). Several people think they want to go vet med but once they see the realities of it they may find it isn't for them. And it's much better to find out before you make the large time and money commitment of school.

Many schools require a certain amount of veterinary experience just to apply. At Davis successful applicants have several thousand hours of experience. On the other end of the spectrum, some folks have gotten in with a few hundred hours or less. The more you have the better off you are, both for your own knowledge and for your app.

You can check the successful applicants thread from last year and this year, that will help give you an idea of what people do