Conflicted between Veterinary or Medical

superpom_7

Casually waiting for January 29th..
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Messages
144
Reaction score
38
Hello there, I'm new to SDN!


I'll try not to make this that long, but knowing me I can type forever :laugh:. I'm a HS Junior. I have always been interested in medicine and have always (yes, cliche but true) wanted to be a doctor: whether that be a Veterinarian or an M.D. It's kind of hard for me to explain how much I really love animals without sounding crazy, but I am crazy about animals. I really didn't start to make up my mind about becoming a veterinarian (I was sure I wanted to become a vet) until I took biology...and I LOVED IT. But where I'm conflicted is where whether or not I really want to just be a medical doctor.

Money is definitely not a factor in my decision (I am aware that vets make quite a bit less than medical doctors), so I'm not conflicted because of that. A part of me feels like I would kind of betray animals if I did go with wanting to become a doctor. It may sound weird, but I don't know to explain it. But the other side of me wants to help people, cure people, and actually make a difference. Helping people honestly isn't the only reason why I want to become a doctor. I am intrigued by science. I'm intrigued by medicine. Anytime I see something about a medical breakthrough, it AMAZES me beyond belief.

Now, I am totally aware that Vet school is just as hard to get into than Med school, but from doing research and reading other forums on SDN, it seems like vet school is harder to get into because of the amount of vet schools there are compared to med schools. But I'm kind of stuck now. I am totally aware that I'm only a junior and I still have time to change my mind again (trust me, I have changed my mind so many times), but I personally would like to know where I'm heading in life.

As far as what I'd major in for undergrad, it of course would be something that I really like (such as biology, possibly ecology, or a non-science like anthropology which REALLY interest me honestly). I'm not really asking to be told what to choose, but maybe just some advice?

Thanks :happy:

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
I think the best course of action for you is to start getting some first hand experience if you haven't done so already. Volunteering at clinics or shadowing a doctor/veterinarian will be a difference experience for everyone. The bottom line is, would you be able to see yourself enjoying your work if you were in their position?
 
I am going to start volunteering at the animal rescue league next month, and about two years ago I had started to volunteer at the animal shelter, but I was never able to go (family issues). But I will actually be able to volunteer (I have time and there are no issues where I wouldn't be able to this time) so I'm happy about that :soexcited:. As far as shadowing a doctor goes, my current doctor has been my doctor since I was a baby, so it wouldn't hurt to ask him if I could shadow him. The worst he could say is no, right?

Also, to answer your question; although I haven't shadowed a doctor or a veterinarian, I know that everything is not as easy as it seems and it's not always fun. But from what I know, again, speaking as I haven't shadowed a professional (yet), I would be able to see myself enjoying the work. I would be happy with either job, but I just don't know which direction I really should go.
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
Major in what you want! As long as you get the requirements out of the way, admission committees don't have a preference. I'm a math major thinking about transferring to a forensic science program. C:

As for wanting to know what you're doing, I can understand that. That's a decision you'll have to make on your own. But you can support animal rights as a human physician, either by volunteering or monetarily to a group of your choice.
 
Yeah, I actually really want to major in ecology, but not too many colleges have it :shrug:. I really can't see myself majoring in anything other than biology, ecology, anthropology, or maybe even political science. I have a lot to think about. I don't know, I'm starting to think I should really follow my passion. Which, animals are my passion. I'm more passionate about animals than anything.

UGH :sorry:.
 
Last edited:
If animals are your passion, do it! Nobody can do you but you.

Zoology is a more common animal-centered major; I wish you all the best. :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
If animals are your passion, do it! Nobody can do you but you.

Zoology is a more common animal-centered major; I wish you all the best. :D


:joyful: I actually wanted to major in zoology (of course before I changed my mind many times) but I was kind of bummed that again, not that many schools have it.


Thanks, though! :happy:
 
Major in what you want! As long as you get the requirements out of the way, admission committees don't have a preference. I'm a math major thinking about transferring to a forensic science program. C:

As for wanting to know what you're doing, I can understand that. That's a decision you'll have to make on your own. But you can support animal rights as a human physician, either by volunteering or monetarily to a group of your choice.

No one in their right mind in the veterinary profession supports animal rights.

Animal welfare, yes.

I agree with the others OP - experience is the only way you'll be able to tell. Being passionate about a subject in your mind does not always translate into passion about the job itself. If you want to swing by pre-vet and chat with us, we'd be more than happy to give you some pointers as well (the forum says "pre-vet" but most of the vet students and actual vets hang out there).

That being said, if you would be equally happy doing human medicine as veterinary medicine, for the love of all that is holy, do human med. The debt (average 140K), salary (starting salary for a vet is ~50-60k), workload....it isn't worth it unless it is the only profession that would make you happy. If I had been equally as interested in human medicine, I would have done it and saved myself the pain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
No one in their right mind in the veterinary profession supports animal rights.

Animal welfare, yes.

I agree with the others OP - experience is the only way you'll be able to tell. Being passionate about a subject in your mind does not always translate into passion about the job itself. If you want to swing by pre-vet and chat with us, we'd be more than happy to give you some pointers as well (the forum says "pre-vet" but most of the vet students and actual vets hang out there).

That being said, if you would be equally happy doing human medicine as veterinary medicine, for the love of all that is holy, do human med. The debt (average 140K), salary (starting salary for a vet is ~50-60k), workload....it isn't worth it unless it is the only profession that would make you happy. If I had been equally as interested in human medicine, I would have done it and saved myself the pain.


Hey, thanks! The only reason that I didn't post this in the Pre-vet section was because I'm a high school student and I didn't know if it was okay to post it there :rolleyes:. I honestly would be happy doing either, but for some odd reason I have this feeling that it'd be harder for me to go the med route, idk why. I know that they are both hard, and require lots of dedication and time, and I don't know why I feel that I could do vet but not med? I tend to doubt myself a lot so I feel like this is part of the reason why I feel that way. Do you think that if you really want something, you can do it despite your weaknesses?
 
Last edited:
Hey, thanks! The only reason that I didn't post this in the Pre-vet section was because I'm a high school student and I didn't know if it was okay to post it there :rolleyes:. I honestly would be happy doing either, but for some odd reason I have this feeling that it'd be harder for me to go the med route, idk why. I know that they are both hard, and require lots of dedication and time, and I don't know why I feel that I could do vet but not med? I tend to doubt myself a lot so I feel like this is part of the reason why I feel that way. Do you think that if you really want something, you can do it despite your weaknesses?

You can, but only if you take the time to identify said weaknesses specifically and work with/on them. Don't fall victim to Imposter Syndrome and think you'll never be good enough for no reason. I think the best first step mentally for you would be to try to identify specifically why you think one would be harder than the other. For example, are you concerned more about the training or the actual job being harder for you?
 
I think this should be pointed out to you. While vet med is about animals and medicine with dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc, vet med is heavily involved with people and humans.

Private practice vets (who you would take your dog to for vaccines) are always communicating with and talking to pet owners. After all, animals can't give themselves medications or bring themselves to see a doctor. You are going to be doing a lot with both humans and animals.

There is also more to vet med than just your typical private practice vet.

There are research vets, vets who work for USDA (inspecting human food sources to be sure it is safe for consumption), vets who work for the CDC, vets who work in a public health setting (researching zoonotic diseases, parasites, etc that can impact human health).

Really do some research on a veterinary career. See what all it has to offer.

Also, shadow a medical doctor. Shadow a few of them, actually. Get some experience in the human medical field.

Then shadow a veterinarian (not volunteer walking dogs/cats at the shelter, that is great and will count on a vet school application as animal experience) but you need to shadow an actual vet. See what being a vet is like. And not just a vet that works with cats and dogs, shadow a vet that works with horses and one that works with cattle or poultry, if you can.

Experience is going to tell you best what is right for you. And as WTF said, if you can see yourself doing human med at all, DO IT! (Coming from the person who will be 300K in debt once vet school is over.)
 
I think this should be pointed out to you. While vet med is about animals and medicine with dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc, vet med is heavily involved with people and humans.

Private practice vets (who you would take your dog to for vaccines) are always communicating with and talking to pet owners. After all, animals can't give themselves medications or bring themselves to see a doctor. You are going to be doing a lot with both humans and animals.


Well said. A person who loves animals more than people is going to make a crappy vet (not directed specifically at you, OP - just a general thought). You spend a lot of time dealing with owners, who can be just as obnoxious and abusive as patients.

And just as an aside....


Money is definitely not a factor in my decision (I am aware that vets make quite a bit less than medical doctors), so I'm not conflicted because of that.

Money NEEDS to be a factor. I know you are in high school and therefore it maybe hard for you to appreciate the financials of it, but the economics of veterinary medicine are beyond awful right now. Please do some reading on that front.
 
You can, but only if you take the time to identify said weaknesses specifically and work with/on them. Don't fall victim to Imposter Syndrome and think you'll never be good enough for no reason. I think the best first step mentally for you would be to try to identify specifically why you think one would be harder than the other. For example, are you concerned more about the training or the actual job being harder for you?

Well said. A person who loves animals more than people is going to make a crappy vet (not directed specifically at you, OP - just a general thought). You spend a lot of time dealing with owners, who can be just as obnoxious and abusive as patients.

And just as an aside....




Money NEEDS to be a factor. I know you are in high school and therefore it maybe hard for you to appreciate the financials of it, but the economics of veterinary medicine are beyond awful right now. Please do some reading on that front.

My weaknesses are not meeting my expectations or goals. I try to set high expectations for myself, and when I don't reach those expectations I feel like I failed myself and kind of start to give up. I've been working on it though because last school year I made it a priority to try my hardest in my math class (I finished with a B which is way better than what I had before :happy:), and the times that I didn't get the grade I wanted, I felt horrible and didn't want to try anymore. But I keep reminding myself that giving up all of the time is not going to get me anywhere. I think I feel animal med would be easier for me because of the way I feel about animals, I guess. I'm not just drawn to wanting to be a human doctor because of wanting to help people, though. I love science, I love medicine, AND I love helping people. I think I'm more concerned about the training.

I understand what you're saying about loving animals more than people, and it makes sense. Is it really that bad for veterinarians? :(
 
I think this should be pointed out to you. While vet med is about animals and medicine with dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc, vet med is heavily involved with people and humans.

Private practice vets (who you would take your dog to for vaccines) are always communicating with and talking to pet owners. After all, animals can't give themselves medications or bring themselves to see a doctor. You are going to be doing a lot with both humans and animals.

There is also more to vet med than just your typical private practice vet.

There are research vets, vets who work for USDA (inspecting human food sources to be sure it is safe for consumption), vets who work for the CDC, vets who work in a public health setting (researching zoonotic diseases, parasites, etc that can impact human health).

Really do some research on a veterinary career. See what all it has to offer.

Also, shadow a medical doctor. Shadow a few of them, actually. Get some experience in the human medical field.

Then shadow a veterinarian (not volunteer walking dogs/cats at the shelter, that is great and will count on a vet school application as animal experience) but you need to shadow an actual vet. See what being a vet is like. And not just a vet that works with cats and dogs, shadow a vet that works with horses and one that works with cattle or poultry, if you can.

Experience is going to tell you best what is right for you. And as WTF said, if you can see yourself doing human med at all, DO IT! (Coming from the person who will be 300K in debt once vet school is over.)

I actually really like people and consider myself really socially inclined and outgoing, and I know that sometimes people (like myself) forget that you have to work with people when also working with someones pet. Thanks for pointing this out to me, though :). That actually made me think even more because prior to really getting serious about this (when I was just a kid who wanted to be a vet), I didn't really think too much about the people I would be associating with on a daily basis. I was mostly just thinking about the animals, which is why you probably pointed that out to me haha. Is it hard to get a veterinarian to let you shadow them? I actually had a research project for school that required me to shadow a professional, but at the time I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do, so I had permission to just use my father. Does it help to ask a vet/doctor that you've gone to for years? For example, the vet that I take my dog to now is the vet that we've used for our other dog for more than 5+ years.
 
Last edited:
I understand what you're saying about loving animals more than people, and it makes sense. Is it really that bad for veterinarians? :(

Economically you mean? Well, it's not a complete disaster. But it is bad enough that serious thought needs to be put into going down that path. The market is almost saturated, schools keep expanding class sizes, etc. Combine that with the already awful debt to salary ratio and it's a dicey field to be sure.
 
Is it hard to get a veterinarian to let you shadow them? I actually had a research project for school that required me to shadow a professional, but at the time I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do, so I had permission to just use my father. Does it help to ask a vet/doctor that you've gone to for years? For example, the vet that I take my dog to now is the vet that we've used for our other dog for more than 5+ years.

You can ask your vet if you could shadow her. Go in though when you don't have your dog with you. Dress appropriately, be polite, ask to speak with the vet. Tell him/her that you are interested in a career in vet med and see if you can shadow her for a day. Start off with just a day. If that goes well, then you can see about going back again or more frequently. Remember not all vets allow for people to shadow them, it depends on the vet and the clinic and what their policies are on shadows.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hi guys,

I recently graduated medical school and in residency for Orthopaedic Surgery. My advice would be to pick something you enjoy doing and stick with it. If you are unsure, email someone at a hospital near you and ask if you can go shadow. Most hospitals have volunteer programs where you can get your foot in the door that way.

Please email me if you have any questions and good luck!

================
Follow me at:
www.fiverr.com/awebbster_1982
facebook.com/awebbmd
antoniowebbmd.wordpress.com
 
WTF and DVMD have really touched on everything important that I would have said, but I'll add that your major should be something you enjoy. Fortunately, medical and veterinary school have nearly identical pre-reqs (give or take a few) so you'll need to get them done either way you go. But if you love ecology or anthropology (I loved that myself and took quite a few electives in undergrad!) there's no reason you shouldn't have that be your major :) It'll give you a little extra uniqueness when admissions committees are looking through a million "pre-med" or biology majors.
 
WTF and DVMD have really touched on everything important that I would have said, but I'll add that your major should be something you enjoy. Fortunately, medical and veterinary school have nearly identical pre-reqs (give or take a few) so you'll need to get them done either way you go. But if you love ecology or anthropology (I loved that myself and took quite a few electives in undergrad!) there's no reason you shouldn't have that be your major :) It'll give you a little extra uniqueness when admissions committees are looking through a million "pre-med" or biology majors.


Yeah, from what I've seen by looking at vet schools and med schools and their admission requirements, the pre-reqs are pretty similar. Yeah, I love biology, but ecology is a branch of biology that I REALLY like. Thanks for your input :).
 
Hello there, I'm new to SDN!


I'll try not to make this that long, but knowing me I can type forever :laugh:. I'm a HS Junior. I have always been interested in medicine and have always (yes, cliche but true) wanted to be a doctor: whether that be a Veterinarian or an M.D. It's kind of hard for me to explain how much I really love animals without sounding crazy, but I am crazy about animals. I really didn't start to make up my mind about becoming a veterinarian (I was sure I wanted to become a vet) until I took biology...and I LOVED IT. But where I'm conflicted is where whether or not I really want to just be a medical doctor.

Money is definitely not a factor in my decision (I am aware that vets make quite a bit less than medical doctors), so I'm not conflicted because of that. A part of me feels like I would kind of betray animals if I did go with wanting to become a doctor. It may sound weird, but I don't know to explain it. But the other side of me wants to help people, cure people, and actually make a difference. Helping people honestly isn't the only reason why I want to become a doctor. I am intrigued by science. I'm intrigued by medicine. Anytime I see something about a medical breakthrough, it AMAZES me beyond belief.

Now, I am totally aware that Vet school is just as hard to get into than Med school, but from doing research and reading other forums on SDN, it seems like vet school is harder to get into because of the amount of vet schools there are compared to med schools. But I'm kind of stuck now. I am totally aware that I'm only a junior and I still have time to change my mind again (trust me, I have changed my mind so many times), but I personally would like to know where I'm heading in life.

As far as what I'd major in for undergrad, it of course would be something that I really like (such as biology, possibly ecology, or a non-science like anthropology which REALLY interest me honestly). I'm not really asking to be told what to choose, but maybe just some advice?

Thanks :happy:

Your screen name is Pomeranian and you have a rodent as your avatar - I think your choice is has already been made.

The only time a physician thinks about animals he's trying to decide what wine will go best with them. Nuff said.
 
Your screen name is Pomeranian and you have a rodent as your avatar - I think your choice is has already been made.

The only time a physician thinks about animals he's trying to decide what wine will go best with them. Nuff said.


Short and straight to the point, thanks. ;)
 
Top