doubts anyone?

[inudoc]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hi everyone,

i apologize if this is better suited for the non-trad thread, but does anybody have any experience about transitioning from vet medicine to allopathic med. as much as i love animals and the people that love them, the segment of the population i am helping are already those that are in a privileged situation (ie...can not only afford to feed themselves and their family, but also their animals). while i have animals of my own and am part of that population, i feel like i no longer get satisfaction in helping those like myself (i've been blessed 10x over), but really want to have a broader impact. i've always liked working with people (it was this reason i chose vet med), but have realized over time that the greatest impact really occurs as a human doctor. does anybody relate? if so, how did you get past this? it's hard for me to rationalize dewormers for animals, when a majority of the human population don't even have access to it? and the fact that some animal hospitals in this country far exceed the capabilities and technologies of human hospitals around the world really pulls at me? i love animals, i just feel like there are so many people in the world that also need help that maybe i should have entered a different field?


i'm sorry if i offended anybody, i just have been torn up about this for a long time and wanted to see if anybody else felt this way?

thanks 🙂

 

[laurafinn]

There's no harm in changing your mind in college. (Your status says Pre-Med, so I'm assuming that's the stage you're at.)

Personally, I have no problem with being a small animal vet. Pets are a luxury, but so are a lot of things people in the developed world spend money on -- sportscars, vacation homes, etc. I still see mechanics and carpenters, whatever their project at a given time, as people doing honorable work. Same with small animal vets.

Vets doing work other than small animal clinical practice have a huge impact on basic human needs. Who watches over the food supply, after all?

 

[pressmom]

hi everyone,

i apologize if this is better suited for the non-trad thread, but does anybody have any experience about transitioning from vet medicine to allopathic med. as much as i love animals and the people that love them, the segment of the population i am helping are already those that are in a privileged situation (ie...can not only afford to feed themselves and their family, but also their animals). while i have animals of my own and am part of that population, i feel like i no longer get satisfaction in helping those like myself (i've been blessed 10x over), but really want to have a broader impact.

Not that I want to convince you otherwise because good human doctors are needed just like good veterinarians are needed, but there's a lot you can do with a DVM degree.

There are several people in my vet school class who came to work specifically in the developing world. Many of them are getting an MPH in addition to their DVM. Not only do you get to travel to a lot of cool places, but also you get to help those who can't afford care otherwise. There is a lot more than just helping those who can afford it.

You will find that human medicine is also about helping those who can afford it. One of the reasons I chose not to get into human med (other than you can get ALL their infectious diseases) is the insurance system. So many people go without care because they don't have an insurance card. Sure, you can go into practice where you see only people with medicaid or the state equivalent, but you may find the standard of medicine you are forced to practice may not be to your liking. Unfortunately, in this country those who can pay, get the care, whether it be veterinary patients or human patients. You may find a lot of your practice is dictating by what insurance (whether private or governmental) will pick up.

Also, I want to know what hospitals you've been to or what veterinary practices you've been at where the human standards are below veterinary ones. In human hospitals EVERYTHING is charged for and EVERYTHING is disposable, which is one of the reasons it costs so much. (Have you ever looked at your EOBs that come after a hospital visit?) My many surgeries have all cost over $10,000 before insurance pays. An office visit to my GP costs $300 before insurance. If a veterinary patient comes in other than to (maybe) a referral center, the idea of paying $10,000 is ridiculous. My dog tore his CCL, it will cost $1500 to get it repaired at the teaching hospital before my discount. If I tore MY ACL, it would cost a whole lot more to repair it than that!

Just some things to think about....

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

the segment of the population i am helping are already those that are in a privileged situation (ie...can not only afford to feed themselves and their family, but also their animals)

Whoa...a LOT of areas are NOT like that

Have you considered international work? International vet work has a HUGE impact on people - and the people who most need it!

A friend of mine went to South America to teach a lot of the rural locals there better ways to raise and take care of their goats. These goats are these people's only subsistence, and lack of knowledge of proper care was causing huge economic strife (as in can't even feed your own family, much less sell meat for clothes, household items, etc). The group taught the farmers better feeding programs, better housing, disease control, etc.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

the greatest impact really occurs as a human doctor

I really hope you didn't mean that...veterinarians can have much bigger impact that human doctors in people's lives.

I'm not talking Fluffy and Fido

I'm talking about veterinarians in Zimbabwe working on the spread of Bovine TB between cattle as well as to humans, especially important because of the extremely high prevalence of HIV in humans there. A human health mess that veterinarians are the leading authority in.

The international vets in general who travel around the world, making differences in rural and disease-stricken communities who rely on their animals to survive. teaching them meat and milk hygiene, teaching them to reduce animal-to-animal and animal-to-human disease transmission.

The veterinarians intimately involved in zoonosis management, food animal safety, public health....they are the FIRST line of defense in many situations and have the greatest impact.

The veterinarians working in comparative medicine, using complex animal models as methods to treat and cure human diseases.

The greatest impact is not always the human doctor when it comes to medicine.

I'm not trying to be mean, but I think you have developed a tunnel-vision view of what it means to be a veterinarian. It isn't taking care of rich people's pets - there are so many more options! Explore!

 

[david594]

but have realized over time that the greatest impact in suburban America really occurs as a human doctor.

I am assuming this is more what the OP meant.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

but have realized over time that the greatest impact in suburban America really occurs as a human doctor.

I am assuming this is more what the OP meant.

And, for example, how many pounds of animal products like beef, pork chicken, milk, eggs, manure-fertilized vegetables and fruits do Suburban Americans eat?

Animal, products, and plants insepected day in and day out by veterinarians to keep the public safe?

How many suburban areas are made out of recently deforested areas, making rabies from indigenous wildlife a real concern?

Just other things to think about. Even in "Suburban America" veterinarians have a HUGE "public/person" involvement

 

[inudoc]

hi everyone,

thanks for all the thoughtful responses--i really appreciate everything you shared. to flesh out the picture a bit more, i'm actually a 4th year vet student, and a lot of my concerns actually arose after traveling and working in a few different countries over the past few summers. while i understand the importance of international veterinary medicine, from my experiences atleast, it did seem that human healthcare was a more pressing need in some of the countries i visited. in fact, many of the vets i worked with (mostly in zambia, zimbabwe, and ghana) felt that their skills were never completely utilized since there were more pressing needs elsewhere.

 

[pressmom]

hi everyone,

thanks for all the thoughtful responses--i really appreciate everything you shared. to flesh out the picture a bit more, i'm actually a 4th year vet student, and a lot of my concerns actually arose after traveling and working in a few different countries over the past few summers. while i understand the importance of international veterinary medicine, from my experiences atleast, it did seem that human healthcare was a more pressing need in some of the countries i visited. in fact, many of the vets i worked with (mostly in zambia, zimbabwe, and ghana) felt that their skills were never completely utilized since there were more pressing needs elsewhere.

I'd definitely strongly suggest that you go ahead and finish up! I'd hate to put in all that work and have no degree to back it up.

There are people that hold a DVM degree and an MD degree. (I can think of at least two--not by name--that have been mentioned either here or through other contacts I have.)

Anyway, I'd look at the timeline. You'd probably have all the pre-reqs for medical school, but you'd still need to take the MCAT, apply, go though 4 years of medical school, and then at least 3 years of residency. So you're looking at 8-9 years minimum.

I think you have to go where your heart is, and if you're heart is in human medicine, then go there. Just look very strongly at where you want to be in a decade (personally and professionally) and then compare what you could do in that decade as a veterinarian versus what you could do after that decade as a human doctor. Also, you have to be honest with yourself financially. It's none of my business whether you're in debt, but I think it's something you need to look it. (UG debt, DVM debt, and MD debt) And with this debt, whether you could still give back in the way you want to AND pay it off.

It's a lot to think about. Good luck making the right decision for you.

 

[inudoc]

thanks for your comments!

 

[Electrophile]

I'd second the MPH in general and what everyone has pretty much said. I was thinking about the MPH myself because I was pre-med for a long time myself and I love that kind of stuff, though not as much as what I think I'll eventually specialize in. But yes, you can certainly go to med school and I'm sure you'll do quite well compared to med school classmates slogging through it the first time. 😀 Another possibility would be going into the military or government perhaps. They do a ton of research at places like USAMRIID or Plum Island, as I'm sure you're probably aware.

Can you go into further detail about the vets from developing country that you've worked with? When I get done, I would sure like to go on medical mission trips along with physicians, dentists, nurses, optometrists, etc, cause as it's been said, their animals are definitely their livelihood. Our superstar orthopedic surgeon and radiology married team go on trips with Habitat for Humanity in Rwanda and elsewhere in that region and they do 100% small animal at the teaching hospital back here. But they say it is incredible for perspective.

For a different perspective, you may want to hang out a bit on the med student/intern/resident boards. It seems there are a frightening number of very jaded folks out there in medicine who came in for very good reasons, but now are burnt out and feel obligated to stay only for the money. Grass is always greener...