DVM and choosing specialty

[airrick16]

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Do have to know exactly what type of veterinary medicine you want to practice by the time you apply or go for an interview, or begin matriculating. Whenever I ask this question, everyone says NO.

But the questions on the application and in the interview (prep) are very specific.

Eg: Specifically, what area of veterinary medicine are you interested in?
• What might you want to specialize in?
• *What are your motivations?

As I understand it, you don't have to make this decision until you begin clinical (4th) year, right? Is this accurate?

Is it okay to express some ambivalence during the interview? For example to say, "I am interested in food animal medicine, because blas. But I am also intrigued by the opportunities to practice in this (example) area and reserve the right to change my mind down the road."

 

[eventualeventer]

Yep! From what I understand, a lot of people who were dead set on one thing or another change their mind in vet school.

 

[aspiringDVM]

As I understand it, you don't have to make this decision until you begin clinical (4th) year, right? Is this accurate?

Actually, many schools do not have "tracking" into various specialties. You get to choose your electives based on interests, but in their curriculum you won't specifically be tracked SA/food animal/equine. I don't know when you have to decide if you do go to a school that does this, but I'd imagine it's 3rd or 4th year.

 

[airrick16]

Yep! From what I understand, a lot of people who were dead set on one thing or another change their mind in vet school.

Haha I figured this much

 

[PM2009]

Haha I figured this much

Oops...thought you posted 'I don't understand' and replied to that by accident...

 

[airrick16]

Yes at first I didnt understand the sentence, but read it again 😉

 

[airrick16]

I dont like the question, "What are your motivations?"

Obviously if you are applying to vet school? You're interested in being a DVM...I just feel like I'm beating a dead horse (no pun intended). Grr

 

[PM2009]

Yes at first I didnt understand the sentence, but read it again 😉

Phew! I have a microbial genetics final tomorrow morning at 7 am and thought I had finally cracked and was seeing things!

I agree though...I felt like a lot of my app related stuff was just restating the same information over and over and trying to make it somehow seem fresh everytime.

 

[Pandacinny]

My school has tracking - you choose your track going into second year. Everyone takes the same core classes so they're covered on basic stuff, but then you have to take certain electives based on your track.

 

[Truth74]

With our school's new curriculum, we are exposed to a specialty a week during rotations the first 8 weeks of first year. We have another opportunity to see more rotations the second 8 weeks of second year. Everyone starts out with the same core courses. We are offered different electives, of our choice, from the second 8 weeks of first year on. We are basically building our own tracks as we go along. However, there are a lot of specialties that require postgraduate study, internships, residencies, clinical experience in the field, etc...

 

[TSUJC]

Is it okay to express some ambivalence during the interview? For example to say, "I am interested in food animal medicine, because blas. But I am also intrigued by the opportunities to practice in this (example) area and reserve the right to change my mind down the road."

I think this is a great way to answer the question! They understand that you are probably going to change a little over the next four years. If anything, I suspect that the adcoms will appreciate your honesty.

 

[sumstorm]

I had some specific interests coming into vet school, but even in my personal statement stated that I was aware my interests may change with exposure and experience (it probably sounded better than that, though!)

Here we all take a core curriculum, then there are electives and selectives. We do have 'focus areas' which are broad fields of interest (equine, SA, SA + exotics, zoo med, LA, mixed animal, food production, research, public health.) There are opportunities to take courses in specialties as well (dermatology, behavior.) We can declare as early as first year 2nd semester or as late as end of first semester third year. However, some of these have additional requirements which have to be started early (research scientist has a required selective, zoo med requires 5 electives, etc.) so to keep options open you have to start early. But if your at all interested in those areas, it isn't hard to do.

I think part of it is keeping an eye open for people who have a driving passion for a particular field. We have a handful of individuals into zoo med, half a dozen strongly into food animal, a couple that want to work/live a rural lifestyle, several research oriented people, and at least two deeply into pathology. I think part of that was due to the selection process and consideration of what we expressed interest in (backed with experience.)