Help? (Pre-med/Pre-vet)

[luc6372]

Hey, I'm a sophomore in college right now, my major is Microbiology and Cell Sciences and I'm pretty much in a very tight situation where I cannot make up my mind between pre-med and pre-vet. This idea of being a veterinarian, is relatively new... I had always been pre-med (since I was about 8 I spouted I wanted to be a Pediatrician for the sole reason that I liked science)...As I got older my career choices fluctuated, but it always came back to the medical field and I stuck to pre-med. Until I began to hate the idea of the impersonal relationship between a doctor and a patient, for the main part. I'm also very interested in, if I finally decide to become vet, to become a theriogenologist because I am fascinated with embryology and all of the reproductive system. Originally, Obstetrics had been my focus in medicine for that reason, then I experienced it first hand (with my cousin and my mom) and, again with the impersonal check ups, and the only time you truly spend time with the patient as an OB ,it seemed, was towards the end of labor. And I do understand that with vet med its quite similar in many aspects, but I feel as a vet it's more hands-on than in human med and much more rewarding because an animal is a beautiful, innocent creature that just wants to live their life and helping them achieve that I think is so amazing.

I haven't shadowed or volunteered anywhere animal related because, well as I said before, this is a relatively new career option to me. Though I plan to once this semester ends! I have fostered 4 week old kittens, success stories happily, and about 3 week old kittens as well, which sadly did not make it as they has bad respiratory infections. I've also raised three puppies after a dog wouldn't feed them. I've had animals all of my life, ranging from hamsters, to birds, to dogs and all in all I love animals. In the medical setting, also nothing, not because lack of trying, but because the hospitals and clinics near me aren't shadow-friendly you could say. I tried on multiple accounts, but nada. I'm moving this year to Gainseville and plan to shadow at UF's hospital and hopefully their animal clinic.

My mom is quite negative about my sudden change, because she believes that theriogenologists don't have as many jobs, because she's never heard of it. Not to mention she went even more negative on the subject when I suggested large animal vet. Truly the only people acting positively are my sisters, and that doesn't help with my already boggled mind.

I'm not interested in money, honestly I just want to better people/animal's lives, I want to help and feel like I am doing something meaningful y'know? I'm in it to help, not to reap benefits. And I am going insane, any advice that could be offered would be amazing and if anyone knows about theriogenology that would be amazing as well.

Okay... I ranted, and I apologize

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[battie]

My mom is quite negative about my sudden change, because she believes that theriogenologists don't have as many jobs, because she's never heard of it. Not to mention she went even more negative on the subject when I suggested large animal vet. Truly the only people acting positively are my sisters, and that doesn't help with my already boggled mind.

Honestly, your mom is right in a sense. This is a specialized area in vet med and there are not very many jobs out there for theriogenologists compared to a "regular" vet. It's also a long road to get to that point. You'll go through vet school, then do internships or residency to specialize. Large animal vets also struggle in a lot of areas because of where they work. Ranchers and rural families have far less extra money that they can spend on animal health care compared to the dog owners of large cities; more over, if it's cost effective for the rancher to not treat the animal over treat, it's distinctly possible they won't treat their animal and send it for premature slaughter. There's not a whole bunch of money for large animal vets.

I'm not interested in money, honestly I just want to better people/animal's lives, I want to help and feel like I am doing something meaningful y'know? I'm in it to help, not to reap benefits. And I am going insane, any advice that could be offered would be amazing and if anyone knows about theriogenology that would be amazing as well.

You say this now as a sophomore in college. This will not be how you feel when you'll have 150-250,000 in debt and start at 60,000. Sure, helping others is a great thing to want to do and none of us would be here if we didn't care about helping. But when you are paying off loans, paying for rent, food, etc., you'll know how much money actually matters in the world. If you go through this forum and look at the various "Med vs Vet" threads, 99/100 will say do human med over vet med if you would not be absolutely happy in vet med. The stress of money is a big reason why.

I haven't shadowed or volunteered anywhere animal related because, well as I said before, this is a relatively new career option to me.

This is absolutely imperative for you to do. You won't know that you really want to do vet med until you've seen a portion of the vet work life.

You could use the search function above and do med vs vet and you'll get a shoot ton of these very same threads.

 

[Minnerbelle]

You also have to consider the clientele if you were ever considering small animal therio. I retch just thinking about it.


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[dyachei]

not to mention that there are excellent groups of physicians out there that do bond with their patients. Especially in ob/gyn.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

You say this now as a sophomore in college. This will not be how you feel when you'll have 150-250,000 in debt and start at 60,000. Sure, helping others is a great thing to want to do and none of us would be here if we didn't care about helping. But when you are paying off loans, paying for rent, food, etc., you'll know how much money actually matters in the world. If you go through this forum and look at the various "Med vs Vet" threads, 99/100 will say do human med over vet med if you would not be absolutely happy in vet med. The stress of money is a big reason why.

Also not counting the internships and residency you would have to do to specialize in therio, so you'd spend at least 4 years only making 25-35k/ yr with that debt as well (at a 6.8% or so interest rate at that)

OP has zero veterinary experience (having pets does not count) needs to spend significant time in the field before any decisions are made.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Originally, Obstetrics had been my focus in medicine for that reason, then I experienced it first hand (with my cousin and my mom) and, again with the impersonal check ups, and the only time you truly spend time with the patient as an OB ,it seemed, was towards the end of labor. And I do understand that with vet med its quite similar in many aspects, but I feel as a vet it's more hands-on than in human med and much more rewarding because an animal is a beautiful, innocent creature that just wants to live their life and helping them achieve that I think is so amazing.

I had to laugh a bit at this. Not really. A significant portion of animals are horrible little (or big) ****s who will hate you because you are the vet. Even more so in non-companion species. I appreciate the poetic sentiment here, but let's call a spade a spade.

In addition, you primarily deal with the client as a vet, not the actual animal other than treatment. Just as a reminder.

 

[battie]

not to mention that there are excellent groups of physicians out there that do bond with their patients. Especially in ob/gyn.

Also second this. My doctor is amazing and remembers almost everything I tell her about my life. I'd love to keep her for the rest of my life if at all possible.

 

[dyachei]

Also second this. My doctor is amazing and remembers almost everything I tell her about my life. I'd love to keep her for the rest of my life if at all possible.

I've only been with my current provider for ~1 year but she's excellent and takes her time to talk with me about various things and asks after my family.

 

[luc6372]

Honestly, your mom is right in a sense. This is a specialized area in vet med and there are not very many jobs out there for theriogenologists compared to a "regular" vet. It's also a long road to get to that point. You'll go through vet school, then do internships or residency to specialize. Large animal vets also struggle in a lot of areas because of where they work. Ranchers and rural families have far less extra money that they can spend on animal health care compared to the dog owners of large cities; more over, if it's cost effective for the rancher to not treat the animal over treat, it's distinctly possible they won't treat their animal and send it for premature slaughter. There's not a whole bunch of money for large animal vets.



You say this now as a sophomore in college. This will not be how you feel when you'll have 150-250,000 in debt and start at 60,000. Sure, helping others is a great thing to want to do and none of us would be here if we didn't care about helping. But when you are paying off loans, paying for rent, food, etc., you'll know how much money actually matters in the world. If you go through this forum and look at the various "Med vs Vet" threads, 99/100 will say do human med over vet med if you would not be absolutely happy in vet med. The stress of money is a big reason why.



This is absolutely imperative for you to do. You won't know that you really want to do vet med until you've seen a portion of the vet work life.

You could use the search function above and do med vs vet and you'll get a shoot ton of these very same threads.

You made so many valid points, and so thank you. Though I also have heard/read of the many comments to do with the uneven ration of the debt:incoming salary, I don't want it to rule my decision. Because at the end of the day, I think I'd prefer spending my life living in a small apartment, in debt, and happy.. Over living in a house, not as much in debt, and unhappy.. If you can relate?

And I will definitely read up, volunteer, and check the other forums!

 

[luc6372]

OP has zero veterinary experience (having pets does not count) needs to spend significant time in the field before any decisions are made.

Yeah I agree with that, I need so much experience before my decision is made.. I just hoped hearing from people in pre-vet or who have gone through something similar, could help.

 

[luc6372]

I had to laugh a bit at this. Not really. A significant portion of animals are horrible little (or big) ****s who will hate you because you are the vet. Even more so in non-companion species. I appreciate the poetic sentiment here, but let's call a spade a spade.

In addition, you primarily deal with the client as a vet, not the actual animal other than treatment. Just as a reminder.

I guess we have different opinions on the matter, I get that I did go a bit "poetic" there, but I meant every word because at the end of the day they're just an innocent creature who is suffering and vets are most likely the only help available for them; no matter how much they hate you by the end of it. If an animal is suffering and I could help them I'd be freaking happy as hell. Even if they hiss, growl, scratch, or bite me.

And I apologize if it appeared at any point in my original post that I hated the whole "interacting with people part" because, in fact, it's something I love to do.

 

[luc6372]

Also second this. My doctor is amazing and remembers almost everything I tell her about my life. I'd love to keep her for the rest of my life if at all possible.

I've only been with my current provider for ~1 year but she's excellent and takes her time to talk with me about various things and asks after my family.

Wow, I guess I haven't had the pleasure of those experiences because my doctor never remembers me. My dentist, another story, but never has my doctor done anything other than say "Hi, what's the problem?" then gone into the routine check up.

 

[missdarjeeling]

I'd also consider careers in human medicine outside of being an MD. There's a lot out there, so poke around and see if something is a better fit for you.

I've had not-so-great experiences with my own doctors, so I understand where you're coming from. A few friends are in their medical residencies right now, and they struggle with the weight of bureaucracy and navigating the business aspect of their profession, in addition to all the ordinary challenges that come with dealing with human beings ("I have 11/10 pain so give me Dilaudid!", "I stopped taking my medication because the internet said so", etc.). And one of my relatives is an NP and a high level administrator of an entire unit in a huge hospital, and the things she tells me about patient care terrify me. Based on what I've learned, yes, there are a ton of challenges that come with practicing people medicine. It's one of the reasons why I decided against it. That plus the fact that the thought of touching sick humans for a living grosses me out.

But you should also be aware that vet med comes with its own set of challenges that aren't any easier to navigate. They're just a little different. The fact that vet med has lower compensation across the board may seem like an irrelevant detail, but it really does matter, even if you love your job. There are days when it eats away at you when it's all combined with the everyday stressors you encounter. You talk about helping suffering animals, but the reality is that a considerable number of clients won't be able to help or will refuse to help their own pet. Or they'll do the exact opposite of what you tell them to or they'll just ignore you entirely, with their pet paying the price. And you just have to accept that and deal with it, even though it means watching them suffer. And that's just one of the many common issues you see in private practice, and no matter how much you love animals and how much you're dedicated to helping, it will affect you. Burnout, depression, and suicide are very real and very, very serious problems in this profession. Caring too much can absolutely destroy you, and honestly, disconnecting a bit from the situation and being more impersonal is the only way to get through some days. Human doctors do that for self-preservation, too.

I don't mean to rain on your parade or make vet med sound like the most awful profession in the world. But for your own sake, you should get as much exposure to the profession as you can so that you'll be able to truly evaluate whether it's a good fit for you.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

You made so many valid points, and so thank you. Though I also have heard/read of the many comments to do with the uneven ration of the debt:incoming salary, I don't want it to rule my decision. Because at the end of the day, I think I'd prefer spending my life living in a small apartment, in debt, and happy.. Over living in a house, not as much in debt, and unhappy.. If you can relate?

And I will definitely read up, volunteer, and check the other forums!

I don't think you fully comprehend the amount of debt we are talking about.

 

[dyachei]

Wow, I guess I haven't had the pleasure of those experiences because my doctor never remembers me. My dentist, another story, but never has my doctor done anything other than say "Hi, what's the problem?" then gone into the routine check up.

My point was that it is what you make of it. Sure there will be pressure to see x patients in y time but you can choose to be a compassionate physician if that's what you want.

 

[luc6372]

I'd also consider careers in human medicine outside of being an MD. There's a lot out there, so poke around and see if something is a better fit for you.

I've had not-so-great experiences with my own doctors, so I understand where you're coming from. A few friends are in their medical residencies right now, and they struggle with the weight of bureaucracy and navigating the business aspect of their profession, in addition to all the ordinary challenges that come with dealing with human beings ("I have 11/10 pain so give me Dilaudid!", "I stopped taking my medication because the internet said so", etc.). And one of my relatives is an NP and a high level administrator of an entire unit in a huge hospital, and the things she tells me about patient care terrify me. Based on what I've learned, yes, there are a ton of challenges that come with practicing people medicine. It's one of the reasons why I decided against it. That plus the fact that the thought of touching sick humans for a living grosses me out.

But you should also be aware that vet med comes with its own set of challenges that aren't any easier to navigate. They're just a little different. The fact that vet med has lower compensation across the board may seem like an irrelevant detail, but it really does matter, even if you love your job. There are days when it eats away at you when it's all combined with the everyday stressors you encounter. You talk about helping suffering animals, but the reality is that a considerable number of clients won't be able to help or will refuse to help their own pet. Or they'll do the exact opposite of what you tell them to or they'll just ignore you entirely, with their pet paying the price. And you just have to accept that and deal with it, even though it means watching them suffer. And that's just one of the many common issues you see in private practice, and no matter how much you love animals and how much you're dedicated to helping, it will affect you. Burnout, depression, and suicide are very real and very, very serious problems in this profession. Caring too much can absolutely destroy you, and honestly, disconnecting a bit from the situation and being more impersonal is the only way to get through some days. Human doctors do that for self-preservation, too.

I don't mean to rain on your parade or make vet med sound like the most awful profession in the world. But for your own sake, you should get as much exposure to the profession as you can so that you'll be able to truly evaluate whether it's a good fit for you.

Thank you a lot for your comments, and that is actually another thing that has me wavering between the two as well. I've read so many anecdotal accounts of doctors (since my focus has always been pre-med) where they explain how tough it is seeing a child die. And I have also been thinking that it must be quite the same, if not worse, for people who are so deeply involved with animals. In that sense it's, I think, picking the lesser of two evils for me.

And about the money, yeah I know its a hefty problem to also take into account... It's just something I'd like to not focus on entirely when it comes to my decision. Should it be taken into account? Absolutely. Will I make it the major point in my decision, I hope not.

 

[luc6372]

My point was that it is what you make of it. Sure there will be pressure to see x patients in y time but you can choose to be a compassionate physician if that's what you want.

Yeah I understand.. Actually hadn't really thought much of that so thanks!

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Thank you a lot for your comments, and that is actually another thing that has me wavering between the two as well. I've read so many anecdotal accounts of doctors (since my focus has always been pre-med) where they explain how tough it is seeing a child die. And I have also been thinking that it must be quite the same, if not worse, for people who are so deeply involved with animals. In that sense it's, I think, picking the lesser of two evils for me.

And about the money, yeah I know its a hefty problem to also take into account... It's just something I'd like to not focus on entirely when it comes to my decision. Should it be taken into account? Absolutely. Will I make it the major point in my decision, I hope not.

Spoken like someone who has never had to choose between food and rent.

It's not about living simply and being ok with it. The amount of debt we live with results in extreme financial instability, which is a lot worse than just not having a lot to begin with. Combine that with an extremely saturated and difficult economy right now for veterinarians, and it is a big pile of no bueno. Big.

This NEEDS to be a major factor in your decision. Yes, not the only one, but one of the most important.

 

[luc6372]

Spoken like someone who has never had to choose between food and rent.

It's not about living simply and being ok with it. The amount of debt we live with results in extreme financial instability, which is a lot worse than just not having a lot to begin with. Combine that with an extremely saturated and difficult economy right now for veterinarians, and it is a big pile of no bueno. Big.

This NEEDS to be a major factor in your decision. Yes, not the only one, but one of the most important.

Well I won't deny my inexperience in what you just said, seeing as I am only just moving out this year, so yeah... I won't deny that I am naive in that sense, I'm just trying to not fully base my decision on money. I guess my mind will change by the end of the year, after I've experienced living on my own... but really who knows.

 

[Doktor Timo]

Go ahead and shadow some vets and see what you think about the profession after that. If it's still a tossup in your head, I would suggest not doing vet med for a variety of reasons, including finances. Most of us who are vets and vet students were never really interested in human med in the first place, so the choice always seemed obvious to us. But if you can be equally fulfilled and successful in a profession that isn't any harder to get into, has a similar debt load, but pays much better, why wouldn't you do that?

 

[Minnerbelle]

Well I won't deny my inexperience in what you just said, seeing as I am only just moving out this year, so yeah... I won't deny that I am naive in that sense, I'm just trying to not fully base my decision on money. I guess my mind will change by the end of the year, after I've experienced living on my own... but really who knows.

You're also currently just trying to make your decision on lofty ideals and this imagination of this wondrous notion of a doctor for fuzzy innocent beings. You really just need experience in the field to learn for yourself rather than evaluating whether you like what you're hearing from others without any sort of framework to base your judgment on.


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[cdo96]

I had to laugh a bit at this. Not really. A significant portion of animals are horrible little (or big) ****s who will hate you because you are the vet. Even more so in non-companion species. I appreciate the poetic sentiment here, but let's call a spade a spade.

WhtsThFrequency is right. There's a really big difference between loving animals and seeing the majesty/ life that they have, and having the cajones to be a vet. I only know the SA side, but the cute fuzzy doggies are the biggest ****s who will attack you because you made eye contact with them.

I'm not saying it's not a rewarding field, because if we didn't love what we're doing, we would do human med instead (I mean c'mon, better acceptance rate, better pay, and would people consider us a "real doctor" instead of "just a vet"), but before you uproot your life, you should really shadow a vet and get a good amount of experience.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thank you a lot for your comments, and that is actually another thing that has me wavering between the two as well. I've read so many anecdotal accounts of doctors (since my focus has always been pre-med) where they explain how tough it is seeing a child die. And I have also been thinking that it must be quite the same, if not worse, for people who are so deeply involved with animals. In that sense it's, I think, picking the lesser of two evils for me.

And about the money, yeah I know its a hefty problem to also take into account... It's just something I'd like to not focus on entirely when it comes to my decision. Should it be taken into account? Absolutely. Will I make it the major point in my decision, I hope not.

I really don't think watching a child die/losing one on the table is quite the same as losing someone's pet on the table or not being able to cure it. I've been unfortunate enough to lose a childhood friend and witness the latter. You cannot compare the loss of a pet to the loss of a child...there just is no match there. Certain people may grieve extensively and deeply for a pet, and rightfully so if they need to do that, but losing your child is on an entirely different level. I can't really articulate my thoughts well enough to describe it. To say that it would be worse to lose an animal vs. a child....not sure how you can ever think that would be the case. It sounds like you need a lot of eye-opening experience in both fields to make a decision.

 

[cdo96]

I've read so many anecdotal accounts of doctors (since my focus has always been pre-med) where they explain how tough it is seeing a child die. And I have also been thinking that it must be quite the same, if not worse, for people who are so deeply involved with animals. In that sense it's, I think, picking the lesser of two evils for me.

So for my first PTS at work, before going in my vet told me that this is easily the worst part of his day, and that while it looks terrible, it's the worst thing he has to do. I don't know if it is fair to compare the worst duties that the different fields have. Also, I wouldn't shut down med solely because you don't want to see children die- there are many specialities where people don't die (dermatology, ophthalmology, podiatry, etc). I 100% support fellow students in the veterinary field, but don't pick it because you don't want to see children die. Does that make sense?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I really don't think watching a child die/losing one on the table is quite the same as losing someone's pet on the table or not being able to cure it. I've been unfortunate enough to lose a childhood friend and witness the latter. You cannot compare the loss of a pet to the loss of a child...there just is no match there. Certain people may grieve extensively and deeply for a pet, and rightfully so if they need to do that, but losing your child is on an entirely different level. I can't really articulate my thoughts well enough to describe it. To say that it would be worse to lose an animal vs. a child....not sure how you can ever think that would be the case. It sounds like you need a lot of eye-opening experience in both fields to make a decision.

I 200% agree. There is no comparison.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

WhtsThFrequency is right. There's a really big difference between loving animals and seeing the majesty/ life that they have, and having the cajones to be a vet. I only know the SA side, but the cute fuzzy doggies are the biggest ****s who will attack you because you made eye contact with them.

I'm not saying it's not a rewarding field, because if we didn't love what we're doing, we would do human med instead (I mean c'mon, better acceptance rate, better pay, and would people consider us a "real doctor" instead of "just a vet"), but before you uproot your life, you should really shadow a vet and get a good amount of experience.

To be fair, everyone I have ever met in the (human) medical field has been extremely respectful of and impressed with vet med. It seems to be the...non-medical demographic that considers us just pup and kitty docs.

 

[MassDVMMPH]

I really don't think watching a child die/losing one on the table is quite the same as losing someone's pet on the table or not being able to cure it. I've been unfortunate enough to lose a childhood friend and witness the latter. You cannot compare the loss of a pet to the loss of a child...there just is no match there. Certain people may grieve extensively and deeply for a pet, and rightfully so if they need to do that, but losing your child is on an entirely different level. I can't really articulate my thoughts well enough to describe it. To say that it would be worse to lose an animal vs. a child....not sure how you can ever think that would be the case. It sounds like you need a lot of eye-opening experience in both fields to make a decision.

It might not be like that for you, but never make the mistake of assuming that what you feel is how everyone else in the world feels. I have had multiple people walk into my exam room with a sick animal who state very seriously that they are going to commit suicide if said animal dies. I even had the minister of a local church whose child and dog were injured in an automobile accident refuse to leave her slightly injured dog at our hospital so that she could be with her gravely injured son. The doctors at the ER were calling our hospital desperate to have the mother there because they needed her OK for risky surgery, and she was refusing to go because she was so concerned about her dog. My boss finally just started screaming at her that her dog was going to be fine - we would take care of it - but her son needed her at the hospital NOW. He did everything but drag her out to her car to force her to go be with her son. It was horrendous - I've never felt so sorry for a child before in my life - to have a mother care more about the dog than she did about him. And she was a minister to boot. You mean all kinds in the practice of vet med (and I mean ALL kinds).

 

[pinkpuppy9]

It might not be like that for you, but never make the mistake of assuming that what you feel is how everyone else in the world feels. I have had multiple people walk into my exam room with a sick animal who state very seriously that they are going to commit suicide if said animal dies. I even had the minister of a local church whose child and dog were injured in an automobile accident refuse to leave her slightly injured dog at our hospital so that she could be with her gravely injured son. The doctors at the ER were calling our hospital desperate to have the mother there because they needed her OK for risky surgery, and she was refusing to go because she was so concerned about her dog. My boss finally just started screaming at her that her dog was going to be fine - we would take care of it - but her son needed her at the hospital NOW. He did everything but drag her out to her car to force her to go be with her son. It was horrendous - I've never felt so sorry for a child before in my life - to have a mother care more about the dog than she did about him. And she was a minister to boot. You mean all kinds in the practice of vet med (and I mean ALL kinds).

Yeah...I'm thinking certain things about that mother right now. That may all be true for this handful of people, but I'd recommend mental health care for all of these people you just made examples of. Losing a child destroys lives. Losing a pet doesn't have to.

Edit: Also, I understand that I'm going to be exposed to all types of people. It's not a matter of someone simply being 'different' like you're making it seem.

 

[MassDVMMPH]

There are a lot more mentally ill people out there than you think... And a hell of a lot of them have pets. My years in GP are in the 'teens' now and I still get shocked by people. I think abnormal psychology should be a required course for vet school - it would be way more helpful in the trenches than physics has been, that's for sure...

 

[pinkpuppy9]

There are a lot more mentally ill people out there than you think... And a hell of a lot of them have pets. My years in GP are in the 'teens' now and I still get shocked by people. I think abnormal psychology should be a required course for vet school - it would be way more helpful in the trenches than physics has been, that's for sure...

Yes, I know, I've actually done a lot of volunteering in the area....you're missing the point I made. Refusing to leave your stable dog to rush to your dying son in need of an immediate surgery is not a normal reaction, unless there is some backstory you had no idea about. Even with that, it's still concerning. Threatening suicide deserves serious and immediate intervention via referral to services, a call to your emergency department, etc. Whatever you deem as appropriate for the severity of the situation and your comfort level. There's a difference between someone with mental health issues or just having a 'different' set of priorities which is what you alluded to these people having in your first post.

I've been in rooms with clients like this. Frankly, I think more clinics should put in place protocols for handling such situations. When do you call 911/the fire department? What are your liabilities/responsibilities with letting a client leave your clinic in a distressed mental state? How can we help our clients who find themselves grieving/fearing for their pet in the most serious of ways?

 

[Osudairy]

I really don't think watching a child die/losing one on the table is quite the same as losing someone's pet on the table or not being able to cure it. I've been unfortunate enough to lose a childhood friend and witness the latter. You cannot compare the loss of a pet to the loss of a child...there just is no match there. Certain people may grieve extensively and deeply for a pet, and rightfully so if they need to do that, but losing your child is on an entirely different level. I can't really articulate my thoughts well enough to describe it. To say that it would be worse to lose an animal vs. a child....not sure how you can ever think that would be the case. It sounds like you need a lot of eye-opening experience in both fields to make a decision.

I 200% agree. There is no comparison.

I totally agree with this. I once lost a horse I had for many years and it was very upsetting. I also lost my sister in a car accident 2 years ago which is the worse thing I have ever been through. There really isn't a comparison.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I totally agree with this. I once lost a horse I had for many years and it was very upsetting. I also lost my sister in a car accident 2 years ago which is the worse thing I have ever been through. There really isn't a comparison.

I'm so sorry to hear that I can't imagine.

 

[memory tcells]

I would strongly suggest finding a way to shadow a vet and a MD even if it is difficult to find one. If you do end up on the pre-med track, medical schools want to see you have clinical or shadowing experience for the reason that they want you to get a taste of what practicing medicine is like so that you aren't jumping in blind and later realizing it's not the field for you. I don't really know the requirements for veterinary schools but I assume that shadowing experience can only bolster your application. If money really isn't a factor for you then I suggest doing what you enjoy more, but I don't think you can make an accurate judgement call until you have an exposure to both these fields.

 

[KCgophervet]

I would strongly suggest finding a way to shadow a vet and a MD even if it is difficult to find one. If you do end up on the pre-med track, medical schools want to see you have clinical or shadowing experience for the reason that they want you to get a taste of what practicing medicine is like so that you aren't jumping in blind and later realizing it's not the field for you. I don't really know the requirements for veterinary schools but I assume that shadowing experience can only bolster your application. If money really isn't a factor for you then I suggest doing what you enjoy more, but I don't think you can make an accurate judgement call until you have an exposure to both these fields.

Vet experience is required for applying to vet school, not just a happy bonus or something they'd like to see. Many applicants have hundreds to thousands of hours of veterinary experience before applying, so this is definitely a good piece of advice.

 

[battie]

Vet experience is required for applying to vet school, not just a happy bonus or something they'd like to see. Many applicants have hundreds to thousands of hours of veterinary experience before applying, so this is definitely a good piece of advice.

I hang out over at the pre-med section of SDN a little bit and have noticed that pre-meds need so few hours! 200 hours is a lot for those kids! Granted, I understand why since there's a different level of patient privacy.

 

[Doktor Timo]

Vet experience is required for applying to vet school, not just a happy bonus or something they'd like to see. Many applicants have hundreds to thousands of hours of veterinary experience before applying, so this is definitely a good piece of advice.

Not completely true, depending on the school. I have several classmates who had zero veterinary experience when they applied.

Getting experience is still very important for many reasons, but it isn't necessarily always a requirement for admission.

 

[memory tcells]

I hang out over at the pre-med section of SDN a little bit and have noticed that pre-meds need so few hours! 200 hours is a lot for those kids! Granted, I understand why since there's a different level of patient privacy.

For pre-meds there are no set minimum hours requirement. However, you can safely bet that their application will be thrown out of the way unless if they have something big that makes up for the lack of experience.

200 hours total? I feel that most students that matriculate have more but I could be wrong.

 

[battie]

For pre-meds there are no set minimum hours requirement. However, you can safely bet that their application will be thrown out of the way unless if they have something big that makes up for the lack of experience.

200 hours total? I feel that most students that matriculate have more but I could be wrong.

I guess that's just how it feels to me. Vet schools have an average of 1,000 for matriculating students and I don't remember seeing all that many pre-meds with those kinds of stats. I might also be looking more at the students who need to improve that section of their application.

For pre-vet, I don't really know if not having any experience can be made up, even with a 4.0. The lowest I know is @wheelin2vetmed, but he still had 200ish, I think (and a good story that I'm sure adcoms got a kick out of ). I was wait listed with 135 vet hours, but I have a ton of animal stuff too.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Not completely true, depending on the school. I have several classmates who had zero veterinary experience when they applied.

Getting experience is still very important for many reasons, but it isn't necessarily always a requirement for admission.

Do you have any idea what the rest of their application was like? Heavy in research or something? To say you have multiple classmates with NO veterinary experience is pretty surprising. I know of some people that have gotten in with around 100 hours, but they either had a 4.0, oodles of research/some publications, or a compelling story. One girl I know got in with 60, but she had a pretty successful publication.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

For pre-vet, I don't really know if not having any experience can be made up, even with a 4.0. The lowest I know is @wheelin2vetmed, but he still had 200ish, I think (and a good story that I'm sure adcoms got a kick out of ).

I had 121 hours and you better believe I put the 1.

I'm very thankful my app was looked over holistically. At least, that's what I think based on school responses.

Get more experience than me if you can, for shizzle. You can get in with low hours, but it seems to be far from the norm.

 

[Doktor Timo]

Do you have any idea what the rest of their application was like? Heavy in research or something? To say you have multiple classmates with NO veterinary experience is pretty surprising. I know of some people that have gotten in with around 100 hours, but they either had a 4.0, oodles of research/some publications, or a compelling story. One girl I know got in with 60, but she had a pretty successful publication.

For the most part they were non-traditional students making career changes. One of them had research experience in chemistry, but nothing animal-related. Obviously that's rare, but it can happen. Like I said, it depends on the school. Tennessee did not have a minimum experience hours requirement when I applied. On the other hand, NC State did and I would not have met it. I think I had maybe 150 actual veterinary experience hours.

Experience is just like grades; just because you have a lot doesn't mean you'll get in. I think it's wise for every applicant to have enough experience that they have a general idea what the profession is about and they feel comfortable pursuing it, but at some point it's pointless. I have every reason to believe that a student who had 2000 hours is not going to be any better prepared for school or any better a veterinarian than one who has 200. The fact is, cleaning kennels and doing tech work doesn't actually prepare you to be a vet that much.