How Do You Choose?

[choices]

Hello all, so i'm new to this but when i found this forum it seemed a good place to ask my questions. i've had this nagging thought on my mind for the past maybe year or year and a half. I've spent the last three years of my undergrad degree getting experience to get into vet school. I applied in my third year and got an interview and then got waitlisted and this year got an interview again (at the WCVM - i'm from Canada) and believe that i have a very good chance of getting in. The only problem is that i have been thinking more and more about doing human medicine. One of the big reasons is that i'm slightly allergic to quite a few animals (though i've put up with it at the vet clinic i work at and all the volunteer work i've done). I don't want to do your typical private practice - i want to work with wildlife - possibly in zoos or in wildlife medicine where i can work outdoors (hopefully). But then at the same time i know i would love to work with humans because i love knowing about the human body and how it works and i like dealing with people (though i know i won't be able to work outdoors). Has anybody else had this predicament??? How do you choose what to do??

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[lcarter103]

Hi there,

I don't really have any personal advice for you about how to make your decision, but I wanted to suggest that you check out this thread:

Vet vs. MD: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=253043

I also wanted to say hello to a fellow Canadian and a fellow WCVM applicant, since I haven't seen too many of us on here! Which province are you from? I'm from Alberta and this is my second application (and second interview) for WCVM as well; hopefully we'll be classmates (if you do decide to go the vet route)!

Leonie

 

[kate_g]

Has anybody else had this predicament??? How do you choose what to do??

Haven't gone through it myself, but I've seen other advice that sounded good so I'll pass it on. You can't make an abstract decision between them. You should figure out what interests you in human medicine, try to shadow a doctor or volunteer in a hospital even for a little while. The key seems to be, you need to get close enough to the action to "smell the patients." And if you don't think that human patients smell worse than animal patients, then you haven't had enough human medical experience. (There's a thread somewhere in SDN, don't remember whether it's in "Topics in Healthcare" or "Pre-Allo" or maybe the regular "Allo" forum, but the topic is basically "what's the grossest thing you've had to deal with?" and I suggest trying to find it!) But the basic point is that whatever you've been imagining it would be like to "be a doctor," you've probably got some misconceptions. Getting an idea of what both professions are really like, day-to-day, is the only way you're going to be able to make an informed decision between them.

Also, veterinarians deal with people almost as much as human doctors do. Especially if you're into wildlife, you're going to run up against a whole load of political turmoil and tense situations that require good people skills.

 

[wishes]

The only problem is that i have been thinking more and more about doing human medicine. One of the big reasons is that i'm slightly allergic to quite a few animals (though i've put up with it at the vet clinic i work at and all the volunteer work i've done). I don't want to do your typical private practice - i want to work with wildlife - possibly in zoos or in wildlife medicine where i can work outdoors (hopefully). But then at the same time i know i would love to work with humans because i love knowing about the human body and how it works and i like dealing with people (though i know i won't be able to work outdoors). Has anybody else had this predicament??? How do you choose what to do??

I struggled with the same predicament you mentioned and actually ended up applying to veterinary school and medical school during the same admissions cycle. Now I am going the veterinary route, and I feel that I have made the right choice, but it was not a particularily easy decision to come to.
Here is the link to another thread that should be helpful to you:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=272168&goto=nextoldest
You will see a post from me that explains some of my reasons for considering both professions so maybe that will help you as well. If you have any other questions, feel free to private message me, and I will do my best to answer them for you.
Good luck!

 

[choices]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice...i'll definitely check out those old posts!! I feel that i have gotten a good look into the veterinary profession (but not so much wildlife as is more my interest) but now i guess i need to check out the medical profession. How about the allergy situation?? My allergies are fairly bad, as in i get pretty sneezy/watery eyes around dogs and cats and really bad around horses (sometimes its hard to breath in confined stables) but i'm pretty good once i take allergy meds and if i'm outdoors which is what i want.

Oh and Leonie, i'm from Alberta too!! Where abouts from Alberta are you from?? which university did you get your undergrad from?

 

[lcarter103]

Oh and Leonie, i'm from Alberta too!! Where abouts from Alberta are you from?? which university did you get your undergrad from?

I'm from Calgary; so I got my B.Sc. in Zoology from the U of C. What about you?

I understand your interest in working with wildlife; I'm more interested in small animal myself, but I have worked at a couple of different wildlife rehab places, and it was really interesting! Have you had the opportunity to see how your allergies are with wildlife?

I guess we still have about a month to wait until we hear from WCVM. Are you going to wait until you hear from them before you make a decision regarding going into med vs vet?

 

[choices]

I'm from Edmonton and i went to the U of A and now have a Biological sciences dgree with a specialization in Animal Biology. I have volunteered with wildlife - the wildlife rehabilitation society of edmonton and i helped out for many a hours at the wabamen oil spill last summer. I really really enjoyed it and would love so much to work with wildlife. Most of the wildlife i've worked with are birds and squirrels and i know i don't have allergies to birds, and not much reaction to squirrels but about the other bigger anmials i don't know. unfortunately, i know its really hard to get into and i've often heard that you may not end up having a job in wildlife and may have to do that on the side. But i don't want to have a small animal practice. I understand the appeal but its not for me. ANd i'm quite allergic to horses (almost deathly i'd say....well ok, not that bad but breathing problems in barns) and so i'm pretty sure i couldn't do large animal though i don't really want to. Plus i know that working with wildlife you'd have to detach yourself from them and i do love to "pet" animals and i get attached to them and i know you're thinking hello, small animal practice, but that's not where i want to go.

And after reading those past forums, a lot of the issues seem to be money based. Mine is not money based. I have no quams with the salary of a veterinarian, i think they make quite a bit of money, well enough to keep me happy. It's more about interest for me. I compare everything i learn about aimals to humans, and i love knowing how the human body work. But the forums are right as well as in it seems as though the veterinary world is a bit more laid back than the med world....though pre-vets are by no means any less competitive in their classes and quest for high grades than pre-meds.

I'm hoping to make a decision about vet vs. med before i hear back from saskatchewan. At first med was more of a backup plan but it became much more of a prevailing thought so i'm thinking i want to make this decision before the get the letter.

Has anyone who has gone into vet school and then decided to go into med school later on done so for any other reasons aside from the major one being money?? If so, what were the reasons?? How would you compare your vet vs. your med experience? Thanks!!

 

[lcarter103]

Well I don't know anyone who's made the switch (from vet to med or the reverse) so I can't be of much help there, but I think it's just going to come down to what you feel is right for you, in your gut. And of course, if you really feel like the right choice might be human med, then getting the clinical experience to confirm to yourself that this is what you want to do.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your decision, and keep us posted!

 

[choices]

So, i just found out that i did get into vet school in saskatoon. Have you heard anything Leonie?? I guess it means i now have to choose - pronto!!

Well I don't know anyone who's made the switch (from vet to med or the reverse) so I can't be of much help there, but I think it's just going to come down to what you feel is right for you, in your gut. And of course, if you really feel like the right choice might be human med, then getting the clinical experience to confirm to yourself that this is what you want to do.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your decision, and keep us posted!

 

[lcarter103]

So, i just found out that i did get into vet school in saskatoon. Have you heard anything Leonie?? I guess it means i now have to choose - pronto!!

Congratulations! I didn't get in, which is ok, as I'm planning on applying to Calgary (where I live now) and maybe even a few international schools next year. But still, it's disappointing.

Are you any closer to making your decision?

 

[choices]

I'm sorry but i'm glad you're not giving up. Australia would be cool i think but expensive. Unfortunately this has made the decision process harder!! ANd now i'm on a time limit!!

Congratulations! I didn't get in, which is ok, as I'm planning on applying to Calgary (where I live now) and maybe even a few international schools next year. But still, it's disappointing.

Are you any closer to making your decision?

 

[dreamsicle]

Hi - I am trying to make this decision myself, leaning towards veterinary medicine though because my interest primarily lies with animals, though in the vet field I'll have contact with people as well which I would enjoy I think. I've heard so many horror stories of the MD route - the types of people it draws and the grueling, almost physical labor of scutwork that is residency. I was hoping vet med would not be this miserable. I know it must be demanding because of the sheer volume of information that must be learned, but is at least a bit better? I don't mind hard work, and I'm willing to work as much as is needed to reach a goal once I've set it, but from what I hear from some physicians in my family, the pathway to human medicine is extremely taxing on both the mind and body, and I'm not sure I could survive this or if I would even want to survive this. And it seems a somewhat large % of physicians are unhappy with their career decision, so I was also wondering if veterinarians are fairly happy with their line of work and if they find it fulfilling? I would like to enjoy coming to work everyday, and some probably consider this a little too idealistic for any profession, but I really do want to love my job, and I don't want to have to suffer to attain a profession, as I perhaps might if I choose human medicine. Any advice? Thanks!

 

[lcarter103]

I'm sorry but i'm glad you're not giving up. Australia would be cool i think but expensive. Unfortunately this has made the decision process harder!! ANd now i'm on a time limit!!

Just wondering if you'd made your decision yet? When do you have to accept their offer by?

Leonie

 

[choices]

Just wondering if you'd made your decision yet? When do you have to accept their offer by?

Leonie

Hey Leonie, sorry for the late update. I did decide to accept the the vet school acceptance and figured i'd give it a go and if i didn't like it i could still apply for med school later on right?? I went down to saskatoon and took a look around and found a place to live this week (during my week off from work) and will move in around August 24 and then start orientation August 28. Everything is crazy soon!! And i don't get off work until August 22 so i can't go down and buy everything earlier because i don't get weekends or anything!! Man, field work is not the funnest thing - so redundant!!