Master's or RVT

[piglet07]

Hello!

I was just wondering, if it was better to go for a master's or for a RVT as a back-up plan if i don't get into vet school. For people who have completed a master's program, 1) what made your choose that particular program [biology, animal science, etc], and 2) did you complete your master's program at your home state? or somewhere else [just curious]

thanks for replying - i really appreciate it! 🙂

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[Azawakh]

I completed my master's in Anatomy and Neurobiology as a back-up plan to veterinary school. I chose Anatomy and Neurobiology so that if I did not get accepted to veterinary school I could

1. Continue on and get my Ph.D or
2. Work in a Pharmaceutical Company and make a good living.
3. Or attend medical school

and if I was admitted to veterinary school I would be well prepared. I completed my M.A in the state I wished to attend veterinary school.

If you have a B.A then a RVT would not be improving your application academically and in a lot of states a RVT degree is not a requirement for employment as a veterinary technician.

 

[ReinaDeLuz]

If you have a B.A then a RVT would not be improving your application academically and in a lot of states a RVT degree is not a requirement for employment as a veterinary technician.

I agree with azawakh. The Dean of Admissions here at UF gets that question a lot "should i become RVT/CVT? and will that help my application?" and his answer is always the same: absolutely not. mebbe its different at other schools *shrug*.

i second the vote to go for your masters.

 

[philomycus]

I think the Master's too. I recieved my Master's in Biology and just applied to vet school this year. I'm hoping it gives me an advantage. Only time will tell. Is it March yet??🙂

 

[are_jay]

Hello!

I was just wondering, if it was better to go for a master's or for a RVT as a back-up plan if i don't get into vet school. For people who have completed a master's program, 1) what made your choose that particular program [biology, animal science, etc], and 2) did you complete your master's program at your home state? or somewhere else [just curious]

thanks for replying - i really appreciate it! 🙂

The comment I heard about RVTs that get into vet school is that they become so used to thinking like a tech that it is difficult to get them to think like a vet. I wouldn't bother with tech school if what you really want is to be a vet.

my vote is for the masters, and it is what I would have done if I was not in vet school this year.

 

[piglet07]

thanks everyone for responding! i really appreciate it - helped me a lot!

🙂

 

[Apollo84]

My personal feeling, if I never get into vet school, is that an RVT is better to have than a Masters. There is tons of work for RVTs, some can make almost as much as a vet if you look around and you would get to work in hospitals helping to treat animals. I feel that with a Masters, it only helps you for getting research jobs, which I don't want. Maybe I'm wrong, that's just my impression. For me, the road to becoming an RVT is much shorter- if you already have a Bachelor's, you would just need to do some paperwork, pay the $75 test fee, study and pass the state licensing exam to get registered. A Masters would require a 1-2 year commitment and school costs, and you probably can't have a full-time job at the same time. I do agree that a Masters looks better on paper when you are applying to vet school but I feel an RVT is more practical if you don't get in.

 

[are_jay]

My personal feeling, if I never get into vet school, is that an RVT is better to have than a Masters. There is tons of work for RVTs, some can make almost as much as a vet if you look around and you would get to work in hospitals helping to treat animals. I feel that with a Masters, it only helps you for getting research jobs, which I don't want. Maybe I'm wrong, that's just my impression. For me, the road to becoming an RVT is much shorter- if you already have a Bachelor's, you would just need to do some paperwork, pay the $75 test fee, study and pass the state licensing exam to get registered. A Masters would require a 1-2 year commitment and school costs, and you probably can't have a full-time job at the same time. I do agree that a Masters looks better on paper when you are applying to vet school but I feel an RVT is more practical if you don't get in.

There is no one solution for everyone... it sounds like for you, the better choice is the RVT. Sounds like you wouldn't really want a Masters degree anyway, whereas I would love to have one, and probably will if I can get a residency. I personally would not be happy being a tech for the rest of my life. Luckily I don't have to worry about that anymore, but I think the moral of the story is that you have to want the degree/certification, not just doing it to get into vet school.

 

[ReinaDeLuz]

My personal feeling, if I never get into vet school, is that an RVT is better to have than a Masters. There is tons of work for RVTs, some can make almost as much as a vet if you look around and you would get to work in hospitals helping to treat animals. I feel that with a Masters, it only helps you for getting research jobs, which I don't want. Maybe I'm wrong, that's just my impression. For me, the road to becoming an RVT is much shorter- if you already have a Bachelor's, you would just need to do some paperwork, pay the $75 test fee, study and pass the state licensing exam to get registered. A Masters would require a 1-2 year commitment and school costs, and you probably can't have a full-time job at the same time. I do agree that a Masters looks better on paper when you are applying to vet school but I feel an RVT is more practical if you don't get in.

I don't think you quite get what people are talking about in this thread...I think the OP was merely wondering which would help him/her out in the "short term" ie for getting into vet school in the next few years. Getting a masters is definitely the better route...if you want to go to vet school (at least, thats what my dean of admissions says...). I don't think the OP was asking which would be better "If I never get into vet school" certainly if you did a Masters and applied to vet school numerous times and gave up...perhaps then an RVT would be useful, if you decided to be a vet tech and not something else altogether.

 

[Apollo84]

I understand what this thread is about. My feeling is that you shouldn't just consider what is good for vet school, but what will be actually useful should you not get in. For me, a Masters serves no purpose other than improving a vet school application. For others, this is not the case. I just wanted to show more of the pro-RVT side of things since all the responses thus far were pro-Masters. I have heard that some schools think being an RVT/CVT/LVT is a plus, such as Colorado.

 

[are_jay]

I understand what this thread is about. My feeling is that you shouldn't just consider what is good for vet school, but what will be actually useful should you not get in. For me, a Masters serves no purpose other than improving a vet school application. For others, this is not the case. I just wanted to show more of the pro-RVT side of things since all the responses thus far were pro-Masters. I have heard that some schools think being an RVT/CVT/LVT is a plus, such as Colorado.

Actually, CSU didn't like it (I was there, heard lots from their admessions folks), they said it was hard to get ex-techs to think like vets instead of like techs. The longer someone was a tech, the harder it was to change the mindset. I knew a couple of RVTs there that were experienced as techs, but weren't accepted to vet school even after multiple years applying.
Being a tech is a good way to practice clinical skills, but you don't need to be certified to learn that. So I'm not sure what other reason (other than application-boost) an RVT certification would do if one really wants to go to vet school. If one's career goal is to be a tech, then its a totally different story...

 

[Apollo84]

Actually, CSU didn't like it

Thanks for the 1st person info. I hear a lot of things and who knows what any of the vet schools like and what is hearsay. 🙂

 

[ReinaDeLuz]

I understand what this thread is about. My feeling is that you shouldn't just consider what is good for vet school, but what will be actually useful should you not get in. For me, a Masters serves no purpose other than improving a vet school application. For others, this is not the case. I just wanted to show more of the pro-RVT side of things since all the responses thus far were pro-Masters. I have heard that some schools think being an RVT/CVT/LVT is a plus, such as Colorado.

Right, I understand what you mean...but this thread is not about career choices...the only career choice the OP seems to have in mind is veterinary medicine. Becoming an RVT is not (according to my Dean, and seemingly confirmed by other posters here...) helpful towards achieving a goal of becoming a veterinarian...but rather a separate career path altogether. Some people may be RVT's and then pursue a different career (ie vet med, or something else) but the main point is that it seems an RVT isn't terribly helpful in regards to becoming a vet (on the application side of things).

 

[kate_g]

Right, I understand what you mean...but this thread is not about career choices...the only career choice the OP seems to have in mind is veterinary medicine.

Perhaps, but...

I was just wondering, if it was better to go for a master's or for a RVT as a back-up plan if i don't get into vet school.

...When I read it, at least, I also took is as "backup plan in case I never get in" rather than "backup plan for a year while I reapply." So... I'm not sure it's worth arguing strenuously unless piglet clarifies his/her intent.

Anyway, piglet, if you're just talking about something to do for a year while you reapply, with an eye toward improving your application and/or what would "look best" to vet schools, then obvious considerations would be what the adcoms tell you needs improvement - higher GPA, better GRE, more experience, whatever. There was another thread with ideas on what else you could do with a "year off". Getting the RVT cert would probably leave you more time for application-improvement activities, since a one-year masters' is going to be very time intensive.

One thing nobody else has brought up, is if you get the RVT cert and then do get into vet school, you've got a ready-made way to pick up some extra cash with a couple shifts a week at the school's hospital or local practices or shelters.

 

[piglet07]

thanks everyone for your input - very helpful. 🙂

to clarify some things, what i meant when i said:

"if it was better to go for a master's or for a RVT as a back-up plan if i don't get into vet school"

i actually meant.. what i should do while i reapply to vet school/improve my application/be more competitive - sorry for the confusion!

a master's degree might be a better fit for me since i do like research.. but i do lack in actual/hands-on animal exp. compared to everyone else! so i was just wondering.. 😉

but again - i really do appreciate everyone's input! thanks for sharing your knowledge and thoughts with me!

😀

 

[HorseyVet]

"if it was better to go for a master's or for a RVT as a back-up plan if i don't get into vet school"

i actually meant.. what i should do while i reapply to vet school/improve my application/be more competitive - sorry for the confusion!

a master's degree might be a better fit for me since i do like research.. but i do lack in actual/hands-on animal exp. compared to everyone else! so i was just wondering.. 😉 😀

I know I'm jumping in late on this, but since I debated this same thing I'll offer my thoughts. I was trying to decide between a 1 year masters in physiology and RVT...the MS program in particular was designed for people that didn't get into med school. Basically along with other grad classes I would have taken Biochem and Gross WITH the first year med students...the idea being that you have real med school grades to show for the next year that indicate that you can hack it. This program would have set me back at least 30K and I'd already done a ton of research (and really wasn't interested at getting back to the bench, just to look more flashly for next year).

The other option was to get my RVT. I would have been able to complete the 2 year program in a year since I had all the pre-reqs (or better) from my vet med application. I planned to apply to both, but really decided to do the RVT.

My reasons....I didn't want to be more in debt for something that I wasn't that interested in and I really was done with not working with animals. If I entered the RVT program I could have started working at an AHAA hospital and would have gotten a lot of great experience. For me the choice was between doing something to make me look better to get into vet school vs. something that would actually make me a better vet (and that I'd enjoy a lot more).

I got into vet school, so it wasn't an issue, but that was my logic for me.