MD to Vet?

[HMSBeagle]

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Sometimes I get tired of med school and wonder what it will be like to switch to veterinary school. Anyone else ever thought or done this?

 

[Tiger26]

No, never

 

[notdeadyet]

God, no. I'd hate to think those HIPAA lectures were for nothing...

 

[coffeebythelake]

Sometimes I get tired of med school and wonder what it will be like to switch to veterinary school. Anyone else ever thought or done this?

Why?

 

[Law2Doc]

Sometimes I get tired of med school and wonder what it will be like to switch to veterinary school. Anyone else ever thought or done this?

If you want patients who are cuddly and don't talk, just do peds.😀

 

[soonereng]

If you want patients who are cuddly and don't talk, just do peds.😀

 

[Kris1]

Sometimes I get tired of med school and wonder what it will be like to switch to veterinary school. Anyone else ever thought or done this?

I was pre-vet when I applied to medical school and it was a decision that I am very glad that I made. I worked at the front desk of my veterinary college accepting animal emergencies and the 4th year vet students begged me to switch to human medicine. Their argument was this... so many animals worth saving come in but because of medical expenses that can't be afforded, they are euthanized instead. I can't speak for all vet students, but those that I knew went through 8 years of education to make $45,000 a year and euthanize perfectly good animals all day every day.

 

[cpants]

I was pre-vet when I applied to medical school and it was a decision that I am very glad that I made. I worked at the front desk of my veterinary college accepting animal emergencies and the 4th year vet students begged me to switch to human medicine. Their argument was this... so many animals worth saving come in but because of medical expenses that can't be afforded, they are euthanized instead. I can't speak for all vet students, but those that I knew went through 8 years of education to make $45,000 a year and euthanize perfectly good animals all day every day.

I'm pretty sure vets make way way more than 45k/year. If you've ever taken a pet to the vet, you know it costs an arm and a leg. I read an article once that showed that veterinary surgeons get reimbursed (by vet insurance) at around double the rate that people surgeons get (from Medicare and the most common insurance plans) for common procedures like cholecystectomies, appendectomies, etc. I will try to find the citation for you.

Euthanasia would suck though.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I can't speak for all vet students, but those that I knew went through 8 years of education to make $45,000 a year and euthanize perfectly good animals all day every day.

Come ON!??! All day every day??!!! That's scarey. Maybe it depends on where you are, too. I know some people that paid to fly in a vet to do their german shepherd's hip replacement surgery. So there's probably both extremes. Still, I know a lot of people get tired of their old dogs or cats and don't want to pay to fix a broken leg, etc... so that would really give me problems. I'd want to (a) knock the people around a little bit and (b) take their pets home with me instead of put them down.

OP, I definitely think about it. I love animals and people ask me all the time why I didn't go to vet school. Aside from not tolerating the way some people treat their pets, there are 2 main reasons. One is the fact that I can't bear animals in pain - and to answer before anyone asks - yes, I can bear people in pain because you can talk to them and let them know what's going on & what you're doing to help (although children are harder, that's true). Second reason is I'm allergic to just about every type of animal out there.

It doesn't bother ME that vets don't make much but I suspect many people would be bummed.

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I am confused about the Vet and Med school thing. Basically forever since I was a kid I wanted to and throughout HS I had the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell and Wisconsin post papers on admissions to never forget about my dream. I was so into the animal environment thing (still am), but for many reasons now I am leaning to a career in human medicine instead. Its a shame to b/c I would make a great Wildlife Veterinarian..

Did you know only 42 people in the US are certified in Wildlife specialty! So now I find myself preparing for both which is insane, but I don't want to regret things I do and I love doings some EC (wildlife hospital) that I do b/c well I love it! There is also more competitiveness for Veterinary medical school as well (27 in the US).

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I'm pretty sure vets make way way more than 45k/year. If you've ever taken a pet to the vet, you know it costs an arm and a leg. I read an article once that showed that veterinary surgeons get reimbursed (by vet insurance) at around double the rate that people surgeons get (from Medicare and the most common insurance plans) for common procedures like cholecystectomies, appendectomies, etc. I will try to find the citation for you.

Euthanasia would suck though.

Vets don't make that much money on the low scale 45k and the highest 130k and that depends on the higher side if its your own practice/business and are you in the pharmaceutical company industry where money is always to be made? These factors will give you better pay along with experience amount and possible 3 year training in a specialized area.

 

[Blade28]

Personally, no, I've never had any desire to become a vet.

 

[moe_4eva]

I'm pretty sure vets make way way more than 45k/year. If you've ever taken a pet to the vet, you know it costs an arm and a leg. I read an article once that showed that veterinary surgeons get reimbursed (by vet insurance) at around double the rate that people surgeons get (from Medicare and the most common insurance plans) for common procedures like cholecystectomies, appendectomies, etc. I will try to find the citation for you.

Euthanasia would suck though.

My fiancee who's currently in vet school thought this was pretty funny. Especially the part about compensation from insurance companies (how many people do YOU know that have insurance for their pet?). Board certified surgeons do get paid slightly better, but those are few and far between right now. Most are just general practicioners that have learned out to perform a few surgeries such as TPLOs, GI surgery, etc. And when you consider the amount of overhead involved in running your own practice, do you really think that they make that much? A $2000 TPLO surgery for your dog would cost your insurance company $10000-$15000 in a hospital. Of course, that is before the cost is negotiated down by the insurance company, and the costs also include the MRI, Rehab, follow-ups, etc.

 

[HMSBeagle]

I was told yesterday this same thing that vets have really high overheads and that their profits sometimes are not very good. My original question wasn't focused at income, but at lifestyle during school years.

 

[cpants]

My fiancee who's currently in vet school thought this was pretty funny. Especially the part about compensation from insurance companies (how many people do YOU know that have insurance for their pet?). Board certified surgeons do get paid slightly better, but those are few and far between right now. Most are just general practicioners that have learned out to perform a few surgeries such as TPLOs, GI surgery, etc. And when you consider the amount of overhead involved in running your own practice, do you really think that they make that much? A $2000 TPLO surgery for your dog would cost your insurance company $10000-$15000 in a hospital. Of course, that is before the cost is negotiated down by the insurance company, and the costs also include the MRI, Rehab, follow-ups, etc.

Here is that citation:

DeGroote R. The economics of managed care reimbursement: a rationale for nonparticipation. [Journal Article] Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. 92(4):28-36, 2007 Apr.
UI: 17427590

I think the surgery overall would cost more (with hospital costs, anesthesia, rehab, etc.), but the individual veterinary surgeon actually gets paid more for the procedure. I understand that not many vets are surgeons and not many pets are insured, but I think it is an interesting comparison that shows how badly person insurance is screwing MD's.

As for vet salaries, they actually seem pretty comparable to generalist MD salaries considering: little to no malpractice insurance, no lawsuits, great lifestyle, and less schooling required.

 

[norky]

Veterinarian incomes depend on so many things it is not easy to give a definite figure or range. It depends on where you live, if you are an owner vs. an associate, number of years in the field, which field you decide to work in (sm. animal, large animal, equine, wildlife, research etc..) and if you are a specialist. I know of vets that make 50,000/year and I know vets that make 300,000-500,000 per year. The vets that I know that are in the range of 300,000-500,000 own one or more clinics.


In regards to the comment made by Kris1, a veterinarian's day does not consist of euthanizing healthy animals all day. A day for a vet working in general practice consists mainly of performing wellness exams and routine surgeries. The last vet that I worked with said that he performed euthanasia roughly 6 times per week and that most of the animals that he euthanized were sick/painful or were not adoptable.

No matter what career a person is considering I think that it is important to fully research the field you are considering entering and spend many hours volunteering/working in that field before making a commitment. To the original OP, being tired of medical school is not a good enough reason to switch to veterinary medicine.

 

[norky]

I was told yesterday this same thing that vets have really high overheads and that their profits sometimes are not very good. My original question wasn't focused at income, but at lifestyle during school years.

Typical workload for a second year student veterinarian:
- 3-4 quizs per week + 1 pop quiz every 2-3 weeks
- 1-2 exams every Monday morning
- 1-2 written assignments per month
- 7-9 hours of class/labs Monday-Friday
- 11 final exams in 3 weeks
- I study approx. 35-45 hours per week in addition to the work that I just listed.

I am not sure that it is a better lifestyle than medical school😳

 

[lilnoelle]

Typical workload for a second year student veterinarian:
- 3-4 quizs per week + 1 pop quiz every 2-3 weeks
- 1-2 exams every Monday morning
- 1-2 written assignments per month
- 7-9 hours of class/labs Monday-Friday
- 11 final exams in 3 weeks
- I study approx. 35-45 hours per week in addition to the work that I just listed.

I am not sure that it is a better lifestyle than medical school😳

Yeah, I've heard that vet school is very intense. They expect you to know a wide variety of info on a wide variety of animals and you have to be ready to practice at the end of your four years.

 

[Orthodoc40]

Veterinarian incomes depend on so many things it is not easy to give a definite figure or range. It depends on where you live, if you are an owner vs. an associate, number of years in the field, which field you decide to work in (sm. animal, large animal, equine, wildlife, research etc..) and if you are a specialist. I know of vets that make 50,000/year and I know vets that make 300,000-500,000 per year. The vets that I know that are in the range of 300,000-500,000 own one or more clinics.

In regards to the comment made by Kris1, a veterinarian's day does not consist of euthanizing healthy animals all day. A day for a vet working in general practice consists mainly of performing wellness exams and routine surgeries. The last vet that I worked with said that he performed euthanasia roughly 6 times per week and that most of the animals that he euthanized were sick/painful or were not adoptable.

No matter what career a person is considering I think that it is important to fully research the field you are considering entering and spend many hours volunteering/working in that field before making a commitment. To the original OP, being tired of medical school is not a good enough reason to switch to veterinary medicine.

Great post! Thanks.

Typical workload for a second year student veterinarian:
- 3-4 quizs per week + 1 pop quiz every 2-3 weeks
- 1-2 exams every Monday morning
- 1-2 written assignments per month
- 7-9 hours of class/labs Monday-Friday
- 11 final exams in 3 weeks
- I study approx. 35-45 hours per week in addition to the work that I just listed.

I am not sure that it is a better lifestyle than medical school😳

Definitely NOT better!! 😱

 

[moe_4eva]

Here is that citation:

DeGroote R. The economics of managed care reimbursement: a rationale for nonparticipation. [Journal Article] Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. 92(4):28-36, 2007 Apr.
UI: 17427590

I think the surgery overall would cost more (with hospital costs, anesthesia, rehab, etc.), but the individual veterinary surgeon actually gets paid more for the procedure. I understand that not many vets are surgeons and not many pets are insured, but I think it is an interesting comparison that shows how badly person insurance is screwing MD's.

As for vet salaries, they actually seem pretty comparable to generalist MD salaries considering: little to no malpractice insurance, no lawsuits, great lifestyle, and less schooling required.

Perhaps the actual compensation to the surgeon, but then you have to factor in the fact that unless you work for someone, you pay all of your own overhead such as rent on a building, money for the anesthesia, surgical tools, sterilization, techs that assist you, etc. etc. etc. That citation also appears to be someone's opinion rather than a researched fact as alluded to by the first two words ("I think").

As norky said, the range of salaries is pretty spread out, with small animal practicioners that own their own clinic doing the best financially (assuming it is a successful practice).

 

[cpants]

Perhaps the actual compensation to the surgeon, but then you have to factor in the fact that unless you work for someone, you pay all of your own overhead such as rent on a building, money for the anesthesia, surgical tools, sterilization, techs that assist you, etc. etc. etc. That citation also appears to be someone's opinion rather than a researched fact as alluded to by the first two words ("I think").

As norky said, the range of salaries is pretty spread out, with small animal practicioners that own their own clinic doing the best financially (assuming it is a successful practice).

It's not an opinion. The vet surgeons actually do get reimbursed more. See the cited article for the research. My only point is, I think a med student who switched to vet could make a pretty decent living and deal with a lot fewer hassles.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

If you want patients who are cuddly and don't talk, just do peds.😀

Kids are gross. I'd much rather be with cats and dogs if cute and cuddly were my criteria. Sorta an exaggeration but not entirely untrue. 😀

I actually knew someone on another message board who dropped out of Wash U's med school and transferred to Cornell's vet school. I'm guessing she was a super stellar applicant to pull that move, but she said she was much, much happier with the shift. She was doing the MD thing to please other people.

 

[Blesbok]

Come ON!??! All day every day??!!! That's scarey. Maybe it depends on where you are, too. I know some people that paid to fly in a vet to do their german shepherd's hip replacement surgery. So there's probably both extremes. Still, I know a lot of people get tired of their old dogs or cats and don't want to pay to fix a broken leg, etc... so that would really give me problems. I'd want to (a) knock the people around a little bit and (b) take their pets home with me instead of put them down.

OP, I definitely think about it. I love animals and people ask me all the time why I didn't go to vet school. Aside from not tolerating the way some people treat their pets, there are 2 main reasons. One is the fact that I can't bear animals in pain - and to answer before anyone asks - yes, I can bear people in pain because you can talk to them and let them know what's going on & what you're doing to help (although children are harder, that's true). Second reason is I'm allergic to just about every type of animal out there.

It doesn't bother ME that vets don't make much but I suspect many people would be bummed.

And I know people that fly doctors in to do certain surgeries, but how many doctors do you know that are THAT good at what they do that they are world renowned? 1 in 5,000 maybe, if that.

 

[Phoenix.]

I know some people that paid to fly in a vet to do their german shepherd's hip replacement surgery. So there's probably both extremes.

Yup, I'd probably bankrupt myself to get my dog the best treatment. Thus....

My fiancee who's currently in vet school thought this was pretty funny. Especially the part about compensation from insurance companies (how many people do YOU know that have insurance for their pet?).

Um, me?

Still, I know a lot of people get tired of their old dogs or cats and don't want to pay to fix a broken leg, etc... so that would really give me problems. I'd want to (a) knock the people around a little bit and (b) take their pets home with me instead of put them down.

OP, I definitely think about it. I love animals and people ask me all the time why I didn't go to vet school. Aside from not tolerating the way some people treat their pets, there are 2 main reasons. One is the fact that I can't bear animals in pain - and to answer before anyone asks - yes, I can bear people in pain because you can talk to them and let them know what's going on & what you're doing to help (although children are harder, that's true).

I'm so with you. I've been asked many times why not vet school, and I did think about it seriously. But some of the reasons you mentioned above dissuaded me. I'd probably end up in jail for assault. You can't imagine the stories I've heard from my parents' vet in a very wealthy Chicago suburb - many wonderful family dogs (labs, retreviers, etc.) brought at ages five to nine to be put down because the family was moving, just had another kid, whatever. I remember him saying that one person bringing a five year old healthy and friendly golden retreiver said: "We just can't keep _____ anymore because we're moving, and we'd feel better knowing they've been put to sleep rather than missing us." Yeah, he kept the dog himself.

 

[Abilene85]

We don't have pet health insurance - my family just pays out of pocket. Despite getting all his shots on time as a puppy, my Rottweiler got parvo...so he was in the vet hospital for a few days on IVs - now he is having thyroid problems, so he's on meds for that...not to mention the expensive diet dog food we get him. After 3 knee surgeries, our other dog, a mutt, now costs about $6000. We drove him to Ohio State (2.5hrs from home) for two of the surgeries, so he could have the best treatment currently available.

I definitely look at my dogs as part of the family, so to imagine people bringing their dog in to put it to sleep for no good reason....😡😡. I agree with Phoenix - I would probably end up in jail as well. I have a dream to make enough money as a doctor to have the funds to open a no-kill animal shelter, or at least be able to contribute a good amount to shelters that already exist.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I definitely look at my dogs as part of the family, so to imagine people bringing their dog in to put it to sleep for no good reason....😡😡. I agree with Phoenix - I would probably end up in jail as well. I have a dream to make enough money as a doctor to have the funds to open a no-kill animal shelter, or at least be able to contribute a good amount to shelters that already exist.

Cool. I hope to do that, too. And this place looks cool for a vaca some time! http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/angelcanyon/index.cfm

 

[brandnewsaves]

My original question wasn't focused at income, but at lifestyle during school years.

My wife is a 2nd year vet student and they spend considerably more time in class then the 1st and 2nd year med students at the same school...granted she is at one of the top 5 vet schools in the country. The person from Ontario Veterinary College seemed to have an easier schedule than my wife, but then again that is a canadain school...

 

[norky]

The person from Ontario Veterinary College seemed to have an easier schedule than my wife, but then again that is a canadain school...

Excuse me?? Dear pre-med, do not make comments about things you know nothing about. The Ontario Veterinary College is not only the oldest veterinary college in North America, but it is also one of the most highly regarded and prestigious. My DVM holds just as much value as one received in the USA. And it is spelled..... CANADIAN

 

[SugPlum]

I actually knew someone on another message board who dropped out of Wash U's med school and transferred to Cornell's vet school. I'm guessing she was a super stellar applicant to pull that move, but she said she was much, much happier with the shift. She was doing the MD thing to please other people.

Was she able to get any credit for courses she took at med school? I can imagine some courses having similarities, such as biochem, but others being majorly different, like anatomy.

 

[WildlifeSaver]

My wife is a 2nd year vet student and they spend considerably more time in class then the 1st and 2nd year med students at the same school...granted she is at one of the top 5 vet schools in the country. The person from Ontario Veterinary College seemed to have an easier schedule than my wife, but then again that is a canadain school...

Veterinary medical school or medical school are just well both a lot of work. I don't know if anyone can compare them unless you went to both types of schools in your life. You can talk to a hundred people from many vet and med schools and yeah it can be different, but just well, its a medical education!

 

[la petite mort]

I could never be a vet, my emotions would get in the way too much. I know that sounds inane coming from a med student, but seeing an animal in pain is much worse for me than a human. It's not lack of empathy of any kind for people, it's just that an animal has no way to rationalize whatever is hurting it and them looking at you begging you to fix it for some reason strikes me as the saddest thing in the world.

I tear up whenever I see a dog with the slightest limp. I've put a cable block on Animal Planet just in case that show about mistreated animals being rescued is on.

 

[albino226]

I started out wanting to be a vet, actually. There's a bit more challenge to it, I think, because you have to learn multiple animal systems, not just the one (human), and you have to know all of them in-depth. One of the reasons for not going vet was that the field I wanted to do (path) had jobs few and far between in vet med, and only in a few locations in the States. Although it was a calculated decision, I find that I'm happy being a med student, despite my initial hesitation in switching from vet to med.

Hope that helps!

 

[Habibti]

God, no. I'd hate to think those HIPAA lectures were for nothing...

But you could get some sweet lectures on the ethics dealing with the goose overpopulation problem in a marsh and the buffalo overpopulation problem in Yellowstone. Equally amazing and useful, I'm sure.

 

[brandnewsaves]

Excuse me?? Dear pre-med,

med student...haven't updated...

 

[brandnewsaves]

Veterinary medical school or medical school are just well both a lot of work. I don't know if anyone can compare them unless you went to both types of schools in your life. You can talk to a hundred people from many vet and med schools and yeah it can be different, but just well, its a medical education!

I actually talked to a person who went both to the med and vet school, where I am and he said med school was a breeze compared to vet school

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I actually talked to a person who went both to the med and vet school, where I am and he said med school was a breeze compared to vet school

wow really, that interesting (not being sarcastic). When I compare school curriculum, the module looks harder to me then vet school, but its very similar. It is true that you have to learn so much about many animals and med school just people system. I don't know if you really go so much and far out in depth for each animal learning as you would for humans though. Who knows maybe your friend is right, maybe it is more challenging.

When I got a stress test done a few months ago I meant a cardo who was talking to me about what I was doing with my life and everything. When he found out I was studying bio for possibly veterinary medical school he told me a true story about one of his family members who tried to get into vet school and it was truly very difficult and she wasn't accepted (straight A student and everything), but she got into med school. I told him I thought the med curriculum looks more difficult then humans and he said it was..but how the hell does he know anyway, he is a cardiologist. I hate it when people don't know it is just as difficult as human med school and they automatically assume medical school is like the ultimate then going to be a vet. Its like human medical school gets so much more praise then vets or something thats how uneducated people arel!

 

[cpants]

I actually talked to a person who went both to the med and vet school, where I am and he said med school was a breeze compared to vet school

I imagine there is a ton of overlap, so if you had already completed vet school, med school would probably seem much easier.

 

[brandnewsaves]

I imagine there is a ton of overlap, so if you had already completed vet school, med school would probably seem much easier.

While this would be true...you also have to consider that vets are ready to practice after completing their 4 years of vet school were as doctors are not. So they have to fit more into a 4 year peroid because they have to cover every aspect in depth, we are as residencies allow for more in depth study in specific fields. Now some vets do residencies and internships, but it is not a very large precentage.

 

[brandnewsaves]

When I got a stress test done a few months ago I meant a cardo who was talking to me about what I was doing with my life and everything. When he found out I was studying bio for possibly veterinary medical school he told me a true story about one of his family members who tried to get into vet school and it was truly very difficult and she wasn't accepted (straight A student and everything), but she got into med school. I told him I thought the med curriculum looks more difficult then humans and he said it was..but how the hell does he know anyway, he is a cardiologist. I hate it when people don't know it is just as difficult as human med school and they automatically assume medical school is like the ultimate then going to be a vet. Its like human medical school gets so much more praise then vets or something thats how uneducated people arel!

With only 28 vet schools in the country it is harder to get into a vet school, especially because many states that have vet schools give high preference to their residents. Now, some states that don't have a vet school have contracts with some vet schools to save a few spots for students from their state.

In regards to which one is more difficult...I think that the 4 years of vet school are probably tougher than the 4 years for medical school, while the whole process of becoming a doctor (med school + residency) is harder than becoming a practicing vet.

 

[Mr. Freeze]

With only 28 vet schools in the country it is harder to get into a vet school, especially because many states that have vet schools give high preference to their residents. Now, some states that don't have a vet school have contracts with some vet schools to save a few spots for students from their state.

In regards to which one is more difficult...I think that the 4 years of vet school are probably tougher than the 4 years for medical school, while the whole process of becoming a doctor (med school + residency) is harder than becoming a practicing vet.

If the state in which you are a resident has a vet school, I'm fairly certain you can't go anywhere else. Unless this is bad info. Maybe you just can't NOT apply there. I'd be curious what the first-time applicant success rate is between the two, normalized for how many different schools were applied to, if the above is correct. Not curious enough to find it though. 😎

One possible explanation for why becoming a talking monkey Dr. is more involved is that residency programs get paid so much per resident (and I bet more than the paltry sum you get on the 1st and 15th), in addition to the fact that if you aren't knowledgeable enough to be negligent, you can't be sued.

As to the original Q, I only consider it during lectures on psychoanalysis or other associated quackery...but wouldn't it be nice if we as biped Docs could hold pt's until they pay, or just blue juice people if they are going to take up too many resources or not be viable in some fashion? I mean, sometimes the difference is simply what disease you catch when your pt. bites you.

Albino, one of our outgoing Deans (retiring) has a PhD in vet path.

 

[dvm'08]

If the state in which you are a resident has a vet school, I'm fairly certain you can't go anywhere else. Unless this is bad info. Maybe you just can't NOT apply there. I'd be curious what the first-time applicant success rate is between the two, normalized for how many different schools were applied to, if the above is correct. Not curious enough to find it though. 😎

Nope - you can apply to any school you want (and if you choose not to, you can not apply to your state school). In some cases, people only apply to their state school because going out of state is cost prohibitive.

 

[Mr. Freeze]

Nope - you can apply to any school you want (and if you choose not to, you can not apply to your state school). In some cases, people only apply to their state school because going out of state is cost prohibitive.

Yeah, I didn't think it was quite accurate. I think what the source was implying was that it was essentially pointless to apply OOS, or was at the time she went to school. You simply wouldn't get in. But that was 30 years ago...things change. It was also considerably more beneficial to have a Y chromosome as well...

 

[brandnewsaves]

If the state in which you are a resident has a vet school, I'm fairly certain you can't go anywhere else.

I can only assume this information is based on the fact that if your state has a vet school you have a major advantage of getting in to your state school over anyother other school because the extremly high preference to residents.

This could also come from that fact that all the vet schools do not use the same application system, so if you want to go to another school beside your state school you may have to fill out another whole application, which could deter some people...can't just click the schools like you can on the med application.

 

[brandnewsaves]

I imagine there is a ton of overlap, so if you had already completed vet school, med school would probably seem much easier.

Another interesting insight I have is one of my wife's good vet school friend's mom teaches anatomy UNC's med school. Appearently the vet students have quite a bit more indepth exams here at the vet school (aka required to know more) compared to the med students at UNC...and many people consider UNC to be a top med school

 

[WildlifeSaver]

If the state in which you are a resident has a vet school, I'm fairly certain you can't go anywhere else. Unless this is bad info. Maybe you just can't NOT apply there. I'd be curious what the first-time applicant success rate is between the two, normalized for how many different schools were applied to, if the above is correct. Not curious enough to find it though. 😎

One possible explanation for why becoming a talking monkey Dr. is more involved is that residency programs get paid so much per resident (and I bet more than the paltry sum you get on the 1st and 15th), in addition to the fact that if you aren't knowledgeable enough to be negligent, you can't be sued.

As to the original Q, I only consider it during lectures on psychoanalysis or other associated quackery...but wouldn't it be nice if we as biped Docs could hold pt's until they pay, or just blue juice people if they are going to take up too many resources or not be viable in some fashion? I mean, sometimes the difference is simply what disease you catch when your pt. bites you.

Albino, one of our outgoing Deans (retiring) has a PhD in vet path.

If I applied to vet school I would the Phd dual if I got it. My plan is try to get into medical school and if I don't the first time I would go for a masters then apply again to med school then apply to both med and vet (DVM/VMD Phd) school. I just may apply to both my first and hopefully last application cycle for both schools. Insane I am I know

 

[WildlifeSaver]

If the state in which you are a resident has a vet school, I'm fairly certain you can't go anywhere else.

I can only assume this information is based on the fact that if your state has a vet school you have a major advantage of getting in to your state school over anyother other school because the extremly high preference to residents.

This could also come from that fact that all the vet schools do not use the same application system, so if you want to go to another school beside your state school you may have to fill out another whole application, which could deter some people...can't just click the schools like you can on the med application.

That is completely true and I know because I wanted to be a vet ever since and know a lot of information and even got school catalogs and talked to administration about requirements and anything about the school.I know more about the practice from almost any angle of vet school then I do humans. I have only been thinking about MD school seriously for a year now. You want to know some freaked out true stats? Well I will tell you that Cornell for instance has a contract with NJ and only admits 3 students. 53 positions are held for NY residents and only 34 out of state students. Some vet schools admits a little bit more people, but its usually 90 or so at most. University has a similar admittance with 110 seats max. And those who apply to Cornell receives many applications which much out weigh the seats. Like I think wow do I really have a chance? I think I rather med school, it seems like there is more hope in the profession....

 

[brandnewsaves]

Texas A&M admits about 120 or so...and only 10 out of state...

 

[bunnyslippers]

My wife is a 2nd year vet student and they spend considerably more time in class then the 1st and 2nd year med students at the same school...granted she is at one of the top 5 vet schools in the country. The person from Ontario Veterinary College seemed to have an easier schedule than my wife, but then again that is a canadain school...

Totally unnecessary and wrong, OVC is an amazing school. Also, most people don't put too much stock in vet school rankings. Many schools are not ranked and a lot of times schools with the highest match rates are not the top ranked schools. It's definitely not the same as med school rankings. I also believe that there are multiple schools ranked at different levels, like there are 4 schools ranked #5. When there are less than 30 US schools rankings can't be too heavily scrutinized, at least IMO.

I have to give credit to anyone getting into veterinary or medical school, neither is an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[WildlifeSaver]

Totally unnecessary and wrong, OVC is an amazing school. Also, most people don't put too much stock in vet school rankings. Many schools are not ranked and a lot of times schools with the highest match rates are not the top ranked schools. It's definitely not the same as med school rankings. I also believe that there are multiple schools ranked at different levels, like there are 4 schools ranked #5. When there are less than 30 US schools rankings can't be too heavily scrutinized, at least IMO.

I have to give credit to anyone getting into veterinary or medical school, neither is an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

I agree neither is easy by any means. There is some ranking though, like are you shooting for University of Pennsylvania or Florida state university? The entrance to some reguire some different pre-reqs , GPA, GRE or MCAT to be at least by some standards and another thing some schools just like med schools have more of an interest area. Like North Carolina is more like cattle specialized and University of Wisconsin madison is awesome with wildlife vet area. Is it Ivy league or state? Really though to me, its still vet school, so yeah. People should be happy they ever get a chance in life to attend a medical school b/c there are so many people out there and try with so few seats.

 

[WildlifeSaver]

Texas A&M admits about 120 or so...and only 10 out of state...

Thats what I am talking about presence is given to an in state person for vet med school. Medical school really isn't like that much, is it?