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[answered, thanks!]
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pre-vet/pre-med
- Thread starter fleetwoodquack
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manatee8
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Hi! Vet student here. I was in the same shoes as you, just sort of flipped around (went from premed to prevet). I gained a lot of experience on both sides in undergrad, and the human docs actually said the same thing as the vets, that it's not worth it. So maybe we're all crazy lol. However, the vets I've worked for love their job, just not the pay. Though vets do make a decent living (depending on field - don't do equine lol), human docs make ~2-3x as much as we do for the same amount of debt. Money isn't everything but it's definitely something to strongly consider.
The best advice I can give is to shadow and talk to physicians and get a full understanding of both professions. I originally flip flopped to premed because of the money. However, after shadowing, I knew human medicine just wasn't a good fit for me for a lot of reasons. I think it's important to consider your vet mentors advice and to get some experience in human medicine. Honestly, you don't have nearly enough clinical experience in vet med to count it out either. Maybe consider research too as opposed to clinical medicine, based on your interest in your current research. If you're financially able to take a gap year to help decide, it may be beneficial as well. It sounds like you're still pretty early on in the process, and it's ok to be unsure before you drop tens of thousands of dollars on vet school (or med school)!
I can't speak to med school requirements, but I don't think it'd be too difficult to switch. Especially since med and vet schools both require roughly the same courses and GPA to get in. However, be aware that you'll need well over 1,000 hours of clinical experience for vet school, but you won't have to worry about the MCAT
As far as how it "looks" to admissions for flip-flopping, I definitely wouldn't worry about it. Heck, I think it makes you a more competitive applicant because you understand what you're getting into more than most, having seen both sides. I talked about my own personal flip flop in my essays/interviews and I got in to several vet schools with a pretty average GPA. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you, and vet/med school are way too expensive to not be 100% sure, no matter how that looks to anyone else.
The best advice I can give is to shadow and talk to physicians and get a full understanding of both professions. I originally flip flopped to premed because of the money. However, after shadowing, I knew human medicine just wasn't a good fit for me for a lot of reasons. I think it's important to consider your vet mentors advice and to get some experience in human medicine. Honestly, you don't have nearly enough clinical experience in vet med to count it out either. Maybe consider research too as opposed to clinical medicine, based on your interest in your current research. If you're financially able to take a gap year to help decide, it may be beneficial as well. It sounds like you're still pretty early on in the process, and it's ok to be unsure before you drop tens of thousands of dollars on vet school (or med school)!
I can't speak to med school requirements, but I don't think it'd be too difficult to switch. Especially since med and vet schools both require roughly the same courses and GPA to get in. However, be aware that you'll need well over 1,000 hours of clinical experience for vet school, but you won't have to worry about the MCAT
As far as how it "looks" to admissions for flip-flopping, I definitely wouldn't worry about it. Heck, I think it makes you a more competitive applicant because you understand what you're getting into more than most, having seen both sides. I talked about my own personal flip flop in my essays/interviews and I got in to several vet schools with a pretty average GPA. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you, and vet/med school are way too expensive to not be 100% sure, no matter how that looks to anyone else.
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Just an FYI, all fields in healthcare will have a similar sentiment. I’ve had a dermatologist tell me not to go into medicine because of what it’s becoming. Suicide rates are high, reimbursement rates are dropping, mid level encroachment, and so on. What you should do is get into shadowing whenever this pandemic dies down. If you can’t find a doc, volunteer in the ER. That’s how I got my shadowing hours for the most part. Take a good look into what each practitioner does and decide what role you want to be in. So many freshman enter as a premed only to find out their idea of what a doctor does is actually what a PA/NP/BSN does. And they switch.
In terms of requirements, medical schools don’t require thousands of healthcare hours. They’re more looking for how you balance your time amongst getting good grades, volunteering, leadership experience, and (honestly) staying sane. It never hurts to have more hours and, tbh, taking a gap year or two is becoming a huge norm for premeds as well.
Last thing to note, some adcoms will probably ask why you switched if you mention pre-vet. They’re not trying to make you feel bad for wanting to do something else first; but they wanna make sure you’re actually wanting to be a doctor rather than run away from veterinary medicine
In terms of requirements, medical schools don’t require thousands of healthcare hours. They’re more looking for how you balance your time amongst getting good grades, volunteering, leadership experience, and (honestly) staying sane. It never hurts to have more hours and, tbh, taking a gap year or two is becoming a huge norm for premeds as well.
Last thing to note, some adcoms will probably ask why you switched if you mention pre-vet. They’re not trying to make you feel bad for wanting to do something else first; but they wanna make sure you’re actually wanting to be a doctor rather than run away from veterinary medicine
