Does anyone know what shots or vaccinations are required before we start vet school?
Shots for Vet School
- Thread starter twh11
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I would check with the individual school. I think most schools require tetnus and poss. hepatitis. However, for rabies I noticed that Iowa requires it, but Wisconsin recommends it. Also, check and see if your school is going to have a vacc. clinic during orientation. I know at WI they said they were going to have someone come in to give rabies vacc.
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At my school, its Tetanus and Rabies series.
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western is tetanus, rabies, hepatitis B (i'm guessing because also a human med school), MMR, polio, um TB, varicella...if i think of more, i'll add them.
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I asked at UTK and they said they didn't have any required shots until the 4th year and to wait until then because the school offered the shots at a more reasonable price.
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when i got my rabies shots 10 years ago at my local family physician's office (they special-ordered them in), they were 55 bucks a pop ($165 total). i can't believe they've gone up in price that much. try to get your vaccs outside of the school, if you can. also, if you're a grad student at a school, and you have grade insurance, you can get your rv series for free (or the co-pay fee).
your school should be sending out a vaccine protocol thing for you before you enroll. i got mine from tufts a few weeks ago.
some insurance companies will cover rabies vaccines...for example i work at a mostly small animal clinic that will do some wildlife work (i.e. pulling quills from a raccoon)...so my insurance paid for my rabies vaccine because i needed it for work...lot cheaper to vaccinate than to treat rabies. thus, it only cost me like 15 dollars for the whole series
some insurance companies will cover rabies vaccines...for example i work at a mostly small animal clinic that will do some wildlife work (i.e. pulling quills from a raccoon)...so my insurance paid for my rabies vaccine because i needed it for work...lot cheaper to vaccinate than to treat rabies. thus, it only cost me like 15 dollars for the whole series
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Ouch. I'm gonna tell that to clients at the clinic I work at when they say their dog's shots were too expensive 😉
I'm studying abroad in Kenya next year and one of the activities is to dart a hyena and take a blood sample, for which we need to be vaccinated for rabies. Does anyone know if insurance would cover this? What about just working in a small animal clinic and having the vet say I "need" a rabies vaccine to work there? 😉
The concern in a normal clinic situation is that patients that may have rabies may not necessarily present classically. This is especially true for large animals, which is why getting vaccinated when working can be a good idea.
As for costs, when I was looking at doing it a few years ago, it was going to cost me $300 for the whole series without insurance coverage.
As for costs, when I was looking at doing it a few years ago, it was going to cost me $300 for the whole series without insurance coverage.
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Then the vet would have to cover it as part of "occupational health". Not many small animal clinics have this.
When I got my paperwork that said I was required to get rabies vaccine for Western, my insurance (Kaiser) covered all but the nurse visit. So I paid $35 $5 for 3 nurse visits and the initial $20 copay for the doctor who okayed the prescription. So if it is required for school and you provide documentation you insurance may cover it.
Otherwise the $300-600 you will pay is much cheaper than the post exposure prophy (about $10000, no joke, and NO insurance covers this)
I think it depends on your insurance company, I tried to do the whole occupational health thing and my insurance wouldn't cover it.
It is definitely worth asking though, I got our rabies shot through the school and ended up paying something like 600 for the whole thing.
It is definitely worth asking though, I got our rabies shot through the school and ended up paying something like 600 for the whole thing.
I just thought I'd share my current frustrations (misadventures) so far with Rabies vaccination.
Initially, my regular doctor, who is a board certified internal medicine doc, said she wouldn't do it. She said she had never given it before, and she was going to try to send me to a travel clinic or the hospital.
Since I read in the past on here that many city or government health agencies do it, I tried searching online for a place around me (NY/NJ) that does it. I haven't found anything here. (So if anyone DOES have a contact for me in the NYC area, please let me know). I even called NYC Vet Public Health Services and was told to just go to a local hospital.
I go to see my regular doc the other day. She was unable to locate a place that will do it, so between her and her associate, they said they would order Imovax for me, $540 bucks, pay them upfront, and they'll do it in the office for me ($540 total for the whole series of three). I said I'll think about it.
My Blue Cross plan wouldn't give me a definitive answer by phone whether they will cover the shots or not. I was told, submit it myself, and if it's denied, appeal it. She hinted that a note/letter from the doc substantiating the need may help.
Meantime, I locate a travel clinic in Elizabeth NJ. Two different people on the same day confirm $84/shot + $20 visit = $312 total for the series, for Imovax.
...
I rush over there tonight after work. They cha-ching me for $235 at the desk and unsympathetically tell me that I was mis-quoted for the wrong Rabies vaccine, and that Imovax is $235/shot+visit. I left, because I figure for $540, I can just have my own doctor do it!!
And FYI, I called two... uhm.. human health distributors... and wholesale cost of the Imovax, and another (RabOvert, however it's spelled) is $209+/shot anyway. There was to be no savings on that end, assuming that my doc or another would be willing to shoot me up with vaccine of my own acquiring. And yes, it's probably wrong/unethical, possibly illegal, etc. etc. I'm not advocating this, nor suggesting I or anyone else should ever do that. I'm just stating that the vaccines themselves are $$$... since I started wondering, how $$$ is the actual stuff anyway? So now I know.
OK. /end rant.
Gee, too bad PureVax and IMRAB 3 aren't for us, eh? 😡
Initially, my regular doctor, who is a board certified internal medicine doc, said she wouldn't do it. She said she had never given it before, and she was going to try to send me to a travel clinic or the hospital.
Since I read in the past on here that many city or government health agencies do it, I tried searching online for a place around me (NY/NJ) that does it. I haven't found anything here. (So if anyone DOES have a contact for me in the NYC area, please let me know). I even called NYC Vet Public Health Services and was told to just go to a local hospital.
I go to see my regular doc the other day. She was unable to locate a place that will do it, so between her and her associate, they said they would order Imovax for me, $540 bucks, pay them upfront, and they'll do it in the office for me ($540 total for the whole series of three). I said I'll think about it.
My Blue Cross plan wouldn't give me a definitive answer by phone whether they will cover the shots or not. I was told, submit it myself, and if it's denied, appeal it. She hinted that a note/letter from the doc substantiating the need may help.
Meantime, I locate a travel clinic in Elizabeth NJ. Two different people on the same day confirm $84/shot + $20 visit = $312 total for the series, for Imovax.
...
I rush over there tonight after work. They cha-ching me for $235 at the desk and unsympathetically tell me that I was mis-quoted for the wrong Rabies vaccine, and that Imovax is $235/shot+visit. I left, because I figure for $540, I can just have my own doctor do it!!
And FYI, I called two... uhm.. human health distributors... and wholesale cost of the Imovax, and another (RabOvert, however it's spelled) is $209+/shot anyway. There was to be no savings on that end, assuming that my doc or another would be willing to shoot me up with vaccine of my own acquiring. And yes, it's probably wrong/unethical, possibly illegal, etc. etc. I'm not advocating this, nor suggesting I or anyone else should ever do that. I'm just stating that the vaccines themselves are $$$... since I started wondering, how $$$ is the actual stuff anyway? So now I know.
OK. /end rant.
Gee, too bad PureVax and IMRAB 3 aren't for us, eh? 😡
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at university of queensland it is Q-fever vaccinations...
wow, cookiebear, that sucks! 2 years ago I asked my primary care doc for the rabies vaccine so she wrote my a prescription for it and I went to a local hospital that has a travel clinic, handed them the script, and got all 3 vaccines on the appropriate day without even a copay (I have blue cross blue shield new england) The only thing that could have caused me to pay is if I had said that it was required for my job (in that case my vet clinic would have had to pay... but it wasnt required, just recommended) I had prepared a story that I was going to be traveling to Tailand just in case it ever came up, but no one ever asked... (and I only know that because I called BCBS to ask if it was covered and after 30 minutes the woman said to definitely NOT say it was work related as that is the only way it wouldnt be covered and that perhaps **I should consider a trip to Tailand** in a hinting voice so it would be covered....)
I hope you find an easy and cheap solution!!!
I hope you find an easy and cheap solution!!!
Hmm... now that you mention that... perhaps a trip to Thailand would be a GREAT idea!
I'll try asking her for a script to bring to the hospital... I think we considered that route and she suspected that I'd be sitting and waiting at the hospital a very long time. Now, I don't care if I sit and wait a couple hours to save a few hundred bucks... I'll ask her again about that.
Especially since I would like to go to Thailand very soon, of course.
Thanks, Sox. 🙂
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Most local universities with veterinary schools have them available. I don't know how that works, though. I had mine years ago through my doctor (dirt cheap, and he admitted he'd never given them before). I was told I needed yearly boosters, but when I went to Purdue to get the vaccine, they said my previous vaccinations were sufficient. Would Penn be willing to vaccinate you?
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Penn's cost for the rabies vaccine is $550 which appears to be in line with what others are charging. If you get the student insurance plan it's free, but I'm covered through my husband's insurance (blue cross personal choice), and it's not covered through them. I did tell them it was for vet school, which they consider 'work', but they told me that they don't cover vaccinations for travel either, so I'm not sure there would be any valid excuse that would allow it to be covered. Maybe if there were an epidemic of rabid animal attacks in the area? 
So $550 it will be for me.
So $550 it will be for me.
Well, if anyone starts seeing animals foaming at the mouth, you know in which direction to send them! Either NJ, or right out to Manhattan, Kansas.
😉
Sorry it's so off-topic, but thailand is so awesome!!! I'd go back tonight if I could.
As far as Missouri goes, I'm pretty sure it's all taken care of at orientation (at least that's how it used to be)
