Thoughts on Specilization?

[langiyo]

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I'm applying to vet school and I was wondering what some of you think about specializing in a specific field you are interested in (cardiology, oncology ect.) to make better income and therefore pay off debt and live more comfortably

 

[pp9]

This has been discussed a lot on here. Use the search bar to find more thorough threads on it. Long story short: becoming a specialist can require many years (1 year internship, 3-4 year residency as an example) of low pay. Interns get paid in the $20k's and residents usually make it into the $30k's. Not all specialties make a decent wage, considering the amount of post-DVM training you go through. Some allow you to bump your salary, but not all will make a huge difference. When you take the years it took you to become a specialist (in which you may be deferring on your loans), it may end up being a drop in the bucket. Also, some boarded vets I know have had fairly lengthy job searches once they finished their residency.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...g-in-the-long-run-help.1169449/#post-17099652

 

[SocialStigma]

I would not pursue a specialty in the hopes of making a higher income. Specialize because you want to and are passionate about that field. I've applied to surgery residencies this year (for the first time) and am prepared to complete multiple surgery internships if I have to in order to become a surgeon. I know many surgery residents who completed 2-4 surgery internships before matching to a residency, and they were making $25-30k annually during this time. That's an extra 6-10 years where they could've been making $30-40k more as a GP out in practice.

 

[Animal Midwife]

I plan on specializing in theriogenology because I love the reproductive system so much. Like pinkpuppy9 and SocialStigma have already said, it will be a lot of work that you hopefully love doing! Do you have a specialization in mind?