US vs UK Schools for American applicants - A few questions

[withers]

Howdy everyone,

I just had a few questions about the pros and cons of attending AVMA accredited vet schools in the US vs the UK (though I suppose the answers would apply to schools in Australia, NZ, etc. as well)! Here's my current situation - I have currently accepted offers from two vet schools, one in the US (OOS) and one in the UK. In terms of cost (which is often cited as the most important factor in these decisions), the two schools are about the same. I am leaning heavily towards the school in the UK - not necessarily because of the academic aspect (the two schools seem about the same in that regard), but because I feel it would be an amazing experience to live abroad and would expand my horizons as a person.

Keeping in mind what was mentioned above, here are my questions:

1) When it comes to employability as a veterinarian in the United States, are there any significant barriers for students who have graduated from a UK vet school vs one in the US? For example, if two equally qualified candidates applied for the same job but one graduated in the UK and the other graduated in the US, would there be any preference for one over the other?

2) Is it harder to get into internships in the US as a vet student who graduated in the UK? I have read that the graduation dates for some UK schools clash with the start date for internships (which seems to be July 15th in most cases) and was wondering if this is true in all cases. I was also wondering if it is harder to get into internships/residencies for UK graduates for the reasons mentioned above (i.e. preference for a US degree over a UK one).

3) UK schools often seem to advertise the advantages that being a member of RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, UK equivalent of AVMA) provides for graduates. Being a graduate of an RCVS accredited school allows you to easily work as a vet in most Anglophone countries, and allows you to work in Canada or the United States after you have taken the NAVLE. My question here is if this works in both directions. If I chose to stay in the United States and graduated from an AVMA accredited institution, would it be any harder for me to get a job in the UK than if I graduated from a school in the UK as an American citizen? I was able to find on the RCVS website that AVMA accredited institutions are recognized by the RVCS as well, but was unable to find any concise information about additional testing or other barriers (aside from the visa) which American graduates might encounter when applying to jobs in the UK.



There are some breadcrumbs scattered around various forums about this topic, but I haven't been able to find concise answers to these specific questions so I figured I'd post them here and see if I can reel in any answers 🎣🙂 . If there are any more pros/cons of studying in a foreign country that you can think of which weren't mentioned above, please don't hesitate to chip in- the more the merrier!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and reply to my post!

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[Cowsrcool]

I think you need to be super careful with the current situation happening at RVC. Not that you are considering RVC - I don’t know which institution you were accepted to- but it’s setting an interesting precedent it seems that even tho the international program is AVMA accredited, if they lose accreditation North American students at these schools are not guaranteed to be able to take the NAVLE (which was the previous case even if the school lost accreditation). I’d keep a close eye on Rvc and how loosing their accreditation is shaking out for their North American students who seemingly are screwed if it’s true they can’t take the NAVLE without using ECFVG or PAVE. I’d stay in the states.

 

[battie]

if two equally qualified candidates applied for the same job but one graduated in the UK and the other graduated in the US, would there be any preference for one over the other?

No. The average person hiring a vet (be they a vet or non-event) doesn't keep up on the differences between schools and, honestly, most vets don't know much if anything about most schools in general. As long as you graduate from an AVMA school and passed NAVLE, it doesn't matter where you go.

) Is it harder to get into internships in the US as a vet student who graduated in the UK? I have read that the graduation dates for some UK schools clash with the start date for internships (which seems to be July 15th in most cases) and was wondering if this is true in all cases.

I doubt it is harder to get an internship or residency by going to a school outside the us. Most have been established for much longer than many us schools and already have a reputation with the programs that host interns and residents.

However, any school that graduates off schedule will preclude you from doing an internship or residency the year after graduation. That's not a UK school thing. It's just a schedule thing in general. You'd have to find out when these schools have graduation in that case.

I was also wondering if it is harder to get into internships/residencies for UK graduates for the reasons mentioned above (i.e. preference for a US degree over a UK one).

No. I can't see why.

If I chose to stay in the United States and graduated from an AVMA accredited institution, would it be any harder for me to get a job in the UK than if I graduated from a school in the UK as an American citizen?

You'd have to find out work requirements by country. Other countries are much more protectionist of their skilled professions than the US. Different countries have different requirements, so you'd have to do the leg work to find out.

If there are any more pros/cons of studying in a foreign country that you can think of which weren't mentioned

I would say go to school where you'd want to practice country wise. There you'd have the resources to get established.

 

[pp9]

If I chose to stay in the United States and graduated from an AVMA accredited institution, would it be any harder for me to get a job in the UK than if I graduated from a school in the UK as an American citizen?

Whatever battie and cows said, but I also wanted to add in that if you take on US debt, you kinda need a US salary. US vets are typically getting much higher salaries than our colleagues abroad. I can't imagine taking on $250k (a semi-conservative estimate of US debt, idk what OOS school you're looking at) and then going to a country where I might get 1/2 to 1/3 of what the average US new grad is getting right now.

Is it harder to get into internships in the US as a vet student who graduated in the UK? I have read that the graduation dates for some UK schools clash with the start date for internships (which seems to be July 15th in most cases) and was wondering if this is true in all cases. I was also wondering if it is harder to get into internships/residencies for UK graduates for the reasons mentioned above (i.e. preference for a US degree over a UK one).

Generally speaking, no. The biggest hang-ups for taking on international grads is 1. whether or not they are eligible for licensing in that state (have passed the NAVLE) 2. if they have a visa or not/can get a visa or not. I am assuming you are a US citizen, so you should be fine for the latter. If the school you attend is not AVMA accredited, or loses accreditation (we don't know how it's going to go down for RVC), you will have trouble with the former.

As for graduation timing, things can sometimes be worked out with the internship programs, but that is up for you to find out.

ETA:

If there are any more pros/cons of studying in a foreign country that you can think of which weren't mentioned above, please don't hesitate to chip in- the more the merrier!

US schools teach according to their geographic locale in the US, and according to the level of medicine expected in the US. I imagine foreign schools do the exact same. Diseases of concern are different in each country, names/drugs are different, etc. That's not to say you couldn't just learn the new info, but it's just something to consider. We've had a number of international vet students come through my current zoo and many have mentioned this as a hurdle, one that might make the NAVLE even more challenging.

I went to UofI and we barely covered rattlesnake bites and didn't cover sago palms at all, for example, so I had a huge learning (panic) moment when I had my first rattlesnake bite in the ER in Tampa. I was seeing sago palm tox's 2-3x a week as well. Likewise, my UF internmates did not spend more than 5 seconds on antifreeze poisoning beyond 'this happens elsewhere.'

Another example: We covered BSE, but in the sense of 'remember this exists, and report it if you think you're seeing it.' I imagine it's covered more significantly in the UK. US schools spend a lot of time on rabies, whereas you might not get that in-depth in the UK.

 

[5Hs5Ts]

If you're a qualified applicant and are eligible for a license in the region, internship and residency programs won't care whether you went to school in the UK or not. Schedule clashes definitely matter though. I am graduating from a UK university which finishes later than most schools and it actually precluded me from applying to several strong rotating internship opportunities. The one that I got is a great program but the turnaround is tight and my school isn't willing/able to help me expedite my graduation process at all. I've asked if they can release my grades more quickly or even just provide confirmation of my completion of the course earlier and there's no budging at all. I'm already skipping my graduation, there are literally a few days between when I find out if I've passed my finals and when I start my internship. In those few days I have to enter a new country and move my entire life.

The AVMA accreditation issue is a whole other ballgame. I would be staying away from UK schools right now as they intrinsically cannot be as invested in ensuring you are able to sit the NAVLE as a north American school will be. If you're going to spend hundreds of thousands on a degree, it best be able to secure the job you want.