Vet vs. Med

[YankeesfanZF5]

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So I am a sophmore getting ready to decide what to major in and what area of medicine I would like to practice. Taken most of the pre reqs for vet school (just need micro and cell) and done most of my stuff for pre-med. Shadowed both vets and docs. Work at a vet clinic part-time and could probably get LORs from 4 vets. Really love small animal & equine, livestock I can deal with. I like the idea, prestige and livestyle of being a human doctor (probably family med). Think its awesome how vets do so many different things whereas docs have to specialize. Sadly I am afraid I will not make enough money being a vet to live the lifestyle I want. (Nice house, nice vehicles, lots of travel and vacations) Also, afraid of the limited amount of spots for vet med. I only have a 3.75 gpa, science 3.65 also I go to some random state school noones ever heard of and have no vet schools in state but a lot of animal experience but have only shadowed our vets a hundred hours or so but I enjoyed every minute of it. Is there a need for more guy vets? Haha I am sure others have been in my shoes. How did some of you guys make the decision to go vet instead of med? Also, a little afraid of debt. Any good ways to get that paid back if you go to a out of state school? (One school in a state close to us gives students from our state in-state tuition).

 

[rockatiel]

Anyone here is going to tell you... If you will be happy doing both, go for the MD. There's a lot of debt in vet med. And since you will be OOS everywhere, there will really be a lot of debt. Do some soul searching and do what makes you happy, but human med is much better financially.

 

[rockatiel]

So I am a sophmore getting ready to decide what to major in and what area of medicine I would like to practice. Taken most of the pre reqs for vet school (just need micro and cell) and done most of my stuff for pre-med. Shadowed both vets and docs. Work at a vet clinic part-time and could probably get LORs from 4 vets. Really love small animal & equine, livestock I can deal with. I like the idea, prestige and livestyle of being a human doctor (probably family med). Think its awesome how vets do so many different things whereas docs have to specialize. Sadly I am afraid I will not make enough money being a vet to live the lifestyle I want. (Nice house, nice vehicles, lots of travel and vacations) Also, afraid of the limited amount of spots for vet med. I only have a 3.75 gpa, science 3.65 also I go to some random state school noones ever heard of and have no vet schools in state but a lot of animal experience but have only shadowed our vets a hundred hours or so but I enjoyed every minute of it. Is there a need for more guy vets? Haha I am sure others have been in my shoes. How did some of you guys make the decision to go vet instead of med? Also, a little afraid of debt. Any good ways to get that paid back if you go to a out of state school? (One school in a state close to us gives students from our state in-state tuition).

Oops! Just saw you have a contract seat at a school. That definitely helps you. 🙂 No one here will try to dscourage you from being a vet, but they will want you to know what you can get into money wise. We all have to pay back the debt the same way with various repayment plans, but it helps to go to the cheapest school possible. Again, it all depends on what you will be happiest doing!

 

[WildZoo]

You could, maybe, make enough money as a vet for the lifestyle you want, but it likely would be after a very long time due to the debt:salary situation in vet med. Really depends on what area of the field you're in, the amount of debt you start with, etc etc.

The decision to do vet "instead of" human med never happened for me because I could never see myself being a human doctor. If you think you would be happy in that profession then most times the best decision is to do that and do animal stuff on the side. You don't have to be a vet to spend time with or help animals.

 

[Cubantiger]

I want to be a vet because I value the human-animal bond in all forms, and I am willing to devote my life to protecting it. If you are more concerned with prestige and the finer things in life, just do yourself a favor and become an MD. Vet med requires a level of sacrifice that places it beyond just "option B" to being an MD.

 

[deleted676737]

If being able to afford lots of travel, nice vehicles, and a nice house is truly that important to your happiness... I would stick with human medicine. Veterinarians can make decent money eventually (nowhere near what an MD/DO with an equal number of years of experience will earn, though), but the atrocious debt:salary ratio makes things very difficult when you're initially coming out of school. Less so if you can go to an IS or contract school. It does also somewhat depend on what particular field you're looking into, but in general there's a lot of sacrifice involved in pursuing the veterinary profession.

ETA: Also, please don't talk about how you "only have a 3.75 GPA". That's well above the average at almost all vet schools and easily trumps what I was admitted with. You're perfectly fine off either way, academically.

 

[rockatiel]

I will say I had very smart parents who tried to talk me into going to medical or PA school instead of vet school. Same as WZ I could never see myself being a human doctor! Even then, I don't believe my stats are good enough for MD. OP's definitely are 🙂

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

I want to be a vet because I value the human-animal bond in all forms, and I am willing to devote my life to protecting it. If you are more concerned with prestige and the finer things in life, just do yourself a favor and become an MD. Vet med requires a level of sacrifice that places it beyond just "option B" to being an MD.

Actually right now Vet med is my main plan. I have parents who keep telling me being a human doctor is the way to go because the schooling is the same amount of commitment and money. Honestly if I make a decent living and live in the midwest I could budget pretty easily to do all the things I want to do. Thanks for the advice!

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

Nobody goes into veterinary medicine to make money, thats for sure haha. But people who pursue vet med have such a passion for it, and that's one of the reasons I think it's so great. You're constantly surrounded by people who are motivated and dedicated to the field.

Also for me personally, I could never see myself being a human doctor. Not saying this is true about every pre-med out there, but a good portion of pre-med people I know personally want to go to medical school because they have the grades, they want the status, and they know they'll make good money. Maybe it's just my school but.....I just can't stand that mindset. I want to be a veterinarian because of my devotion to the field of veterinary medicine and animal health, not because I want "Dr." before my name and a good salary. I think you should want to go to medical/veterinary school because you have a passion for human/vet medicine, not because you want to reap the benefits of having a doctorate. I get that money is important, and being in debt is no thing to just brush aside and not consider, but in my opinion, a health professional should be passionate about caring for others and make the sacrifices they need to in order to become a great doctor for their patients. That's just my opinion though.

My passion is caring for the animals for sure. From my shadowing experience it was my more rewarding to see the dog or cat or whatever feel better. On the human side it felt so impersonal. With the vet side it felt like you would actually make real connections with owners and the animals. A win win in my book! The only things that make me shy away are owners and people seems to treat vets like their job does not matter until they have a sick pet. So no appreciation for the profession and the pay is comfortable for sure but not great due to debt. Know of any good ways to pay off vet school debt? Army? USDA? Thanks for advice!

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

You could, maybe, make enough money as a vet for the lifestyle you want, but it likely would be after a very long time due to the debt:salary situation in vet med. Really depends on what area of the field you're in, the amount of debt you start with, etc etc.

The decision to do vet "instead of" human med never happened for me because I could never see myself being a human doctor. If you think you would be happy in that profession then most times the best decision is to do that and do animal stuff on the side. You don't have to be a vet to spend time with or help animals.

You are right about that! I like to help animals and I bet I could do that on the human side of things also.

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

If being able to afford lots of travel, nice vehicles, and a nice house is truly that important to your happiness... I would stick with human medicine. Veterinarians can make decent money eventually (nowhere near what an MD/DO with an equal number of years of experience will earn, though), but the atrocious debt:salary ratio makes things very difficult when you're initially coming out of school. Less so if you can go to an IS or contract school. It does also somewhat depend on what particular field you're looking into, but in general there's a lot of sacrifice involved in pursuing the veterinary profession.

ETA: Also, please don't talk about how you "only have a 3.75 GPA". That's well above the average at almost all vet schools and easily trumps what I was admitted with. You're perfectly fine off either way, academically.

Sorry, when I am on the pre-med side of the SDN a 3.75 is apparently okay or slighty below average. Premed side is a little more judgmental then the prevet side.

 

[rockatiel]

Sorry, when I am on the pre-med side of the SDN a 3.75 is apparently okay or slighty below average. Premed side is a little more judgmental then the prevet side.

We are definitely friendlier to each other over here but we do keep each other in check you will find. Come join our side 😉

 

[Dream7Catcher]

My passion is caring for the animals for sure. From my shadowing experience it was my more rewarding to see the dog or cat or whatever feel better. On the human side it felt so impersonal. With the vet side it felt like you would actually make real connections with owners and the animals. A win win in my book! The only things that make me shy away are owners and people seems to treat vets like their job does not matter until they have a sick pet. So no appreciation for the profession and the pay is comfortable for sure but not great due to debt. Know of any good ways to pay off vet school debt? Army? USDA? Thanks for advice!

Your job is what you make of it. You want to have a connection with your patients/clients? Make it. Show that you care about their health. That's applicable for both careers.

 

[hrcline]

One thing that really shied me away from even thinking MD was the insurance situation. I watched my previous pediatrician struggle with her contract and eventually quit because her boss told her that she could no longer take Medicaid patients. It took her several years to find a practice that would actually let her treat everyone. I hate the idea that a doctor is limited to who they can treat because of insurance politics. With the new Healthcare Reform that we have now, it's gotten even worse. Yea the money is defiantly better, but I wouldn't want to be dictated like that.


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[DVMDream]

One thing that really shied me away from even thinking MD was the insurance situation. I watched my previous pediatrician struggle with her contract and eventually quit because her boss told her that she could no longer take Medicaid patients. It took her several years to find a practice that would actually let her treat everyone. I hate the idea that a doctor is limited to who they can treat because of insurance politics. With the new Healthcare Reform that we have now, it's gotten even worse. Yea the money is defiantly better, but I wouldn't want to be dictated like that.

Is it really all that much different than being under the control of how much money a client can afford to spend on their pet? Veterinarians are significantly limited in how they can treat animals because of costs and often times it is difficult to be under that "control" of how much an owner can really afford, but it happens and it happens very frequently.

 

[Osudairy]

Is it really all that much different than being under the control of how much money a client can afford to spend on their pet? Veterinarians are significantly limited in how they can treat animals because of costs and often times it is difficult to be under that "control" of how much an owner can really afford, but it happens and it happens very frequently.

I agree. That is a huge issue at the practice I am from. Some of the clients have limited incomes and it is often difficult to balance finances and treatment/tests. Idk...if it was common that clients had insurance on their animals like we humans do, then the treatment course would be easier. However, sometimes that requires fighting with insurance companies.

 

[last_rnd]

Take it from personal experience...although they mean well Don't let your parents decide what career is right for you. They will always pick the "safe" route cause that's what parents do, but unless they are in the business themselves what do they really know about it? Not a whole lot.
I took the safe route that was pushed on me..here I am again. 10yrs later with a whole bunch of complications to get this done and a lot of time looking for a job that I don't have to beg myself to get out of bed for everyday.

 

[VetMedVetMed]

Actually right now Vet med is my main plan. I have parents who keep telling me being a human doctor is the way to go because the schooling is the same amount of commitment and money. Honestly if I make a decent living and live in the midwest I could budget pretty easily to do all the things I want to do. Thanks for the advice!

"because the schooling is the same amount of commitment and money" this statement is not true. An MD has to go through Medical school, then internship and residency. It is about 3 years MORE than what a vet has to do. MD is 4 years of med school + 3 years of internship and residency on average. Vet school is just four years. If you choose to do an internship after vet school, that is up to you and only optional. However, if you would be happy being an MD, you'll definitely make more money and have less debt. You said above its the same about of money, and most likely it won't be since vet school typically is more money and you'll have more debt.

 

[Osudairy]

"because the schooling is the same amount of commitment and money" this statement is not true. An MD has to go through Medical school, then internship and residency. It is about 3 years MORE than what a vet has to do. MD is 4 years of med school + 3 years of internship and residency on average. Vet school is just four years. If you choose to do an internship after vet school, that is up to you and only optional. However, if you would be happy being an MD, you'll definitely make more money and have less debt. You said above its the same about of money, and most likely it won't be since vet school typically is more money and you'll have more debt.

Yes, you have to consider the dept:income ratio for veterinarians and MD's. MD's may have to complete a residency (which varies in years depending on the specialty) in which you are also paid (poorly, but still paid) then the starting salary is much better for MD's. A vet student acquires more debt since vet schools are more expensive and then have a much lower starting salary to pay off the loans. Overall, I agree that med school requires more time, but vet school is more money and a higher debt:income ratio.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I know a human internal med resident whose salary is like higher than some full time new grad veterinarians...


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[JJ1019]

I know a human internal med resident whose salary is like higher than some full time new grad veterinarians...


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MD Residents whine that they don't get paid that much but they get paid just fine considering they are still "in training". Plus they more than make up for it when they are done.

 

[Osudairy]

I know a human internal med resident whose salary is like higher than some full time new grad veterinarians...


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This is sad, but I am sure it is common.

 

[bbeventer]

One thing that really shied me away from even thinking MD was the insurance situation. I watched my previous pediatrician struggle with her contract and eventually quit because her boss told her that she could no longer take Medicaid patients. It took her several years to find a practice that would actually let her treat everyone. I hate the idea that a doctor is limited to who they can treat because of insurance politics. With the new Healthcare Reform that we have now, it's gotten even worse. Yea the money is defiantly better, but I wouldn't want to be dictated like that.


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There will come a day, when you will even euthanize a patient due to lack of funds and owner being unable to treat. That never happens in human medicine.

 

[hrcline]

There will come a day, when you will even euthanize a patient due to lack of funds and owner being unable to treat. That never happens in human medicine.

I know that, I'm ok with that. I was in that position when I was much younger with one of my dogs that got hit by a car and fractured a femur. Client funds is one thing, being told no because of the politics of insurance is a totally different ballgame.


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