Veterinary Medicine or Dentistry?

[olez]

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Hello all!

I'm sorry for bothering you with such a dull question, but I just received the news that I've been accepted to both. Veterinary Med at the university of my choice, Dentistry at another one where my girlfriend is(studying architecture). I have to decide within a few weeks and some input would certainly be appreciated!

I've been fascinated by the medical field since I was about 16, I thought of medicine/veterinary medicine for about 6 years before discovering dentistry and found that I preferred it to medicine. Mostly due to the possibilities of doing something visual, something artistic, as well as medical. However, veterinary medicine has always appealed, probably partly due to spending time more or less every single summer since I was born at my cousins farm taking care of animals, something I still do and love doing.

Following is a short list of my likes and dislikes in each field:

Dentistry Pros:

-Secure, pretty fantastic salary potential
-A lot of aesthetics/artistry involved(I appreciate making beautiful things)
-Incredible lifestyle
-The social life in the school of dentistry I've been accepted seems amazing
-One achieves perfection at times, gives a nice feeling to me
-Since dentists are sort of disliked, many are really down-to-earth, humble, fun and likeable, and have a tendency to support each other(only an impression, could be way off)

😡 Dentistry Cons:

-You get tired that seemingly 9/10 people considers your field to be sadist/incredibly boring/disgusting/full of greedy bastards/all of the above(at least that is how people react when it is mentioned!)
-Patients will be annoyed by the mere sight of me(true or not??)
-The precision needed is constant and extreme(picky picky picky picky...)
-More routine work from day to day
-Few opportunities to ever do clinical work/research outside the mouth/facial region
-I have never met a dentist who fascinated me. However, I have read about several that do(the ones who are more artistic in their approach)

Veterinary Medicine Pros:

-Incredibly fascinating field to study
-My impressions from volunteering/talking to vets is overwhelmingly positive
-Research opportunities seem exciting
-A lot of variation in cases
-From what I experienced; patients/owners who are relatively pleasant to treat
-Your work/research can have a great say in many peoples lives
-I love animals and I am fascinated by them

😡 Veterinary Medicine Cons:

-Low pay
-The hours
-Limited aesthetics/artistry
-I like perfection.... less opportunity to achieve that(perhaps?)

In both fields I love the study of living things, the constant use of hands and interaction with people. I am also very attracted to the idea of running a business, employing a team of good people, perhaps even opening up several surgeries in the location of my choice at one point in time. I would also like to travel for research or work from time to time(I love travelling).

Long post, yes, but in a week or two the decision will be made, and although each advice is considered with a grain of salt, every advice is considered.

Thank you for reading this and for all replies!

This messagehas been cross-posted in the Veterinary branch.

 

[DrJeff]

Hello all!

I'm sorry for bothering you with such a dull question, but I just received the news that I've been accepted to both. Veterinary Med at the university of my choice, Dentistry at another one where my girlfriend is(studying architecture). I have to decide within a few weeks and some input would certainly be appreciated!

I've been fascinated by the medical field since I was about 16, I thought of medicine/veterinary medicine for about 6 years before discovering dentistry and found that I preferred it to medicine. Mostly due to the possibilities of doing something visual, something artistic, as well as medical. However, veterinary medicine has always appealed, probably partly due to spending time more or less every single summer since I was born at my cousins farm taking care of animals, something I still do and love doing.

Following is a short list of my likes and dislikes in each field:

Dentistry Pros:

-Secure, pretty fantastic salary potential
-A lot of aesthetics/artistry involved(I appreciate making beautiful things)
-Incredible lifestyle
-The social life in the school of dentistry I've been accepted seems amazing
-One achieves perfection at times, gives a nice feeling to me
-Since dentists are sort of disliked, many are really down-to-earth, humble, fun and likeable, and have a tendency to support each other(only an impression, could be way off)

😡 Dentistry Cons:

-You get tired that seemingly 9/10 people considers your field to be sadist/incredibly boring/disgusting/full of greedy bastards/all of the above(at least that is how people react when it is mentioned!)
-Patients will be annoyed by the mere sight of me(true or not??)
-The precision needed is constant and extreme(picky picky picky picky...)
-More routine work from day to day
-Few opportunities to ever do clinical work/research outside the mouth/facial region
-I have never met a dentist who fascinated me. However, I have read about several that do(the ones who are more artistic in their approach)

Veterinary Medicine Pros:

-Incredibly fascinating field to study
-My impressions from volunteering/talking to vets is overwhelmingly positive
-Research opportunities seem exciting
-A lot of variation in cases
-From what I experienced; patients/owners who are relatively pleasant to treat
-Your work/research can have a great say in many peoples lives
-I love animals and I am fascinated by them

😡 Veterinary Medicine Cons:

-Low pay
-The hours
-Limited aesthetics/artistry
-I like perfection.... less opportunity to achieve that(perhaps?)

In both fields I love the study of living things, the constant use of hands and interaction with people. I am also very attracted to the idea of running a business, employing a team of good people, perhaps even opening up several surgeries in the location of my choice at one point in time. I would also like to travel for research or work from time to time(I love travelling).

Long post, yes, but in a week or two the decision will be made, and although each advice is considered with a grain of salt, every advice is considered.

Thank you for reading this and for all replies!

This messagehas been cross-posted in the Veterinary branch.

Also don't forget that while in dentistry, 6 year old little Sally may not like you because of the pinch you gave her, you'll never have to be the one that put little Sally's dog "to sleep"😱

One other thing, no rectal exams involved in dentistry!

 

[SuperC]

One other thing, no rectal exams involved in dentistry!

What! I am quitting!
-C

 

[pmantz]

One other thing, no rectal exams involved in dentistry!

This is one of the my many responses when my premed/med friends ask. "do you really want to look into people's mouths?"

 

[Streetwolf]

So experience the best of both worlds and fix the teeth of animals! 🙂

 

[armorshell]

So experience the best of both worlds and fix the teeth of animals! 🙂

Or artificially inseminate some people?

 

[DrJeff]

On a serious note here. I have 3 patients in my practice that are Vets. 1 is a classical, small animal, everyday household animal vets(and the vet I use for my 2 dogs), and the other 2 are large animal(i.e. horses, cattle, etc) vets (including one whose the vet for my partners wife's 6 show horses.

Let's just say that some of the stories I hear from the large animal vets about how they basically need to wear a full length "arm condom" as they call it and how far into the animal their arm's get to go😱 well lets just say that I'll take the nastiest puss oozing intraoral abscess on a patient who just finished a bag of nacho cheese doritos along with an everything bagel with garlic+herb cream cheese and a giznt vat of iced coffee to wash it down anyday

 

[clickytop]

Also don't forget that while in dentistry, 6 year old little Sally may not like you because of the pinch you gave her, you'll never have to be the one that put little Sally's dog "to sleep"😱

One other thing, no rectal exams involved in dentistry!

What kind of dentist doesn't give rectals?

 

[clickytop]

Or artificially inseminate some people?

I knew I should have gone to UOP...I'm missing out on all the good stuff.

 

[PChemGrad]

😡 Dentistry Cons:

-Few opportunities to ever do clinical work/research outside the mouth/facial region

Ohh man thats not what I signed up for. In dental school I thought I could do research on people junk.

The point of dental school and becoming a dentist is to focus your research on the oral cavity. Ya people link good oral health to overall health.

 

[Mackchops]

In vet school, even if you want to be an equine surgeon, you still have to learn about pigs, goats, llamas, chickens, cows, dogs, cats, fish, etc. You still have to learn how to jerk off a dog. You'll spend countless hours with your arm up a cow's butt learning how to feel things, and practicing for your time up a horse's much more delicate butt. If you tear your patient's rectum you might as well tell its owners that it's dead. Then you can go try to insert a catheter into a horse only to realize that through all the performance drugs it was given prior to the last sale, both jugulars have been seriously thrombosed. Then you have the horse with the twisted gut that could stand a chance if you perform surgery NOW but the owners aren't willing to drop that kind of cash so instead you draw up a syringe-full of a suitable barbituate...

I could never be a dentist to someone who couldn't even let me know what tooth was hurting them. That's essentially what vets do every hour of every day. No thanks...

 

[TucsonDDS]

What! I am quitting!
-C

Depends on whether you do concious sedations in the office or not😱

 

[benitz2]

I experienced..... animals and I am fascinated by them.



Yeeaaahhh....I think you should probably stick with vet school

 

[olez]

LOL!

Thanks for the replies guys! Actually, yesterday morning I popped into a vets office to do some last-minute shadowing. The previous clinics I've been to were exclusively small animal. One of them had a vet who seemed only did surgeries, I loved that.

This time I went to one which does a lot of large animal as well. I mean, it(full arm rectals) should not surprise me at all, since my cousin(ex-farmer, got sick of cows) has often said what you are saying, and I have once observed the "arm condom" in practice... somehow one tries to exclude all that feels quite difficult to accept and focus on the areas that appeal. However, this is a large part of the curricula, which the large animal vets at the office I spent last morning were very keen to enlighten me on. They recommended me to join them on their trips to examine horses, but somehow I'm not all that excited about that.

That having been said, the reception was amazing and I got to assist the vet in a variety of cases, but in the end... I did feel that I do get the best of both worlds if doing dentistry and CE in dentistry on animals. Even though I put it up in the "con" list on dentistry, I do feel the facial region is without a doubt the most fascinating area to work on on any living creature, and I feel that limiting the area of specialty makes one a better practicioner. Well at least I reckon I would prefer concentrating on one area, but is it not only natural to think twice when the decision comes whether one should focus on what seems "such a small part" of the body or not? Of course, my understanding is that it becomes more complicated and fascinating than one would at first expect.

Next week I'm due at a dentist and oral surgeon for a bit more action(in addition to a few surgeries at the vets office, and, if I'm up for it, the trip out to the stables...). I have not been allowed to shadow many dentists, just conversate about the profession, the OS seemed positive about it so I'm looking forward to it!

Thank you for your insights! If more thoughts are floating around they are most welcome!

 

[doc toothache]

Hello all!

I'm sorry for bothering you with such a dull question, but I just received the news that I've been accepted to both. Veterinary Med at the university of my choice, Dentistry at another one where my girlfriend is(studying architecture). I have to decide within a few weeks and some input would certainly be appreciated!

I've been fascinated by the medical field since I was about 16, I thought of medicine/veterinary medicine for about 6 years before discovering dentistry and found that I preferred it to medicine. Mostly due to the possibilities of doing something visual, something artistic, as well as medical. However, veterinary medicine has always appealed, probably partly due to spending time more or less every single summer since I was born at my cousins farm taking care of animals, something I still do and love doing.

Following is a short list of my likes and dislikes in each field:

Dentistry Pros:

-Secure, pretty fantastic salary potential
-A lot of aesthetics/artistry involved(I appreciate making beautiful things)
-Incredible lifestyle
-The social life in the school of dentistry I've been accepted seems amazing
-One achieves perfection at times, gives a nice feeling to me
-Since dentists are sort of disliked, many are really down-to-earth, humble, fun and likeable, and have a tendency to support each other(only an impression, could be way off)

😡 Dentistry Cons:

-You get tired that seemingly 9/10 people considers your field to be sadist/incredibly boring/disgusting/full of greedy bastards/all of the above(at least that is how people react when it is mentioned!)
-Patients will be annoyed by the mere sight of me(true or not??)
-The precision needed is constant and extreme(picky picky picky picky...)
-More routine work from day to day
-Few opportunities to ever do clinical work/research outside the mouth/facial region
-I have never met a dentist who fascinated me. However, I have read about several that do(the ones who are more artistic in their approach)

Veterinary Medicine Pros:

-Incredibly fascinating field to study
-My impressions from volunteering/talking to vets is overwhelmingly positive
-Research opportunities seem exciting
-A lot of variation in cases
-From what I experienced; patients/owners who are relatively pleasant to treat
-Your work/research can have a great say in many peoples lives
-I love animals and I am fascinated by them

😡 Veterinary Medicine Cons:

-Low pay
-The hours
-Limited aesthetics/artistry
-I like perfection.... less opportunity to achieve that(perhaps?)

In both fields I love the study of living things, the constant use of hands and interaction with people. I am also very attracted to the idea of running a business, employing a team of good people, perhaps even opening up several surgeries in the location of my choice at one point in time. I would also like to travel for research or work from time to time(I love travelling).

Long post, yes, but in a week or two the decision will be made, and although each advice is considered with a grain of salt, every advice is considered.

Thank you for reading this and for all replies!

This messagehas been cross-posted in the Veterinary branch.

Maybe you could specialize and limit your practice to veterinary dentistry.

 

[jeninny44]

😡 Veterinary Medicine Cons:

-Low pay

Vets can make quite a lot of money, especially if you specialize in small animals, or do strictly dogs and cats.

 

[shamrock2006]

My dad and grandfather are Vets..and my dentist is a very close personal friend. Trust me...do dentistry. There is more bullsh*t in vet medicine than in any other medical profession. People are more anal about their animals than their own children. They will hound you (esp. if you build up a rep as being someone who will go that extra mile). The amount of stress is not worth it IMO..unless you are really passionate about it. And the $$ is much harder to come by...even if you own your own practice like my father does..you have to work your a$$ off all the time just to make it over 6 figs. Maybe this is just my family situation...could be due to the type of people we deal w/, the location, etc. But I couldn't be happier I chose dentistry over vet med. I"ve worked in animal hospitals for years...its not all its cracked up to be.

 

[jeninny44]

My dad and grandfather are Vets..and my dentist is a very close personal friend. Trust me...do dentistry. There is more bullsh*t in vet medicine than in any other medical profession. People are more anal about their animals then their own children. They will hound you (esp. if you build up a rep as being someone who will go that extra mile). The amount of stress is not worth it IMO..unless you are really passionate about it. And the $$ is much harder to come by...even if you own your own practice like my father does..you have to work you a$$ off all the time just to make it over 6 figs. Maybe this is just my family situation...could be due to the type of people we deal w/, the location, etc. But I couldn't be happier I chose dentistry over vet med. I"ve worked in animal hospitals for years...its not all its cracked up to be.

To the OP: This guy sounds like he is a good person to ask advice from. You should PM him and ask him some questions, or see if he will give you his # or you give him your's so you can talk on the phone a little bit. I'd talk to him since it sounds like he has experience with the vet side of things as well.