Hi,
I am a second year vet student in the UK. I have wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember and never thought about anything else, but recently I’ve been not as enthusiastic about it. I don’t know why. I’ve also been thinking about human medicine too, which is something I wish I had considered more beforehand. Surgery really interests me, particularly orthopaedic/soft tissue, so I’ve started to think how I can use veterinary medicine as a way to help advance human surgical treatments and techniques. I’ve seen a few academics with DVM and MDs in similar lines of work e.g. looking at complex bone sarcomas that are common in dogs but rare in humans.
My question is, is it worth getting a medical degree after my veterinary degree? Or is it just overkill? GEM (graduate medicine) degrees are largely funded in the UK by student finance and the NHS so thankfully money isn’t a massive obstacle, and I do enjoy studying so the time doesn’t put me off either. Of course I would do all the necessary work experience to see if it is right for me. I could also work as a vet whilst studying graduate medicine to help fund it and keep up to date with CPD. If I did do GEM I would also like to take a year or two out to work between doing veterinary and medicine to really get a solid grounding in veterinary. Never too late to start right?
I also think doing veterinary would make me a unique applicant for GEM, giving me a unique skill set and proving I can handle to workload, course layout and extracurricular placements that are necessary.
I don’t want to drop out of vet school because 1. I know I do love it deep down, and 2. I am too stubborn lol, and it’s such a valuable skill set to have. It feels like veterinary is a part of my personality now, it’s all people know me for. But I feel like I won’t get to see many cutting edge surgeries in veterinary operating theatres unless I am somewhere really special, due to money constraints and ethics surrounding euthanasia and novel treatments. I would love to be a part of OneHealth, helping both humans and animals.
I have seen other posts on here of people with DVMs/vet degrees that went on to do MDs (and also vice-versa). What were the factors in making this choice? I don’t just want to do it for the sake of it just to say I have two degrees, I’d like to do it if it’s worth my time.
I am also debating intercalating in BSc Surgical Design, Technology and Innovation.
I will still love veterinary either way, it will always be my first love, but if I got a medical degree I might do veterinary part time, or volunteer, kind of like a hobby (as weird as that sounds), because it’s always been fun to me.
I guess I’d just like to see both sides of the coin of the sister professions.
Sorry for this long ass post, but I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about this in case I disappoint people by having doubts.
Thanks!
I am a second year vet student in the UK. I have wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember and never thought about anything else, but recently I’ve been not as enthusiastic about it. I don’t know why. I’ve also been thinking about human medicine too, which is something I wish I had considered more beforehand. Surgery really interests me, particularly orthopaedic/soft tissue, so I’ve started to think how I can use veterinary medicine as a way to help advance human surgical treatments and techniques. I’ve seen a few academics with DVM and MDs in similar lines of work e.g. looking at complex bone sarcomas that are common in dogs but rare in humans.
My question is, is it worth getting a medical degree after my veterinary degree? Or is it just overkill? GEM (graduate medicine) degrees are largely funded in the UK by student finance and the NHS so thankfully money isn’t a massive obstacle, and I do enjoy studying so the time doesn’t put me off either. Of course I would do all the necessary work experience to see if it is right for me. I could also work as a vet whilst studying graduate medicine to help fund it and keep up to date with CPD. If I did do GEM I would also like to take a year or two out to work between doing veterinary and medicine to really get a solid grounding in veterinary. Never too late to start right?
I also think doing veterinary would make me a unique applicant for GEM, giving me a unique skill set and proving I can handle to workload, course layout and extracurricular placements that are necessary.
I don’t want to drop out of vet school because 1. I know I do love it deep down, and 2. I am too stubborn lol, and it’s such a valuable skill set to have. It feels like veterinary is a part of my personality now, it’s all people know me for. But I feel like I won’t get to see many cutting edge surgeries in veterinary operating theatres unless I am somewhere really special, due to money constraints and ethics surrounding euthanasia and novel treatments. I would love to be a part of OneHealth, helping both humans and animals.
I have seen other posts on here of people with DVMs/vet degrees that went on to do MDs (and also vice-versa). What were the factors in making this choice? I don’t just want to do it for the sake of it just to say I have two degrees, I’d like to do it if it’s worth my time.
I am also debating intercalating in BSc Surgical Design, Technology and Innovation.
I will still love veterinary either way, it will always be my first love, but if I got a medical degree I might do veterinary part time, or volunteer, kind of like a hobby (as weird as that sounds), because it’s always been fun to me.
I guess I’d just like to see both sides of the coin of the sister professions.
Sorry for this long ass post, but I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about this in case I disappoint people by having doubts.
Thanks!
