What field of vet med are you interested in pursuing???

[jeeney]

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I just wanted to find out what field of vet med you guys want to pursue when you get into veterinary school...I'll start with myself first...I want to pursue Laboratory animal medicine because i believe, for me, it is what will allow me to help humanity....😛

 

[RubyJoe]

My goal is to pursue Lab Animal Medicine. Hopefully that will be the goal of at least one of the schools I applied to this year 🙂

 

[agr1365]

large animal and/or equine

 

[jeeney]

My goal is to pursue Lab Animal Medicine. Hopefully that will be the goal of at least one of the schools I applied to this year 🙂

werd....me tooo...

 

[su_grad2007]

I want to eventually become board certified in animal behavior.

 

[PdxYOSHI]

I'm hoping to study wildlife conservation medicine and zoonotic diseases. Hopefully there weren't a ton of people saying that emphasis too but then again my master's degree in fish & widlife could help me out there.🙂

 

[MissBehavior]

I want to eventually become board certified in animal behavior.

Me too. Initially, that was my main reason for wanting to become a vet. But now I've fallen in love with reptiles. I could also see myself with a mixed-animal practice in a rural area, or working strictly with large animals. Fish are great too. Sooo...now I have no idea, though I'm still really interested in behavior. Just trying to keep an open mind🙂

 

[ri23]

Same here on the behavioral aspect. Though I also have a strong interest in Zoo Vet Med. I think the two would combine well though, as zoo veterinarians have to help with introductions of a lot of different species. I think its interesting that so many people are interested in becoming board certified in behavior whereas there are so few certified behavioralists now. It looks like a specialty that will be expanding quite a bit!

 

[Taenia]

Piscine medicine, all the way!!

 

[Apollo84]

Rabbit medicine and shelter medicine.
Do you think vet schools think rabbit medicine is put in the category of "exotics" or does it fall under small animal? Just wondering what the perception is.

 

[k9 <3er]

Hoping to become a board certified in small animal internal medicine or maybe critical care. shelter medicine would be cool too.

 

[m&ossyducks]

Equine orthopedics and lameness.

 

[Bill59]

Rabbit medicine and shelter medicine.
Do you think vet schools think rabbit medicine is put in the category of "exotics" or does it fall under small animal?

Exotics. Small animal pretty much means dogs and cats. Every other pet is basically exotics even though most are not really all that unusual.

Rabbit medicine is also covered under laboratory animal. And I suppose in some places they are food animals.

 

[bubbles525]

I really don't know yet... I'm pretty sure I want the ability to have regular-ish hours and I hate driving long distances. So I don't think Large animal and emergancy are for me. Other than that I'm open becuase I know vet school itself will expose me to so many options I haven't tried yet.

 

[chris03333]

My goal is to pursue Lab Animal Medicine. Hopefully that will be the goal of at least one of the schools I applied to this year 🙂

That almost sounds like you are saying lab animal is your goal to get you in somewhere. If not sorry, if so, do not count on it😎

 

[4theanimals]

I want to eventually become board certified in animal behavior.

Same here. Closely related, I also have a strong interest in shelter medicine. But who knows what might happen by the time I'm done!

 

[RubyJoe]

That almost sounds like you are saying lab animal is your goal to get you in somewhere. If not sorry, if so, do not count on it😎

That's not at all what I meant...apology accepted 🙂

 

[thereservoirdog]

I just got interested veterinary medicine, but I don't know what the specialties are yet. I want to work with wildlife and still be able to use my conservation degree to be out in the field, what specialty is related to that?

 

[RazorDoc2010]

I think I want to teach! Not sure what though...other options are board certifications in oncology, cardiology, or neurology, or even just some type of mixed animal practice...I guess I could just say it all interests me!

 

[chris03333]

That's not at all what I meant...apology accepted 🙂

Cool😀

 

[conservationgal]

I want to work in wildlife conservation medicine as well. I hope to graduate vet school, do a residency in wildlife surgery, and then become board certified in zoological medicine. Hopefully, I can work with some endangered species and live a life of adventure!

 

[AuburnPreVet]

I'd really like to get boarded in ortho & incorporate a lot of physical & hydro therapies into my practice. But, the few people that I've known that were "dead set" on a particular field have changed their mind by the time they completed their clinical rotations in vet school... so, I'll keep an open mind!

 

[OceanAngel]

I have two very different interests and I find it really hard to decide whole-heartedly on one right now. I am interested in wildlife/zoological medicine, but I am also fascinated by neurology and I have thought about later getting board-certified in that. One step at a time though😉

 

[Boxsterluv]

Definitely small animal, possibly boarded surgeon? We'll see...

 

[Emio]

I have two very different interests and I find it really hard to decide whole-heartedly on one right now. I am interested in wildlife/zoological medicine, but I am also fascinated by neurology and I have thought about later getting board-certified in that. One step at a time though😉

similar here.

my heart is in equine, and i'd like to become board certified in surgery and/or emergency care. my heart will always be in equine, so that's where i'll start, but the last few years Zoo and wildlife medicine has become increasingly attractive after internships in both fields.

maybe i'll be a surgeon in a large animal teaching hospital (love teaching, too), and go to south africa once or twice a year to work with elephants and giraffes. yeah, thats what i want to do 👍

 

[Mylez]

I'm interested in going into conservation medicine, primarily working at a zoo and travelling abroad to practice wildlife medicine in different countries. I'd like to get my hands on all kinds of "different" animals, including marine and avian species.

 

[OceanAngel]

similar here.

my heart is in equine, and i'd like to become board certified in surgery and/or emergency care. my heart will always be in equine, so that's where i'll start, but the last few years Zoo and wildlife medicine has become increasingly attractive after internships in both fields.

maybe i'll be a surgeon in a large animal teaching hospital (love teaching, too), and go to south africa once or twice a year to work with elephants and giraffes. yeah, thats what i want to do 👍

Exactly my thinking! I think I might try and become boarded in neurology and later on down the road volunteer my services with a zoo or non-profit.

 

[Tiraka]

I've always wanted to do equine, but as I've gotten experience in different areas, I've had a growing interest in conservation/exotics or general large animal. So basically...I don't know yet. Guess it's good that I've still got over 5 years to decide!

 

[ShelterGirl]

Shelter medicine (in case you couldn't already guess from my screen name!)

 

[NSilverwolf]

Private practice has never appealed to me (and almost turned me away from veterinary work entirely). I work for a shelter now as a tech and likely would pursue a path that would continue to allow me to work in the nonprofit sector. Also have been interested in international medicine (developing husbandry programs/effective domestic animal population control etc). But who knows...first things first is to apply and get in.

 

[Emio]

Exactly my thinking! I think I might try and become boarded in neurology and later on down the road volunteer my services with a zoo or non-profit.

haha, high five!

who says we need to pick one animal and treat it the rest of our lives??

 

[wildfocus]

another one for wildlife vet med - emphasis in wildlife and zoonotic diseases, esp those that affect threatened and endangered species - also interested in pop studies... want to be "in the field" every day for the rest of my life, but know i need to put in time in the lab too...

 

[wildfocus]

I have two very different interests and I find it really hard to decide whole-heartedly on one right now. I am interested in wildlife/zoological medicine, but I am also fascinated by neurology and I have thought about later getting board-certified in that. One step at a time though😉

oceanangel - you can combine the two and focus on wildlife diseases that cause neuro pathology - west nile, equine enceph, etc.

 

[Angelo84]

I want to eventually become board certified in animal behavior.

That is my grand plan as well but I want to combine it with clinical small animal or maybe surgery!

 

[youthman]

do you guys think it's necessary* to know what field you want to pursue when applying for school?

do you think it's okay to say "well I'm interested in <field A> at this time but would also like to explore <Fields B and C> sometime during my career."

some of you guys seem to be so specific in your interests already!

*edit: I mean beneficial not necessary

 

[Quaggi]

do you guys think it's necessary* to know what field you want to pursue when applying for school?

do you think it's okay to say "well I'm interested in <field A> at this time but would also like to explore <Fields B and C> sometime during my career."

some of you guys seem to be so specific in your interests already!

*edit: I mean beneficial not necessary

I think it's better to keep your options open, personally. I think that the schools that make students pick right away are doing them a disservice...I'm really glad that I am getting a chance to learn everything, and I don't plan on deciding on a career until at least 4th year. It's actually really nice to know that I don't have to decide any time soonm, there are too many things that I could see myself doing! And as far as openly stating that, at Tufts anyway, professors really encourage everyone to keep their options open, i've heard tons of stories of people saying "I'm gonna do X for sure" and then well into 4th year decide on something else completely different.

good luck everyone
Bari
Tufts V10

 

[QTkitty]

I've wanted to pursue equine/large animal orthopaedics for as long as I can remember. I'm open to new things though, so if something really interests me in vet school that I haven't been exposed to yet, maybe I'll change my mind.

 

[KittenKiller]

maybe i'll be a surgeon in a large animal teaching hospital (love teaching, too), and go to south africa once or twice a year to work with elephants and giraffes. yeah, thats what i want to do

hehe that sounds like an awesome job. can I join you? 😉

I really want to pursue equine medicine and work with sports horses, hunt horses or eventing horses or something like that. But I also want to exlore wildlife medicine, to see if I like that. Anyone know what kind of opportunities for flexibility there are in vet school if you enter undecided? Im about 90% sure I want to do equine but dont want to completely ignore other possibilities.

Jessica

 

[Angelo84]

hehe that sounds like an awesome job. can I join you? 😉

I really want to pursue equine medicine and work with sports horses, hunt horses or eventing horses or something like that. But I also want to exlore wildlife medicine, to see if I like that. Anyone know what kind of opportunities for flexibility there are in vet school if you enter undecided? Im about 90% sure I want to do equine but dont want to completely ignore other possibilities.

Jessica

At most schools not only is there a lot of flexibility you actually have to do a little bit of everything. You usually decide on a track in third year--the first two years are on all animals.

 

[orignalfire]

Definately poultry-most likely chickens/broilers/breeders specifically. I'm still debating whether I'd like to focus in research or the industry (or maybe both-depending on the company). Any other chicken doctor wanna-bes?

 

[Emio]

hehe that sounds like an awesome job. can I join you? 😉

I really want to pursue equine medicine and work with sports horses, hunt horses or eventing horses or something like that. But I also want to exlore wildlife medicine, to see if I like that. Anyone know what kind of opportunities for flexibility there are in vet school if you enter undecided? Im about 90% sure I want to do equine but dont want to completely ignore other possibilities.

Jessica

and... and... TWIIIIINS! haha

i hear ya, and thats exactly why tufts is near the top of my list. their signature programs are basically my life: equine sports meds, wildlife, and ethics. also, they don't track, so there's PLENTY of flexibility (i assume? quaggi seemed to point it out too), unlike other schools that, again like someoen else said, make you narrow it down quite early.

that wasn't meant to be propaganda, it was a "yes, there are opportunities for flexibility" in a rather roundabout way.

oh, and uh, i'd love someone to join me in africa for that vets4africa tour after we graduate! 😉

 

[PAThbrd]

and... and... TWIIIIINS! haha

i hear ya, and thats exactly why tufts is near the top of my list. their signature programs are basically my life: equine sports meds, wildlife, and ethics. also, they don't track, so there's PLENTY of flexibility (i assume? quaggi seemed to point it out too), unlike other schools that, again like someoen else said, make you narrow it down quite early.

that wasn't meant to be propaganda, it was a "yes, there are opportunities for flexibility" in a rather roundabout way.

oh, and uh, i'd love someone to join me in africa for that vets4africa tour after we graduate! 😉

I really liked Tufts on paper for their equine sports med program too, however when I actually went and visited, they hardly had any patients in either the small or large animal parts of their hospital and I have heard through the grapevine that they really dont have a caseload to support the equine sports med program. Not to discourage you, but make sure you fully explore the actualities of their programs and ask them the tough questions.

 

[Emio]

thanks deanna, i have heard the exact same thing. on my list of questions for the examiners at my interview. interviewers, whatever. pony club rules my life, lol.

 

[JIKJen124]

My first love is equine emergency/critical care (usually done after a surgery residency). However, since moving back to Ohio in 2005 and volunteering in a small animal medicine/onco clinic, I found that I really like oncology as well.

 

[nyanko]

I want to do research on canine genetic diseases. I applied to UC Davis's PhD program in genetics for precisely this reason, after chickening out on my VMCAS app. I might apply to a combined program once I'm into my PhD a little though. I think I still want the DVM degree. 😳