allyson
how hard is to become a veterinarian?
hello,I am Allyson and I am in 7th grade and I attend Mullins school and attend stem for the Verizon invitation learning and when I get older I want to be a veterinarian. I love animals and if I see am animal hurt I will try to help it. Do any of of you guys know where the greatest vets are to try to make a goal for when I get older...any advise? #veterinarian #animal-health #school #veterinary-medicine
2 answers
Courtney Riel
Courtney’s Answer
That is great that you're only in 7th grade and already know what you want to do with your life! I'm in Texas so of course I'm going to say the greatest vets are here in Texas. :) Texas A&M University is our top Vet school. I'd say the hardest part is the 8-10 years of college that you'll have to take.
Regardless of where you go to college, you'll have to get your Bachelor's Degree first, which takes 4-5 years. After getting your Bachelor's degree, you'll need to apply to a college to get your Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM). It will take you another 4-5 years to get this degree. Once you have your DVM, you can take the state licensing exam to start practicing as a Vet. You're looking at 8-10 years of college which costs around $240,000 (in Texas anyway...) So you'll definitely want to keep your grades up while in high school so that you can qualify for scholarships.
When you get old enough (15 in our area) you should start volunteering at animal shelters and vet clinics. Spending time at a vet clinic will give you an idea if you want to be a Vet, or maybe a Vet Tech. Vet Techs don't make as much money as a vet, but community colleges have Vet Tech programs that only take 2 years to complete. Just keep in mind that taking Vet Tech classes is NOT the pathway to becoming a Vet.
Jeff Shelton, OD
Jeff’s Answer
Part of it is that the Vet Techs who are 30 are applying. they have a decade of experience, which 22 year olds with strait A's may not.
Vet schools will ask about EVERY experience with every animal you have ever had. To addressing that, start a journal of
your animal related experiences, you will need it later.
To be fair, we all should be journaling, about a great many things.
I have 200k debt, 20 years out of my professional degree. Consider that high pay, minus taxes, minus student loan fees,
"having Vet money" isn't exactly that.
Consider, just for example Pharmacy. At one time, local pharmacists owned their own stores. That is over, mostly.
And the Pharmacists that work, they may work 3 10's, or 4 10's, or 3, 12's. Corporate Control has removed the "self employed"
aspect of Pharmacy.
Consider what It would mean IF, IF private vet care business becomes mostly corporate. Consider also, if you
were Vet and Business owner, do you have any training to run a business.
Advanced degrees have a "prison" of their own.
I do not want to tell anyone "don't be a doctor".
However, being a business management trained Vet tech would put you in the field.
You could make Vets more effective by taking clinical duties from them, training other vet techs,
and running the business office, hiring, firing, customer service. AND with out "losing" all those years
to the advanced degree, and "taking on" all of that debt.
Goodness, even just the business, management, marketing degree with "some" vet tech like experience
could put you around the animals AND give you a satisfying career, socially, and economically.
Like any profession, ask to take a Vet (or any professional to lunch) or these days bring them lunch.
Every profession has "something" wrong with it. Maybe there's great money in it, but delegation is needed,
and hiring and retaining staff is a constant struggle.
No matter how successful they are, in anything, they have gripes.
I fear one will not learn the gripes from the schools who recruit stuents
and get paid to paint the rosy pictures.
Get permission to bring them lunch, any professional, volunteer, and then try
to get a part time job. SEEING the profession work in person will give you an Idea.
For me, Parent with child as the patient can Sometimes be a real bear.
The Parent "wants some result" for the child. The child just wants to be improved.
Instead of treating the child, the practioner is treating the parent.
And since they aren't the one with the problem, they can be unreasonable.
Back to vet. I have mild experience here as a pet owner.
Whether the pet is comfortable from pain vs IF the owner thinks they are comfortable.
These conflicts Never go away, and will Always be true for Vet care.
Im not saying its bad.
I'm saying, theres a set of situations that occur, maybe not every day,
but over, and over and over, and will never go away.
These annoying parts: Would you prefer the annoying parts of THIS career,
or the annoying parts of SOME OTHER career.
Thats where talking directly to the people who do the job, volunteering, and part time work
at a practice come in.
Generally: Looking at salaries doesnt often say if the earners are owners or not.
Dont mention the start up costs to ownership, (oops, family bought them a practice, no one ever admits to that,
where's the capital come from.) Did someone pay for school for these people, including professional school?
Correct look at reasonably likely job with degree, minus taxes, minus debt.
Consider how far away from your home/ supports/ are.
Richmond, VA. HS, sure, VCU, undergrad, sure, MCV, medical school sure, all here.
If you find yourself leaving your social supports at 22 to move very far away,
because of the decision to choose a profession, please be careful.
Best Wishes,
JS