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meritt
Student
Florence, South Carolina
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What is the school process for veterinary practice and is it worth it?
I plan on going to college for certifications and would like to know if it is worth going through the schooling rather then doing veterinary technician.
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2 answers
Hassan Al
Product Management Professional
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Austin, Texas
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Hassan’s Answer
Most sites https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-long-is-vet-school say that it takes 8 years after High School to become a vet in SC. 4 years undergraduate + 4 years of vet school for a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
You'd have to judge for yourself if it'd be worth it. That will largely depend on how you measure the value. In terms of pay, doctors likely earn at least twice what vets make. Some web site even suggest that Vet school harder than Med school.
You'd have to judge for yourself if it'd be worth it. That will largely depend on how you measure the value. In terms of pay, doctors likely earn at least twice what vets make. Some web site even suggest that Vet school harder than Med school.
Nirah Shomer, DVM PhD DACLAM
Senior leader in laboratory animal science, animal welfare, and regulatory compliance
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Nirah’s Answer
There are many web resources that can give you more detailed answers and cost comparisons.
I particularly recommend checking out the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges for information on requirements and costs for veterinary school. https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/funding-your-degree/cost-comparison-tool/
In brief, to become a veterinarian you will typically need at least 8 years of school after high school- 4 years of undergraduate, and then 4 years of veterinary school.
In contrast, no education at all is required to work in a vet practice as a veterinary "assistant", while becoming a licensed or registered veterinary technician requires a 2-year associate's degree.
Veterinarians earn a lot more than veterinary technicians- about 3 to 10 times as much. However, we also spend many more years (at least 8) paying tuition instead of earning a salary.
As far as costs and salaries- that varies wildly depending on location. The least expensive route would be to attend your state school so you can get in-state subsidized tuition. South Carolina does not HAVE a veterinary school, but your state has a contract to subsidize a few students at Georgia and North Carolina (this may change by the time you are ready for vet school, so be sure to check out the current situation). In 2022, graduating veterinarians in GA paid over 200K in tuition if they were paying non-resident rates, but only 87K if they had a state subsidy. Undergrad tuition can range from a few thousand to over 50K per year. So, right now the range is about 100-400K in tuition to become a veterinarian (and that is not counting all of the other costs like room and board and textbooks). Scholarships and loans are how most veterinarians earn their degrees. However, the good news is that right now, you can earn six figures right out of vet school as a private practice vet in a major metropolitan area (over 100K per year), though this of course varies by location and specialty. There is quite a shortage of vets, and at least in some markets, you can expect a high salary, a significant signing bonus (50-100K around here), and excellent benefits. Speaking of specialties, you can start practice as a general practitioner right out of vet school, but if you want to be a surgeon or other specialist, you will need to complete a residency of several years. (Residents get paid, right now median vet resident salary is about 31K). The average vet SURGEON salary in the US is 360K/year. Doing a residency can be a very good investment.
For veterinary technicians, you can expect to pay a total of 10-50K in tuition for your two years, and make a salary of about 35K to start (again, this depends a lot on your area). It would be rare to be paid more than about $25/hour as a vet tech, but many go on to become practice managers. Not many stay in the field for their entire career. How many 60-year old vet techs have you run into in your vet's office?
Doing the math-
Vet assistant right out of high school- in 11 years earn a total of 330K in salary
Vet + 3 year residency- in 8 years pay 300K in tuition and for 3 years earn 100K total in resident salary.
Eleven years out, the vet assistant is ahead of the vet by 530K! However, over the next ten years, the vet assistant is still earning about the same- let's call it another 450K earned. The post-residency surgeon averages 360K/year over the next ten years- 3.6 million in earnings.
That's a very very simplified example, and of course the veterinarian could also want to follow their passion and do something with lower pay, like wildlife or pet shelter medicine, earning only 80K/year.
Another point- getting into vet school is very competitive- there are fewer than 30 vet schools in our country, and there isn't even a vet school in your state! While you might think that being a vet tech would be a good route to becoming a vet- it might not be. It's great to have that work experience as a high school student, but the things you learn on the job or even in a vet tech program are not going to be THAT helpful for getting into vet school, and many of those classes might not even count towards the college requirements for getting into vet school. You are going to need in-depth biology and biochemistry, and the applied and hands-on pet handling classes that you will get in a vet tech program won't count towards those requirements or prepare you for the incredibly difficult coursework in vet school. You may be thinking you could do two years of vet tech school, be a vet tech for a while, and then go back for just two more years of undergraduate classes to get into vet school. Unfortunately, unless you select your vet tech school and classes well, it might be more like three years to complete an undergraduate degree and take all of the prerequisites for vet school. You should carefully review the pre-requisites for the vet schools you hope to attend so you can make sure you fit them all in.
I particularly recommend checking out the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges for information on requirements and costs for veterinary school. https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/funding-your-degree/cost-comparison-tool/
In brief, to become a veterinarian you will typically need at least 8 years of school after high school- 4 years of undergraduate, and then 4 years of veterinary school.
In contrast, no education at all is required to work in a vet practice as a veterinary "assistant", while becoming a licensed or registered veterinary technician requires a 2-year associate's degree.
Veterinarians earn a lot more than veterinary technicians- about 3 to 10 times as much. However, we also spend many more years (at least 8) paying tuition instead of earning a salary.
As far as costs and salaries- that varies wildly depending on location. The least expensive route would be to attend your state school so you can get in-state subsidized tuition. South Carolina does not HAVE a veterinary school, but your state has a contract to subsidize a few students at Georgia and North Carolina (this may change by the time you are ready for vet school, so be sure to check out the current situation). In 2022, graduating veterinarians in GA paid over 200K in tuition if they were paying non-resident rates, but only 87K if they had a state subsidy. Undergrad tuition can range from a few thousand to over 50K per year. So, right now the range is about 100-400K in tuition to become a veterinarian (and that is not counting all of the other costs like room and board and textbooks). Scholarships and loans are how most veterinarians earn their degrees. However, the good news is that right now, you can earn six figures right out of vet school as a private practice vet in a major metropolitan area (over 100K per year), though this of course varies by location and specialty. There is quite a shortage of vets, and at least in some markets, you can expect a high salary, a significant signing bonus (50-100K around here), and excellent benefits. Speaking of specialties, you can start practice as a general practitioner right out of vet school, but if you want to be a surgeon or other specialist, you will need to complete a residency of several years. (Residents get paid, right now median vet resident salary is about 31K). The average vet SURGEON salary in the US is 360K/year. Doing a residency can be a very good investment.
For veterinary technicians, you can expect to pay a total of 10-50K in tuition for your two years, and make a salary of about 35K to start (again, this depends a lot on your area). It would be rare to be paid more than about $25/hour as a vet tech, but many go on to become practice managers. Not many stay in the field for their entire career. How many 60-year old vet techs have you run into in your vet's office?
Doing the math-
Vet assistant right out of high school- in 11 years earn a total of 330K in salary
Vet + 3 year residency- in 8 years pay 300K in tuition and for 3 years earn 100K total in resident salary.
Eleven years out, the vet assistant is ahead of the vet by 530K! However, over the next ten years, the vet assistant is still earning about the same- let's call it another 450K earned. The post-residency surgeon averages 360K/year over the next ten years- 3.6 million in earnings.
That's a very very simplified example, and of course the veterinarian could also want to follow their passion and do something with lower pay, like wildlife or pet shelter medicine, earning only 80K/year.
Another point- getting into vet school is very competitive- there are fewer than 30 vet schools in our country, and there isn't even a vet school in your state! While you might think that being a vet tech would be a good route to becoming a vet- it might not be. It's great to have that work experience as a high school student, but the things you learn on the job or even in a vet tech program are not going to be THAT helpful for getting into vet school, and many of those classes might not even count towards the college requirements for getting into vet school. You are going to need in-depth biology and biochemistry, and the applied and hands-on pet handling classes that you will get in a vet tech program won't count towards those requirements or prepare you for the incredibly difficult coursework in vet school. You may be thinking you could do two years of vet tech school, be a vet tech for a while, and then go back for just two more years of undergraduate classes to get into vet school. Unfortunately, unless you select your vet tech school and classes well, it might be more like three years to complete an undergraduate degree and take all of the prerequisites for vet school. You should carefully review the pre-requisites for the vet schools you hope to attend so you can make sure you fit them all in.