Applied to Vet School. Got In. Didn't Go. Med School Now?! Help, Please.

[snowdrift]

Alright, everyone. I'm posting this over in the Pre-Med world because I want their opinions, too.

I've reached what I'm calling my quarter life crisis because I'm stuck in a weird place.

I'm going to be brutally honest here because I need brutally honest feedback.

I was accepted to a few vet schools a few years back coming out of undergrad. Strangely enough, when I was getting those acceptances, I was hit with sudden fear of one thing: Student debt.

I've had more than a handful of veterinarians tell me to be very clear with myself about the student debt I will be accruing when attending a veterinary program. I thought I was ready, but something made me doubt myself so I delayed attending. I turned down all of my offers. It was a weird place to be in (sort of depressing, to be quite honest), but the debt scares the living crap out of me.

Fast forward and I'm living and working on the west coast at a veterinary school. I work directly with clinicians, residents, interns, students, and fellow clinicians alike. I see what it's like, I'm getting a first-hand perspective of their lives without actually being there.

And still, the debt scares me. Also, as a technician, I make next to nothing. I cannot see myself doing this the rest of my life. As much as the work is rewarding, being a technician is incredibly limiting. I want to be able to learn more about my patients, make a diagnosis, research problems and solutions. I hate being stuck behind this wall that no CVT or VTS degree can bring me beyond. I feel like I'm missing out everyday as I watch the clinicians and interns and residents round and discuss medicine that I absolutely want to know more about.

So, I began to brainstorm things that would allow me to stay in medicine but maybe not be overwhelmed with debt for the rest of my life.

My brain led me down the path of Physician Assistant or Medical Doctor.

So here I am, thinking, hey, I could definitely see myself as a medical doctor, right? Right?

And to be honest, I'm stuck.

I don't know what to do.

I really just need some insight, I think.

To give you a general overview of my issues: DEBT. I'm afraid vet school will leave me scrambling the rest of my life (especially since I'm interested in farm animal medicine) in debt and I know I could see myself pursing something in human medicine (I'm an athlete outside of my animal world, and I love the idea of doing something in the world of surgery or orthopedics).

Please! Help! Be brutally honest with me. I need it.

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[battie]

Not going to lie, I'm interested to see what the human med side says.

But that was wild from start to finish. Do you have any human med experience.

 

[snowdrift]

Not going to lie, I'm interested to see what the human med side says.

But that was wild from start to finish. Do you have any human med experience.

No, I don't. Which is likely an issue. That being said, I'm a surgical technician so I'm hoping there's some transferability in my experience.

 

[SkiOtter]

My sister is in PA school right now. She chose that over medical school because after talking to a handful of family friends who are MDs and DOs, she realized she would have literally no life outside of work and she didn’t want that. PAs also make a decent salary (lol about the same as a vet) but have faaaar less debt than vetmed (because it’s 2 years) and there’s generally more chances of going to an in state school vs vetmed.
PA school though, you generally have to have a butt-ton of hours in the medical field (my sisters had to be paid I think? And a min of 2000)

 

[J.Bed]

My sister is in PA school right now. She chose that over medical school because after talking to a handful of family friends who are MDs and DOs, she realized she would have literally no life outside of work and she didn’t want that. PAs also make a decent salary (lol about the same as a vet) but have faaaar less debt than vetmed (because it’s 2 years) and there’s generally more chances of going to an in state school vs vetmed.
PA school though, you generally have to have a butt-ton of hours in the medical field (my sisters had to be paid I think? And a min of 2000)

PA’s should make quite a bit more than a vet. In my poor area (rural NE TN) a brand new PA at a hospital will start out at 125k/year.

I’ve been a RN for almost 7 years and will hopefully be starting vet school this fall. I’m tired of the BS insurance bureaucracy, hospitals ****ting on you, and unreasonable patient demands. Animals are way better.

If you do want to go down the MD/PA route and are terrified of debt, I’d definitely recommend PA school. Many do their clinicians right alongside med students and I have met some fantastic PA’s and feel they are very well prepared. You will need patient contact hours before applying to most schools. Unfortunately that’s probably going to mean working as a CNA, phlebotomist, or similar for almost no pay. If I were to do human medicine over again I think PA would be the way to go.

 

[SkiOtter]

Unfortunately that’s probably going to mean working as a CNA, phlebotomist, or similar for almost no pay.

You can also work as an EMT or a physical therapy assistant, for more ideas for OP to consider.
Basically anything hands-on in a healthcare field where you’re actually working with patients. Heck, dental assistants or orthodontic assistants could probably even qualify.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

PA’s should make quite a bit more than a vet. In my poor area (rural NE TN) a brand new PA at a hospital will start out at 125k/year.

I’ve been a RN for almost 7 years and will hopefully be starting vet school this fall. I’m tired of the BS insurance bureaucracy, hospitals ****ting on you, and unreasonable patient demands. Animals are way better.

If you do want to go down the MD/PA route and are terrified of debt, I’d definitely recommend PA school. Many do their clinicians right alongside med students and I have met some fantastic PA’s and feel they are very well prepared. You will need patient contact hours before applying to most schools. Unfortunately that’s probably going to mean working as a CNA, phlebotomist, or similar for almost no pay. If I were to do human medicine over again I think PA would be the way to go.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I think PA and MD are both reasonable options. And kudos for you for being realistic.

If debt is that scary to you, I'd lean more PA.

 

[snowdrift]

I think PA and MD are both reasonable options. And kudos for you for being realistic.

If debt is that scary to you, I'd lean more PA.

Thanks for the input. Would you do vet school over again, given the option?

 

[allantois]

If you don't like/not interested in working with human patients, then you are not going to like being either PA or MD

Also, there's no apostrophe in Physician Assistant

 

[DVMDream]

Brutal Honesty: You need to get human medical experience before making any decisions at all.

More Brutal Honesty: You need to "leave" (I don't mean quit/permanently leave) but walk out of the vet school and go hang out with some vets in the trenches of private practice where you need to learn to treat often complex conditions off of $50. The vet school is awesome for seeing that peak "gold standard" and working up cases in-depth but the vast majority of people in this world don't have the kind of money it takes to get that work-up for Fluffy.

 

[Caiter92]

Also, there's no apostrophe in Physician Assistant

Because this comment was really needed here lol

 

[DVMDream]

I’m tired of the BS insurance bureaucracy, hospitals ****ting on you, and unreasonable patient demands. Animals are way better.

Yeah, there is a reason I am no longer an associate and a reason that I am working on trying to get into more of a recruitment type position. Hospital bureaucracy, administration, dealing with support staff and definitely unreasonable client demands along with unreasonable (outright aggressive) patients are very much prevalent in vet med. I spend more time trying to work through this crap than I do being a vet at times.

 

[DVMDream]

Because this comment was really needed here lol

I mean, if you are considering applying to a PA program, you should probably know how to spell it. No different than knowing how to spell veterinarian.

 

[Caiter92]

I mean, if you are considering applying to a PA program, you should probably know how to spell it. No different than knowing how to spell veterinarian.

Eh. PA is commonly called Physician’s assistant erroneously. It’s a common misconception, and really doesn’t have to do with the advice they’re asking for.

 

[JaynaAli]

You absolutely should be concerned with the debt. If you can see yourself doing anything else instead of vet med, go do that. I agree with commenters suggesting getting some experience in human medicine and in 'the trenches' of vet med with some GPs or other private practice doctors.

 

[DVMDream]

Eh. PA is commonly called Physician’s assistant erroneously. It’s a common misconception, and really doesn’t have to do with the advice they’re asking for.

Do we always only comment on advice people are asking for in this forum?

Nothing wrong with bringing it to someone's attention that they are spelling something wrong. I'd hope someone would do that for me, especially before I apply to that program and make myself look like a ***** on the application.

 

[snowdrift]

If you don't like/not interested in working with human patients, then you are not going to like being either PA or MD

Also, there's no apostrophe in Physician Assistant

Thanks for your feedback. I am interested in human patients. I also fixed my error. Cheers.

 

[allantois]

Because this comment was really needed here lol

That person is going to get their app thrown out into the trash bin if they write out PA in that way all over their (hypothetical) app

 

[Caiter92]

That person is going to get their app thrown out into the trash bin if they write out PA in that way all over their (hypothetical) app

Very sure OP would have realized this before they submitted an application

 

[DVMDream]

Very sure OP would have realized this before they submitted an application

Eh, I wouldn't be too sure of that. You should see the things I have read on personal statements/explanation statement around these parts. Plus stories from other vets who have read apps. It is amazing the number of people that can't spell simple things that you would expect and most word processing documents won't pick up on Physician's Assistant vs. Physician Assistant (for the example we are working with here).

 

[SkiOtter]

Eh, I wouldn't be too sure of that. You should see the things I have read on personal statements/explanation statement around these parts. Plus stories from other vets who have read apps. It is amazing the number of people that can't spell simple things that you would expect and most word processing documents won't pick up on Physician's Assistant vs. Physician Assistant (for the example we are working with here).

I mean, I would think that when they log into caspa and it says “physician assistant” EVERYWHERE that they would realize. *shrug*

 

[snowdrift]

Eh, I wouldn't be too sure of that. You should see the things I have read on personal statements/explanation statement around these parts. Plus stories from other vets who have read apps. It is amazing the number of people that can't spell simple things that you would expect and most word processing documents won't pick up on Physician's Assistant vs. Physician Assistant (for the example we are working with here).

I appreciate you guys being sure I understand this, I do. It was a simple error and definitely not the focus of this thread. I most certainly understand my flaw and have learned my lesson not to make such a grammatical error in an official document. Can we move on?

 

[allantois]

I mean, I would think that when they log into caspa and it says “physician assistant” EVERYWHERE that they would realize. *shrug*

It doesn't say physician's assistant on any reputable site, yet people misspell it all the time - unless they know better. Anyways, that comment was not meant to derail this thread.

 

[Caiter92]

Back to the topic at hand...

I would also encourage you to get more experience in human med in some way before you decide to apply.

Also, an friend’s uncle was a MD for 20 years, but then the malpractice insurance and costs of running a practice became too expensive, so he went back to PA school. Just some food for thought when deciding between the two.

 

[snowdrift]

It doesn't say physician's assistant on any reputable site, yet people misspell it all the time - unless they know better. Anyways, that comment was not meant to derail this thread.

I agree, I've erroneously used it in my research and here, as you know.
I'm afraid my error has derailed this thread, nonetheless.

 

[SkiOtter]

It doesn't say physician's assistant on any reputable site, yet people misspell it all the time, unless you know better. Anyways, that comment was not meant to derail this thread.

Because people are thinking of it as an assistant to a physician vs an assistant physician. That’s how you get the plural. You still work under a doctor, so that’s more than likely why people think of it as an assistant to the physician.
But I’m saying that I would think when they see it plastered all over the application or the websites when looking up prerequisites, people might get the hint that they have it wrong and change it.

 

[allantois]

PA school is also expensive, although less so than vet school. As far as experience goes, there are two types of schools: ones that focus on experience and ones that focus more on grades. You don't necessarily need a lot more experience in human medicine since you already have a lot with vet met. You would need to articulate why you want to be a PA (or MD) besides running away from vet school debt.

 

[snowdrift]

Back to the topic at hand...

I would also encourage you to get more experience in human med in some way before you decide to apply.

Also, an friend’s uncle was a MD for 20 years, but then the malpractice insurance and costs of running a practice became too expensive, so he went back to PA school. Just some food for thought when deciding between the two.

Yes, the thing people are suggesting seems to be trying to grab some human experience. I don't want to give up my full time job in the meantime...perhaps some weekend time or picking up a part time job might be in my future.

 

[Caiter92]

Yes, the very obvious thing seems to be trying to grab some human experience. I don't want to give up my full time job in the meantime...perhaps some weekend time or picking up a part time job might be in my future.

So my undergrad had a med school, and they had a volunteer program for students. It started with basic stuff like helping transport patients, but usually you could work up to doing more shadowing things.

Maybe that’s a possibility for you? Or there’s being a medical scribe. I had a lot of friends that did that in undergrad. Not 100% sure what it entails though tbh haha

 

[SkiOtter]

Yes, the thing people are suggesting seems to be trying to grab some human experience. I don't want to give up my full time job in the meantime...perhaps some weekend time or picking up a part time job might be in my future.

Definitely look for paid experience if possible, sometime in the semi-near future, whether that’s now or if you shadow/volunteer a bit, decide you like human medicine, and then look. Most if not all PA programs require paid work and require a lot of it too

 

[DVMDream]

I mean, I would think that when they log into caspa and it says “physician assistant” EVERYWHERE that they would realize. *shrug*

You have a lot more faith in people than I do. Dealing with the general public, I have learned many people are oblivious to things or just don't think twice about it.

But, meh, like everyone has said, back to the original topic....

Still think you should get some more varied experience in vet med along with some experience in human med. It will be the only way that you will know for sure which path is best for you.

Yes, the debt of vet med is scary, but if you really want that goal, then there are ways to work around that. Going to an in-state school or a school that lets you get IS tuition after the first year. Trying for as many scholarships as possible (there aren't a lot, but any you can get reduces what you have to pay a little at a time so worth trying).

 

[allantois]

You have a lot more faith in people than I do. Dealing with the general public, I have learned many people are oblivious to things or just don't think twice about it.

But, meh, like everyone has said, back to the original topic....

Still think you should get some more varied experience in vet med along with some experience in human med. It will be the only way that you will know for sure which path is best for you.

Yes, the debt of vet med is scary, but if you really want that goal, then there are ways to work around that. Going to an in-state school or a school that lets you get IS tuition after the first year. Trying for as many scholarships as possible (there aren't a lot, but any you can get reduces what you have to pay a little at a time so worth trying).

I am wondering if Vet School is even an option now given that OP already got in and declined
I know that the conventional wisdom of SDN is that this would be lethal with med schools.

 

[DVMDream]

I am wondering if Vet School is even an option now given that OP already got in and declined
I know that the conventional wisdom of SDN is that this would be lethal with med schools.

Don't think it would be "lethal". Sounds like it was a number of years ago. I think it would be possible, but depending on how long ago this was, then person may have some pre-reqs that are now expired and would need to be re-taken and they would probably need to write a decent explanation statement as to why they declined x number of years ago.

 

[DrinkWater95]

I also struggled A LOT with the grasping the debt of vet school. I started applying to human medicine jobs (phlebotomists jobs, scribe jobs etc) but realized I was so uninterested. I went back to vet med because that was where my heart was. I’ll be starting vet school in February.

My sister has had some scribe jobs, she got these without experience and just needed to take some medical terminology tests. She worked in an ER and got a lot of exposure to different types of cases. She basically followed the doctor around and wrote down DX.

I also know someone who was the chief of medicine at a hospital. He stepped down because the bureaucracy at the hospital was crazy. He loves what he does now though. Although he works a lot.
*Fun fact, he actually performed a GI exploratory on Tampa’s silverback gorilla because the zoo thought he was more qualified than the zoo vet.

 

[Lupin21]

Debt is scary but, like, you need to do what is going to make you happy.

The issue with that one is that a good number of people think vet med is what will make them happy, then find out that isn't quite the case. That's why it's so important to really get an idea of what it's like for most GPs and if you think you have a special interest in vet med, understand that it might not happen and GP is where you will end up. Carrying that debt load for the end result not being what one thought is indeed scary. That's why so many people here push that if you are going to go this route, ensure you do it the cheapest way possible.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Thanks for the input. Would you do vet school over again, given the option?

A hesitant yes but with a big caveat - only because I love my specialty and vet school was a necessary prelude to that. If specializing had not been an attainable option, then the answer is hell no. I would have either done med school or engineering of some sort in a heartbeat.

 

[battie]

Debt is scary but, like, you need to do what is going to make you happy.

Doing what you love won't matter if what you love stresses you out to the point where you can't pay rent. At that point you don't love it any more. Harsh? Yes. But at the end of the day, it's your job, which exists to get you money. If that money isn't worth your time and effort (during school and during your career), then it ceases to be what you love and can become a burden.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I think (hope?) Panda was being sarcastic....?

 

[battie]

I think (hope?) Panda was being sarcastic....?

I honestly dont know. If so, then I take my statement back!

 

[picklegurl]

Because people are thinking of it as an assistant to a physician vs an assistant physician. That’s how you get the plural. You still work under a doctor, so that’s more than likely why people think of it as an assistant to the physician.
But I’m saying that I would think when they see it plastered all over the application or the websites when looking up prerequisites, people might get the hint that they have it wrong and change it.

Assistant to the Regional Manager vs. Assistant Regional Manager (HUGE DIFFERENCE)! lol sorry, I had to!

 

[SkiOtter]

Assistant to the Regional Manager vs. Assistant Regional Manager (HUGE DIFFERENCE)! lol sorry, I had to!

EXACTLY.

 

[forks4spoons]

I am wondering if Vet School is even an option now given that OP already got in and declined
I know that the conventional wisdom of SDN is that this would be lethal with med schools.

It was lethal to me when I returned to my goals of being a veterinarian. I was in medical school for a year and a half before withdrawing (for several reasons, depression included). I applied to med school first because it didn't require taking biochem. (dumb, I know.)

Since, I've become an ICU RN and still have the desire/drive to be a veterinarian. Applying this cycle and with all of my new experiences/education, I think it's actually helped me. Guess I'll know in a few months....

 

[J.Bed]

Since, I've become an ICU RN and still have the desire/drive to be a veterinarian. Applying this cycle and with all of my new experiences/education, I think it's actually helped me. Guess I'll know in a few months....

I’m a RN applying this cycle too! I’m so excited for better patients!!

 

[forks4spoons]

I’m a RN applying this cycle too! I’m so excited for better patients!!

Exciting! I love our future patients, too! Owners/families suck, but we are used to that! hahaha. Where have you applied??

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Oh, my sweet summer children.

 

[forks4spoons]

Oh, my sweet summer children.

Pshaw. Hardly. I’ve faced more winters alone than most have dreamed.

 

[J.Bed]

Exciting! I love our future patients, too! Owners/families suck, but we are used to that! hahaha. Where have you applied??

Just my IS, Tennessee. How about you?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Pshaw. Hardly. I’ve faced more winters alone than most have dreamed.

I wasn't referring to numerical age.

 

[forks4spoons]

Just my IS, Tennessee. How about you?

Sameeeee!!!