I am a high schooler and have always wanted to become a veterinarian. I am looking for some advice about the process of becoming a vet, and what schools are good. Any vets out there?
How to Become a Veterinarian
Follow these steps to become a veterinarian:
Step 1: Complete a Bachelor’s Degree Program
Most schools of veterinary medicine require or prefer applicants to have a bachelor’s degree. While many students earn their degree in a biological science, most veterinary schools don’t have a preferred major as long as certain science courses are taken. These courses typically include general biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Some schools may require some more advanced science courses, such as mammalogy, biochemistry, or animal behavior.
Participate in volunteer programs or internships in the veterinary field. Volunteering or interning at veterinary clinics or other animal care facilities can give students an idea of what the job of a veterinarian is really like. Many veterinary programs require some experience working with animals, and volunteering can fulfill this requirement or make a student more competitive when applying. You can use these experiences to show dedication to the field of animal care and gain professional references.
Join a pre-veterinary club. Pre-professional clubs that focus on veterinary medicine are available at many schools. These clubs may have meetings where members discuss career topics, shadowing programs, and resources for volunteer or internship experience. Some also offer the chance to apply for scholarships that are only offered to members.
Take the GRE. Many schools of veterinary medicine require applicants to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. This exam measures a person’s readiness for graduate-level studies.
Step 2: Earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Each successive year in a program of veterinary medicine builds upon the previous year’s curriculum. The first year or two may focus on science subjects like animal anatomy and physiology, nutrition, and virology. These and related courses lay the basic framework for understanding veterinary medicine. Some courses might be specific to an animal group.
The third year may focus on clinical studies in which students come in to contact with living animals and practice using the knowledge and skills they’ve gained in the previous two years to make diagnoses and recommend possible treatments. The fourth year is usually spent participating in applied experiences, such as practicums or externships.
Get involved in research projects. Some programs offer students the opportunity to be involved in research while studying for their degree. This experience may be helpful in understanding certain aspects of the veterinary field and can open up opportunities to work in research rather than a clinical setting.
Step 3: Become Licensed
Graduates of accredited programs of veterinary medicine must be licensed to practice in the field. All states require that graduates successfully pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam; additional state-specific exams may also be required.
Step 4: Gain Experience
After becoming licensed, you might choose to gain further practical and specialized experience in the field by interning for a year before applying for a more permanent position. The majority of veterinarians work with small companion animals in private clinics. A smaller percentage of veterinarians choose to specialize in working with equines or other large animals, exotic animals, or zoo animals.
Step 5: Become Certified in a Specialty
To be eligible for certification in a specialty field, such as internal medicine or surgery, you must have completed either a residency or additional education. Residency programs usually involve multiple years working at a specified location where a veterinarian receives supervised training in his or her chosen specialty.
Step 6: Join a Professional Association
National and state associations exist for veterinarians. Membership benefits may include access to newsletters, professional connections, published literature on the latest veterinary topic, and resources for continuing education.
I concur with Gumbymom but would add that once you are in vet school, join the professional association, (AVMA for students). The other less traditional way to become a vet is to explore combined BS/DVM programs. These are usually 7 years in length and are extremely competitive. You must have high SAT or ACT scores and GPA, hundreds of hours of supervised direct animal care, be well rounded with other EC’s, and have leadership positions in school or community.
Choose one of these programs or a college or university that has a history of high acceptance into vet schools. Those will generally have supportive preprofessional courses and advisors.
Keep in mind that vet school is VERY expensive and you want to keep your undergraduate debt to a minimum. Look at your state schools or LAC’s where you will receive merit aid.
Your instate vet school will be your first choice due to cost if you don’t follow the BS/DVM route.
Contact a local veterinarian to interview and shadow this summer. It will give you a feel for the “entire picture”.
I know a few students who want to become vets, as well as a currently practicing vet. I assume that you already know this usually involves four years of undergrad followed by four years of veterinary school.
First of all you will need a high GPA for undergrad. I don’t think that your major matters much as long as you have taken the prerequisites as mentioned by @Gumbymom.
You will need a lot of relevant experience. Some universities have programs where you look after animals as part of your studies (you can google “UVM cream program” for one example). Some have research opportunities again working with animals. You will want to volunteer (or work) at a veterinary clinic or with a veterinarian if you possibly can. The people that I know who either got into veterinary school or have a good chance to do so in the near future have a rather long and impressive list of experiences working with animals.
Also, you will need to figure out how to pay for the whole thing. Eight years of university is expensive. Veterinary school is particularly expensive. Veterinary school is as expensive or more expensive than medical school, but veterinarians do not make anything close to what doctors make. As such, taking on $200,000 in debt, which is common for doctors, would be ruinous for a veterinarian. Don’t take on any debt at all for undergrad.
Many state public universities have good prevet programs, regardless of whether or not they have a veterinary school.
I’m going to start even earlier. You are in high school. #1 and most important shadow a vet, or vets now! You need to see what they do and see if it is really what you want. What a vet tech does is very different than what a vet does. A vet will deal much more with the owners, paperwork, researching problems, reading tests etc than actually handling the animals in most cases. They also deal with stress and vets have a high rate of suicide. People think vets are trying to overcharge them for everything. They don’t understand why treating an animal is so expensive. It is hard for vets to be yelled at and told they can’t treat an animal because of money. They understand but it is hard. You have to see this to make your decision. If it is what you want try to get different experiences, volunteer at a shelter, zoo, wild life rehab, large animal vet, therapeutic riding program, horse rescue, etc. Even if it is just a few hours on weekends it gives you ideas what types of animals you really like to work with.
Get high grades in high school, and good ACT/SAT scores. Concentrate on the sciences. You will have to take biology, chemistry and physics in college so have a good foundation.
Your undergraduate school does not matter if it is a “good” school that offers the vet school prerequisites. The key is high grades, animal experience and for some(not all) vet schools a good GPA, plus, most importantly, LOW COST. Also have some people oriented ECs. They really liked that my son volunteered at a hospice and worked as a camp counselor (teaching horseback). He is in an “early admit” program which is like the BS/DVM program mentioned above. He is undergrad 3 years then in vet school for 4, his 5th year (2nd of vet school) he gets a BS and his last year his DVM. He likes being at a land-grant university that has a vet school because of research, job, and advisor opportunities. (He is animal science major by the way, but biology is also very popular).
Most colleges have a Pre-Med/Pre-Health advising group. When you get to college seek out this group and take advantage of their recommendations and advice.
Thank you for all of the advice! Are there any schools in particular with a good undergraduate program that also has a vet school?
@momocarly you said that a vet tech and a vet were very different while explaining what a vet does…what does a vet tech do?
Observing animal patients for changes in behavior
Preparing animals for exams or surgery
Giving animals nursing care or first aid
Collecting and test lab samples
Taking and developing X-rays
Giving medications, shots, or treatments
Collecting and maintaining patient records
These are some of the things a vet tech does and it is pretty accurate. My son is working as a vet tech this summer.
Most of the colleges with vet schools have good undergrad programs. Start with the one you are in State with or a state that has in state tuition for people from your state.
Ohh that clears that up, thank you. So a vet tech is the one that works more with the animals then right?
Yes, that is correct! In reality a veterinarian’s job is actually very people oriented. One must deal with a variety of clients on a daily basis and most of the nursing is left to the support staff.
Of course, the vet is coming up with diagnoses, treatment plans, performing surgery and prescribing medications.
Also, I posted a long answer regarding salary, student loan debt and other information here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/pre-vet-veterinary-medicine/2085359-veterinary-career-options.html
Definitely the most important step is making sure that this is what you want to pursue. The only way to do so is to work at a vet clinic. When I was in high school and undergrad, I volunteered at the local veterinary clinic (I volunteered around 1000 hours but most of my classmates did significantly less). It highlights that pros and cons of being a vet. Most people typically only think that it is fun working with healthy animals and awarding to save a sick animal (which is definitely true). However, then there are cases where the prognosis was poor from the beginning, you do everything possible but the patient does not pull through. You’ll need to know that you can handle this emotionally. Then, on top of that, you may encounter owners with unrealistic expectations (demands you to perform miracles or want everything to do done without spending a dime) and goes onto social media/review sites to vent. Experiencing the good and bad parts of being a vet is crucial helping you decide if you want to pursue being a vet. If you still decide the pros far outweigh the cons, focus on getting into vet school.
It starts with getting with undergrad. Make sure you work hard and get good grades. A vet school curriculum will be tougher than an undergrad’s so vet schools want to see that an applicant will be able to tolerate the work load. Obviously, a more competitive undergrad may hold a bit more weight when it comes to the admissions process but having said that, a few of my classmates had previously attended community college. Personally, I looked at schools that had an undergrad program and a vet program. This helped me because my undergrad professors who wrote my letters of recommendations were also well connected with the vet school.
Another important part of the admissions process is your personal statement. Writing one that stands out may have more weight than your GPA.