<p>I have a soph D who has considered off and on becoming a vet. She is intimated by the stats for vet school admissions and feels like you have to be over the top smart to even stand a chance.
While exploring the Purdue website we came across the vet tech program that offers both an AS or a BS. Has anyone explored the vet tech field as a possible career? She would be interested in equine. Or getting a vet tech degree as an undergrad degree before applying to vet school?
She has also expressed interest in becoming a teacher or therapist so we are definitely still in the exploration mode.</p>
<p>I was actually very close to attending school for vet tech- i was accepted into the BS in vet tech programs at Purdue and Michigan State University- but I’ve decided to go to nursing school instead because of financial reasons. I love the veterinary field, but the amount of debt I was going to have to undertake for OOS at Purdue’s program (my first choice) was $46,000/ year since the program is year-round (or even half that for IS at MSU) didn’t seem worth it for a career that pays $40,000/year if you’re lucky. AS degrees do cost less, but pay a lot less. If your D is still considering vet tech, she should shadow one for awhile to see if this is something she truly wants to do- this is the kind of job you only want to do if you absolutely love it. I also enjoy working with people, so I decided human nursing was the better route for me. Also, a vet tech degree is NOT a stepping-stone to vet school; vet tech classes are specifically for vet techs- think of it as vet techs are like nurses and vets are like doctors- they both have very different roles in the medicine team. Hope this helps, and good luck!</p>