Advice on path I should take..(Masters, Vet tech, Veterinarian)

[3ll3n]

Currently I am completing my final semester of my BSc Biology. My average is not great (around 80%) and I have no experience in a vet clinic yet since I only recently decided on the veterinary route. After I graduate this spring I have two options: a) Complete my masters with my previous honours project supervisor (study is on ionocytes, will take 2yrs) and then apply to vet school or b) Become a registered vet tech (takes 2yrs) and work for a few years, then perhaps apply to vet school afterwards. I'm moreso leaning towards the second option because I am a bit tired of the university scene right now and I feel this masters will be useless if I don't get into vet school soon afterwards. Becoming a vet tech will allow me to both earn some money to pay off my loans and do something I'm sure I will love, while also giving me experience in a veterinary clinic and allowing me to see if becoming a vet is really what I want to do. However, the salary of a vet tech is rather low so that kind of sucks and makes me uneasy if a vet tech is something I will end up being forever. Thoughts?

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[princesspeach2]

Since you say that it is very recently you decided on the veterinary route, I'm assuming you haven't shadowed yet? I would make up a shadowing resume and cover letter, and drop them off at clinics near you to see if they will let you shadow there. Even one day of shadowing will give you a glimpse into the day to day life of a veterinarian, and would help in your decision I bet.

What is your reason for wanting to do the master degree? Are you trying to raise your gpa?

I'm not sure your financial situation, but you will most likely have to take out loans to be able to pay for vet tech schooling, therefore, will be adding to your loans before you start repayment.

An idea for you might to see if you can find a position as a veterinary assistant. I see tons of ads on craigslist for veterinary assistants for vet clinics and hospitals, with a great deal of them saying no experience is necessary and they will train you on the job. It'd be a lower paying job then a tech depending on the clinic, but you wouldn't have to take out more money to pay for schooling for it. Indeed is also a good place to look for jobs as well.

Also, I am curious. What recently made you want to go into veterinary medicine?

 

[3ll3n]

Since you say that it is very recently you decided on the veterinary route, I'm assuming you haven't shadowed yet? I would make up a shadowing resume and cover letter, and drop them off at clinics near you to see if they will let you shadow there. Even one day of shadowing will give you a glimpse into the day to day life of a veterinarian, and would help in your decision I bet.

What is your reason for wanting to do the master degree? Are you trying to raise your gpa?

I'm not sure your financial situation, but you will most likely have to take out loans to be able to pay for vet tech schooling, therefore, will be adding to your loans before you start repayment.

An idea for you might to see if you can find a position as a veterinary assistant. I see tons of ads on craigslist for veterinary assistants for vet clinics and hospitals, with a great deal of them saying no experience is necessary and they will train you on the job. It'd be a lower paying job then a tech depending on the clinic, but you wouldn't have to take out more money to pay for schooling for it. Indeed is also a good place to look for jobs as well.

Also, I am curious. What recently made you want to go into veterinary medicine?

No, I haven't shadowed yet, and the masters would be to raise my GPA while also gaining volunteer/shadowing experience while living in my small university town (in Canada).
Also, I recently decided to go into veterinary medicine this past summer. I was working on my honours project which was on fish behaviour (behaviour of mummichogs in the presence of haloclines based on particular hormone presence/effects and oocyte maturity). I sincerely enjoyed working with the fish (catching them, helping care for them, etc.) and carrying out procedures such as blood collection, some histology, ELISA assays, etc. I also spent a lot of time in the animal care facility of the university I worked at, so I got to learn a bit about caring for other animals that lived there (salamanders, lobsters, some lizards).
Also, thanks for the advice

 

[SnowshoeDog143]

Welcome to the world of pre-vets! I would echo much of what danistarr has said. If you decide to do a Master's to raise your GPA, you will need to complete a coursework based masters rather then a research based masters (which is most science degrees). Doing a research based masters probably won't give you enough courses to boost your GPA that much higher so just take that into account. That being said, if you love the research you are going to do a Master's can give you a solid back up plan to vet med if you don't get in as quickly as you expect.

I would really research the vet tech program before you decide to go that direction because as danistarr mentioned, it is a quite expensive program and the starting salary is not great. But then again I know a few people who have gone this route and have become vets and it worked out well for them. But especially if you are concerned about finances, the fewest loans you can take out the better (eg better to just have vet school loans than vet tech and vet school loans).

Canadian vet schools are very specific to where you live so I would email the school you are wanting to apply to and try to get the statistics for the gpa averages that get interviews, how many people apply, etc. and see where you stand before you decide what to do next. An 80% is low average and would definitely not be a problem depending on what province you live. If you are less concerned about finances, it may be a good option to look at international schools. I know many vets in my city have gotten degrees in Ireland, Australia, and the Caribbean.

Last of all, experience is definitely needed and a veterinarian reference is required wherever you decide to go. If you have any clinics nearby, you should see if you can shadow for a few weeks to make sure that is what you want to do. If you like it, there are always clinics hiring reception and vet assistants. That can help you get a foot into the vet world, make connections, and give you some good references for your application. It might be good to also consider taking a gap year after you graduate to just work in the field as a vet assistant before doing a masters or tech school, just because it looks like experience is your weakest part at this point. Also, volunteering at other animal places such as shelters or wildlife refuges will help build your application as well as give you more hands on experience with animals than most vet shadows will.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Currently I am completing my final semester of my BSc Biology. My average is not great (around 80%) and I have no experience in a vet clinic yet since I only recently decided on the veterinary route. After I graduate this spring I have two options: a) Complete my masters with my previous honours project supervisor (study is on ionocytes, will take 2yrs) and then apply to vet school or b) Become a registered vet tech (takes 2yrs) and work for a few years, then perhaps apply to vet school afterwards. I'm moreso leaning towards the second option because I am a bit tired of the university scene right now and I feel this masters will be useless if I don't get into vet school soon afterwards. Becoming a vet tech will allow me to both earn some money to pay off my loans and do something I'm sure I will love, while also giving me experience in a veterinary clinic and allowing me to see if becoming a vet is really what I want to do. However, the salary of a vet tech is rather low so that kind of sucks and makes me uneasy if a vet tech is something I will end up being forever. Thoughts?

If you want to become a vet, I would not recommend going to vet tech school first - that's a lot of money for a low paying job, and it won't help you with your application or really help you that much in vet school. I recommend people only go to tech school if they want to be veterinary technicians.......The jobs are really quite different, and I would not pursue one if you want the other. I think techs have the more fun job (more animal contact/involvement, fewer responsibilities) but the pay is, needless to say, less than if you are a vet.

Canadian vet schools are less focused on hours shadowing/working in the veterinary field than US vet schools, but you will need some practical experience with a vet (not just in animal care or research). As Canadians can only apply to one Canadian vet school unless you live in Alberta (which school varies by residence), you should check to ensure you have all the applicable pre-requisites. Also important is to see what your average for admission is........For instance, for OVC admission they use a grade average that is 50% the average of your last 2 years and 50% the average of your pre-req courses (i.e. the average of all your undergrad courses doesn't matter).