Doing human medicine after vet medicine

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theunraveler

theunraveler

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i am planning to do human med after vet med but i'm wondering if this would be overkill?

i know a few lecturers in my school are trained in both vet/human medicine on top of having a phd. but i have never got a chance to talk to them yet...

so i am wondering for the folks here who do both human and vet medicine, wat did u do after that?
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dont take this the wrong way - but why would you even consider doing that?

if you want to practice veterinary medicine - go to vet school. if you want to practice human medicine go to med school. i dont understand why you would do both.
 
What do you want to do once you are done with schooling?
 
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ya know, as much as i am against this, its your own choice to make! if you feel it is the right thing to do then do it, if you don' t then don't! let god light your path and lead your way!
 
If you have a particular job in mind that (more or less) requires you to be trained in both human and veterinary medicine (although I don't actually know of any), this is a completely understandable road to take. However, if you are interested in human health and veterinary health, something like public health may provide you with the same type of exposure (and connection) between both fields without requiring the dual degree. Without a specific mention of a field, it sounds as if you are merely on a road to obtain as many degrees as possible. Given the debt load of each field (around 200k each), even a human doctor's salary (after your 3ish year residency) is going to make affording this difficult. Is this really a logical road to take?

Entering human med will be taking an (at least) 7 year hiatus from practicing veterinary medicine and will put you at a complete disadvantage if you, at some point, decide you would like to actually treat animals.
 
lets see, i am doing vet medicine now with intention to enrol in phd after my degree. i like medical research (specifically epidemiology/public heath) so that is where i am going to end up and infact i was given a choice between vet or human medicine (at another uni) and i did vet simply becoz UQ doesnt offer undergraduate medicine. so i thought of doing vet first then do human , alternatively do vet then a phd and then medicine

begining of the year we had a career talk, the lecturer which was also the HOS told us that 15% of vet graduates will end up in human medicine. i think doing human medicine will greatly expand my knowledge in the medical science.

but anyway , its juz a thought now...nothing is concrete but i muz say the idea of medicine after vet is very enticing :D
 
just a note, i'm not sure if you are aware of this (and if you are, then sorry for giving you info you already know), but you can do medical research with a degree in veterinary medicine. in fact, a lot of people at the facility i work at have phds and dvms (or equivalent). so the phd route post vet school is probably a good idea if you want to go into medical research, but the medical degree is not necessary. if you want to practice medicine as a clinician, well that is another story. and in that case, then i'm not quite sure why you took the vet school route in the first place.
 
rexosaurus said:
just a note, i'm not sure if you are aware of this (and if you are, then sorry for giving you info you already know), but you can do medical research with a degree in veterinary medicine. in fact, a lot of people at the facility i work at have phds and dvms (or equivalent). so the phd route post vet school is probably a good idea if you want to go into medical research, but the medical degree is not necessary. if you want to practice medicine as a clinician, well that is another story. and in that case, then i'm not quite sure why you took the vet school route in the first place.
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I think that things may be different in Australia in regards to this, not sure though...:oops:
 
nvm, i shall pioneer my own branch of research that will require dual degree in human medicine and vet medicine !!! :cool:
 
My small group leader for histology (at an allopathic school) was a DVM/PhD who worked in a department called "Comparative Medicine." They do all kinds of research related to zoonotic illnesses, translational research methods etc. Not sure if that is what you are interested in, but if so, a PhD might be a good thing to consider.
 
Flopotomist said:
My small group leader for histology (at an allopathic school) was a DVM/PhD who worked in a department called "Comparative Medicine." They do all kinds of research related to zoonotic illnesses, translational research methods etc. Not sure if that is what you are interested in, but if so, a PhD might be a good thing to consider.
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i think i prefer research more. alot of my lecturers have very interesting research field. i dun think i would like to do surgery very much
 
fyi the director of pathology at harvard med school is a dvm/phd

no human med degree, its not necessary :)
 
coupla things:
for human med, in order to practice anything-you WILL need a residency which will add another 3-5 years of 'schooling' and low pay to your life. (if you think you're going to do general surg-you have to do up to 5 and maybe more if you want research years in between).

also-i currently work with human surgeons who are doing comparative surgical studies on pigs. none of them have PhDs or DVMs, they just consult the vet in house, and conduct their own research. you can be a researcher, and not have a PhD either. you just have to write proposals for what you want to study and have other scientists to back you up.

i think as you go along with your studies you'll find a way to do things that may not require, say, 15 years or so of schooling, but will enable you to do what you want in your career.

have you looked at Tufts? they have some amazing programs, one that is a dual degree for comparative medicine, laboratory animal and all kinds of other programs..
 
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Pigsfoot said:
coupla things:
for human med, in order to practice anything-you WILL need a residency which will add another 3-5 years of 'schooling' and low pay to your life. (if you think you're going to do general surg-you have to do up to 5 and maybe more if you want research years in between).

also-i currently work with human surgeons who are doing comparative surgical studies on pigs. none of them have PhDs or DVMs, they just consult the vet in house, and conduct their own research. you can be a researcher, and not have a PhD either. you just have to write proposals for what you want to study and have other scientists to back you up.

i think as you go along with your studies you'll find a way to do things that may not require, say, 15 years or so of schooling, but will enable you to do what you want in your career.

have you looked at Tufts? they have some amazing programs, one that is a dual degree for comparative medicine, laboratory animal and all kinds of other programs..
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hi there

i do not want to practice as a clinician, i'm more towards research of zoonotic diseases and the best way to treat them. i will look at Tufts after my exams are over.

true, that i can consult other scientists on affairs of the human physiology. i juz think that if i have intimate knowledge of the human body it would be greatly beneficial when i carry out my work
 
i do not want to practice as a clinician, i'm more towards research of zoonotic diseases and the best way to treat them. i will look at Tufts after my exams are over

Come to VMRCVM ;) Research is our middle name.

I am the same way. I plan to complete my DVM and then continue on to PhD (we actually have a combined DVM and PhD program here but I didn't apply until it was too late - D'oh!) Trust me, you can get just as far, even farther, in animal models of human disease/disease pathogenicity, etc with a veterinary degree - research institutions are DYING to get vets in on the action. To me, basically, animal medicine is the basis of human medicine - that is why I did vet over med.

You can always take some great human med courses, but you don't need to waste 5-7 years of your life getting an MD (oh my god, and just imagine the debt you would build up!...I didnt even think of that till now) and spending almost all of your time doing clinical rotations (which you said you didnt' want to do) If you want to do zoonotic disease or animal model research, go DVM plus or minus PhD, absolutely. Like I said, everyone in research wants vets now.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
i do not want to practice as a clinician, i'm more towards research of zoonotic diseases and the best way to treat them. i will look at Tufts after my exams are over

Come to VMRCVM ;) Research is our middle name.

I am the same way. I plan to complete my DVM and then continue on to PhD (we actually have a combined DVM and PhD program here but I didn't apply until it was too late - D'oh!) Trust me, you can get just as far, even farther, in animal models of human disease/disease pathogenicity, etc with a veterinary degree - research institutions are DYING to get vets in on the action. To me, basically, animal medicine is the basis of human medicine - that is why I did vet over med.

You can always take some great human med courses, but you don't need to waste 5-7 years of your life getting an MD (oh my god, and just imagine the debt you would build up!...I didnt even think of that till now) and spending almost all of your time doing clinical rotations (which you said you didnt' want to do) If you want to do zoonotic disease or animal model research, go DVM plus or minus PhD, absolutely. Like I said, everyone in research wants vets now.
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i am doing a bachelor degree in vet medicine, do they accept BVSc degrees?
 
theunraveler said:
nvm, i shall pioneer my own branch of research that will require dual degree in human medicine and vet medicine !!! :cool:
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Why would you try to invent a job based on the degrees you want, rather than getting the degrees necessary for the job you want?
 
i am doing a bachelor degree in vet medicine, do they accept BVSc degrees?

Yep yep! Most definitely. The more experience/coursework you have the better, and a tailored bachelor's like that is great.
 
ultimately the question i would like to ask, if u have license to practice vet medicine, would they also bar u from practicing human medicine?
 
If you are a licensed vet, you are not allowed to practice human medicine, just as human doctors are not allowed to practice veterinary medicine.

Of course if you are licensed in both then it isn't an issue.
 
StealthDog said:
If you are a licensed vet, you are not allowed to practice human medicine, just as human doctors are not allowed to practice veterinary medicine.

Of course if you are licensed in both then it isn't an issue.
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so if i have a degree in vet med and i have done human med as well and complete my residency...then it shouldnt be a problem?
 
theunraveler said:
so if i have a degree in vet med and i have done human med as well and complete my residency...then it shouldnt be a problem?
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do you intend on practicing both human medicine and veterinary medicine, concurrently, in the same lifetime?
 
I wish I had gone to vet school and not med school. People are NUTS! :D As an animal lover I would have a hard time with the euthanesia, but I would rather practice vet medicine than human med with the current state of affairs- the insurance industry is a mess, the legal climate is hazardous to your personal health, and those that you do help are so entitled that you bearly feel like you are doing any good.
STick with the four-legged friends- I wish I had:hardy:
 
julieDVM said:
do you intend on practicing both human medicine and veterinary medicine, concurrently, in the same lifetime?
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yes if possible, by that i mean the govt doesnt restrict ppl to practicing ppl in only 1 area.
 
Yersinia said:
I wish I had gone to vet school and not med school. People are NUTS! :D As an animal lover I would have a hard time with the euthanesia, but I would rather practice vet medicine than human med with the current state of affairs- the insurance industry is a mess, the legal climate is hazardous to your personal health, and those that you do help are so entitled that you bearly feel like you are doing any good.
STick with the four-legged friends- I wish I had:hardy:
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vet medicine is great, perhaps u shld consider switching over? :)
 
haha. When I first read the original post this made me laugh. There's a girl who I go to school with and she is going to become a phychologist, going to go to medical school, and go to law school. She justs wants to be "smart" but its just her way of saying I'm better than you.. I can do this... i can... (she's phycho and needs a phychologist to help her) Sorry- offtopic- I'm sure you're not like that at all.

But just go with what you really want to do and whatever gets you there :)
 
i love vet medicine and this year i return to my local animal shelter not juz as a volunteer shoving **** and mopping pee but actually using my skills as a vet student to assist the vet! i figure why stop at animals? i would love to help people too and treat them.

research is also one of the area i would love to go into. even though the mortal me will die, my work lives on...hopefully in the same league as the great scientists of our age.... :oops:
 
theunraveler said:
i love vet medicine and this year i return to my local animal shelter not juz as a volunteer shoving **** and mopping pee but actually using my skills as a vet student to assist the vet! i figure why stop at animals? i would love to help people too and treat them.

research is also one of the area i would love to go into. even though the mortal me will die, my work lives on...hopefully in the same league as the great scientists of our age.... :oops:
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Well you do have a great heart... you want to help everyone and everything. :)

that makes me laugh... at the humane society I vounteer at... we're not allowed to clean or anything... just play and take for walks.
 
ylrebmik said:
Well you do have a great heart... you want to help everyone and everything. :)

that makes me laugh... at the humane society I vounteer at... we're not allowed to clean or anything... just play and take for walks.
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WOW...thats a first i havent been called insane, stupid, degree hoarder and other similiar pleasantries

thank u
 
your welcome... but what type of medicine do you want to end up doing in the end- research? I think that if you want to help both animals and humans..research may be really good for you..for obvious reasons.
 
ylrebmik said:
your welcome... but what type of medicine do you want to end up doing in the end- research? I think that if you want to help both animals and humans..research may be really good for you..for obvious reasons.
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im gonna focus on getting my vet degree first.... ;)

juz wondering, in USA do they prohibit vets from getting a medical degree and then practicing in both human and vet medicine?
 
theunraveler said:
im gonna focus on getting my vet degree first.... ;)

juz wondering, in USA do they prohibit vets from getting a medical degree and then practicing in both human and vet medicine?
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I know several DVM/MDs that do this here in the USA. It is perfectly legal as long as you maintain both of your licenses.
 
theunraveler said:
cool!!! do they have a webpage or anyway i can contact them?
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Try google. you'll get tons of hits.

Edit: We had one prof back when I worked at a certain CVM's large animal hospital that would sign his or her name "Dr Kelly Smith, MD, DVM, PhD" he/she had "short man/woman" syndrome and happened to also be an instrument thrower. If you should succeed in your quest, please don't sign your name Dr XYZ, DVM, PhD, MD. Sign it "Dr XYZ" or "XYZ, DVM, PhD, MD" You don't want your whole staff and all of your students calling you "doctor doctor doctor doctor" behind your back.

Edit: To clarify "Kelly Smith" is a made up name.
 
Orthonut said:
Try google. you'll get tons of hits.

Edit: We had one prof back when I worked at a certain CVM's large animal hospital that would sign his or her name "Dr Kelly Smith, MD, DVM, PhD" he/she had "short man/woman" syndrome and happened to also be an instrument thrower. If you should succeed in your quest, please don't sign your name Dr XYZ, DVM, PhD, MD. Sign it "Dr XYZ" or "XYZ, DVM, PhD, MD" You don't want your whole staff and all of your students calling you "doctor doctor doctor doctor" behind your back.
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i tried googling under many key words but none of it is wat i am looking for.

i'd bear that in mind....lol :laugh:
 
Hi everyone,
Ive heard rumors that if you complete a Med degree and then decide you want to practice vet you do not have to complete the whole degree but I cannot find any information about it anywhere...
Does anyone know anything about this? In australia only..
Thanks!
 
ducky22 said:
Hi everyone,
Ive heard rumors that if you complete a Med degree and then decide you want to practice vet you do not have to complete the whole degree but I cannot find any information about it anywhere...
Does anyone know anything about this? In australia only..
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I don't know about Australia, but in Canada there was an MD in my vet school class....I think he was given a pass on a few pre-reqs, but he was in our class from first year right through to graduation.
 
ducky22 said:
Hi everyone,
Ive heard rumors that if you complete a Med degree and then decide you want to practice vet you do not have to complete the whole degree but I cannot find any information about it anywhere...
Does anyone know anything about this? In australia only..
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I don't think it's true here in the USA either. Like Calliope said, you might pass out of a few classes in first year, but you would def still have to take anatomy and some of the other first year courses. At least at Penn you can only get exempt from classes in your first year, so you would still have to take Pathology, Toxicology, Micro, Parasitology, Pharm, Surgery etc.

So maybe you'd get out of a few classes but you're still looking at 4 years and full tuition (at least at Penn theres no 'refund' for being exempt from class)
 
..
 
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We, too, had a former MD in our class (a pediatrician). She transferred in second semester first year (a spot opened up because a classmate quit), but had to take most (maybe all) of the classes she missed in the summer between first and second year. Again, this is in the states so I don't know if it would be different in Australia.

Personally, I think she (and the OP) are nuts! And I mean that in the nicest way possible, lol. I just can't imagine wasting that much time and going into that much debt (and vet med doesn't really pay well). I know this is an old thread, but if anyone reading this would like to go into medical research, I would do as others have suggested and get a DVM/PhD (at some schools, you can even do them together)--most medical research is done on animals, anyway. In terms of practicing, sure it would be "cool" to be able to work on both animals and humans, but I think I would end up being mediocre at both. It's so difficult to keep up with new treatments, etc. for just ONE discipline--I can't imagine trying to do it with both!
 
ducky22 said:
Hi everyone,
Ive heard rumors that if you complete a Med degree and then decide you want to practice vet you do not have to complete the whole degree but I cannot find any information about it anywhere...
Does anyone know anything about this? In australia only..
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Nope, you're going to have to do the whole thing!!!

Its more common for people to go from vet to med (for various reasons) than med to vet, but you have to do the whole thing. I mean, you might be exempt from a couple of classes(like, MAYBE biochem but because you wouldnt have studied rumen biochemistry, unlikely) but its still going to take you 5 years.

I mean, how on earth is a human med student going to get credit for VETERINARY anatomy, physiology etc?
The vet-to-med students I've known have gotten credit for quite a few classes (biochem, micro, parasitology) only because our classes tend to cover more info than the corresponding med school ones.

Its important to remember that Australian students dont end up in (as much!) debt as American students, but vet is still going to cost you atleast $50,000 on top of whatever you owe for med school, so thats something to consider, especially when you couple that with the $40,000 p/a starting salary...
 
ducky22 said:
Hi everyone,
Ive heard rumors that if you complete a Med degree and then decide you want to practice vet you do not have to complete the whole degree but I cannot find any information about it anywhere...
Does anyone know anything about this? In australia only..
Thanks!
Click to expand...

You can get credit exemptions for certain subjects but you must still go through the 5 years for vet. I know a classmate who has a degree in biology, he manage to get credit for a few vet subjects so he doesnt have to take as many subjects as me

As for doing human med after vet med, 2 of my class mates took the GAMSAT this year and one is apparently going to USyd next year :oops:

As for me, I'd probably practice as a vet for 2-3 years first before heading to med school. There are actually alot more vets out there with a medical degree than I previously thought....I manage to spoke with one pediatric intern at the veterinary teaching hospital which I am currently at.
 
I think it's not a very good idea to practice both. It will be hard for you to succeed in the two spheres simultaneously, so I guess you just want to make your choice later, not now. But it's better to choose at once and then just go in the selected direction and be focused just on it. I have never met any vets that would practice human medicine at the same time or after. And besides, I wouldn't like to consult such a doctor myself.
 
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Many more move from vet to human med than the other way. Mainly due to wages (average of $67k for vets with a maximum of around $100k in Aus whereas human docs get $200k+ once qualified in Aus) and quality of care (cost problems and euthanasia in vet lead to lower quality care).
 
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