is this a valid reason to do vet instead of md?

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batista_123

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Hello,
so far i have been premed. I took the mcat, thought i would apply to med school, but recently i have been second guessing myself, i dont enjoy working and interacting with people. I love animals and human children, but i dont like human adults.
Actually the first time i realized that maybe i should become a vet was when on TV they were showing a dog and a human falling down a snow-covered hill, and I found that I was more concerned with the dog's safety than the human's safety. So this indicated to me that I dont really care about people?
I love animal behavior also.
So should I do vet?
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don't like working with adult humans, eh? who do you think you work with in vet?

you guessed it. you treat the animals, but you work with their owners (in clinical practice, anyway).

it's a great way to make a difference in the lives of both animals and people. but don't kid yourself.
 
Mmm, you could do vet, but if you don't enjoy working with people you're going to have to work in some non-practice aspect of the vet med field.

But in any practice I can think of, the animals come with a human attached. And it's the human footing the bill.



There are other things like research, or meat inspection, that are DVM related, but those also require working with people.
 
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batista_123 said:
Hello,
i dont enjoy working and interacting with people. I love animals and human children, but i dont like human adults.
Click to expand...

2nd worst reason ever to be a veterinarian




(1st is to make a lot of money)
 
If you don't like 'human adults,' be a pediatrician.

Oh, wait... that's kinda like being a veterinarian - they come with a 'human adult' that bosses you around and pays the bill (or doesn't).

But it's not just like being a veterinarian, because you likely get paid 2 - 3 times as much.

If you're really considering vet med, try and think of other reasons you would like it, and also consider what sort of job you could get where you wouldn't have to work with people. Let us know if you think of anything. :)
 
Oh sweet jesus I can't imagine being a pediatrician. Most people aren't THAT overprotective about their pets and don't second guess every little thing you do (though we've all met the more...exuberant owners) but babies come with adults and I'd imagine more parents are overprotective about their kid than their dog.
 
HopefulAg said:
Oh sweet jesus I can't imagine being a pediatrician. Most people aren't THAT overprotective about their pets and don't second guess every little thing you do (though we've all met the more...exuberant owners) but babies come with adults and I'd imagine more parents are overprotective about their kid than their dog.
Click to expand...

maybe its just the area where i work, but id say 60% of the clients treat their pets like babies and are super protective. whenever the vets get too pi**ed off they come to the back and vent to us to cool off before they go back to talk to the owners. Some dogs even come in with Coach collars, leashes, and carriers. its insane how much they spend on them.

i agree with everyone above, that is the 2nd worst reason to become a vet. if you told them that during an interview you'd be out of the question instantly. it sounds like you really want some kind of doctor degree, but did you ever think that you can be just as respected in another career that actually suits u? maybe once you find it, you will know THIS is where i want to be! without asking others if it is right for you
 
Well, OP, try shadowing a vet and see how that works for you. You really do have to be fairly people oriented for vet med. I know some not so people oriented folks in my class (smart and all, just not the greatest people skills) and I kind of wonder how they're going to do...
 
HopefulAg said:
I think you posted this in the wrong thread.

Did you mean to put it here?
http://more.studentdoctor.net/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=8764631
Click to expand...

I definitely think it's the wrong post. Army vets have to have really good people skills. You have to deal with people who really shouldn't be out on their own, let alone own a pet. On the other side of the scale, you have people who think they know more than you because they have more rank. I worked for a vet who took particular pleasure in subtly irritating a certain Air Force major who thought he should be standing at attention when talking to him about his dog.
 
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Electrophile said:
Well, OP, try shadowing a vet and see how that works for you. You really do have to be fairly people oriented for vet med. I know some not so people oriented folks in my class (smart and all, just not the greatest people skills) and I kind of wonder how they're going to do...
Click to expand...

Your signature thingy with all the rotations freaked me out- I was like "wow! look at that!" then I saw your class of 2011 and was like, "oh wait, she's not going to clinics soon" then I thought- crap! I'M c/o 2011, then ... "ah! I AM going to clinics soon!" not as soon as you, but next semester. Crazy that we aren't little kids anymore... we're almost seniors!

sorry- totally off topic...

to the OP- work for a vet, then decide if that is what you want to do.
 
sofficat said:
Your signature thingy with all the rotations freaked me out- I was like "wow! look at that!" then I saw your class of 2011 and was like, "oh wait, she's not going to clinics soon" then I thought- crap! I'M c/o 2011, then ... "ah! I AM going to clinics soon!" not as soon as you, but next semester. Crazy that we aren't little kids anymore... we're almost seniors!
Click to expand...

Yup, that's 2 and 2 thing for Mizzou is finally catching up with us on Wednesday! I'm kinda excited and kinda like totally scared! :eek:
 
batista_123 said:
Hello,
I love animals and human children, but i dont like human adults.
So should I do vet?
Click to expand...

No. Certainly not clinical practice. Maybe research or lab medicine.

Until animals are able to pay for their own food/medical care and drive themselves to the clinic when they are sick, you'll be dealing with their owners -- typically human adults.You'll be working with a full hospital staff - also human adults.

If you don't like human adults it's a bad match for you.
 
lailanni said:
No. Certainly not clinical practice. Maybe research or lab medicine.
Click to expand...

hmm I am a lab animal resident and I deal with more human adults than I did in clinical practice (and less, or really no human children). Many are highly educated and many also have a very extensive medical background. So research/lab animal is definately NOT for someone who doesn't want to deal with people.
 
I was thinking about that after I posted, good point. No safe harbor from people in vet med, eh?

Are there any jobs anywhere in medicine that don't make you deal with people?
 
lailanni said:
Are there any jobs anywhere in medicine that don't make you deal with people?
Click to expand...


Human surgeons. You still have to talk to people but you can get away with being a pompous ass. My hand surgeon = arrogant narcissist, but as long as he could do his job and leave all my nerves intact I was ok with that.
 
I don't think there's a job in any field, at all, that doesn't involve working with people. But I'm guessing that maybe a job where you only interact with coworkers and not directly with a client might be easier to deal with for someone who doesn't "enjoy working and interacting with people".
 
there are jobs where you can minimize contact with other humans. Fire tower watchers, some fishermen, some field researchers, some archival researchers, some computer folk, some authors. However, those same jobs sometimes mean little contact with family/friends as well, or living in extreme conditions for long periods of time.
 
As for the money issue:

If your passion is promoting animal health, then become a vet. Period.

If you want to make a lot of money, then don't become a vet.

If you want to make a lot of money AND be a vet, well, that is certainly doable, but your options are a lot more limited. And you will likely have to continue your education beyond the DVM...think PhD, MPH, MPVM, MBA, or clinical or pathology residency training and board certification...and probably more than one of these.

As for your dislike of human adults:

Most vets choose to go into clinical practice. You will have to deal with clients (constantly) if you go into clinical practice. And for that matter, you will have to deal with clients during clinical rotations in vet school. But vet school is a training experience, and you will have mentors and classmates that have excellent client-relation skills that will be willing to show you the way. I didn't think that I would be able to handle working with clients in school, but it turns out that I was much better at it than I thought. I even got gifts from a few clients! Never expected that!

And please be aware that there are lots of other veterinary careers that are not in clinical practice. Probably 20% of my DVM graduating class are working for the government (USDA and others), or are working on pathology residencies or research degrees. If you like clinical work but don't like clients, you could practice in an animal shelter, or a wildlife rehab clinic, or a zoo, or a facility that utilizes lab animals. If you are interested in BOTH animal and human health, then think about specializing in zoonotic diseases in a public health setting. Or go into biomedical research...most (non-clinical) research being done in veterinary colleges focuses on human diseases.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your decision!
 
If it is your only reason for going into vet med - it is a horrible reason.

HOWEVER, if you are passionate about the field, and can work well with people even if you don't *like* to, it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't. Depends totally on your personality. You WILL be dealing with people no matter what field you go into - vet med, human med, office worker, writer. So if you can deal with it in a professional manner that neither insults others or detrimentally affects your happiness, why not?

It's just not TO go into vet med.
 
Go to work for the IRS or the BATF and stay away from any kind of medicine. There are already enough people in clinical medicine (of both kinds) who are in it for the wrong reasons.
 
batista_123 said:
Hello,
so far i have been premed. I took the mcat, thought i would apply to med school, but recently i have been second guessing myself, i dont enjoy working and interacting with people. I love animals and human children, but i dont like human adults.
Actually the first time i realized that maybe i should become a vet was when on TV they were showing a dog and a human falling down a snow-covered hill, and I found that I was more concerned with the dog's safety than the human's safety. So this indicated to me that I dont really care about people?
I love animal behavior also.
So should I do vet?
Click to expand...

Nice choice...
For me medecine was the programed choice for my parents, they always tell me you'll be a doctor ! But i already liked the math & physics, drawing!
Than i don't know how i chosed Vet...
You did good choice...at least from my point of view and according to my personal life !:rolleyes:
But you realy touched me when u said you like children and animals !
Well me too! i think this's a cummon point ! I realy apreciate this:)
 
I would have to completely disagree with HopefulAg's first posting. Veterinarians who work in slaughter or meat inspection facilities are basically the managers of all USDA inspectors at these facilities. They work with the slaughter facility management and the USDA staff to resolve issues, update them on USDA policy, and ensure that the food is safe. If you don't like to work with people, this would not be a good option at all.
 
IMHO Vet Med and Human Med are tough career paths. It takes a lot of work and passion. So If you are asking us if your reasoning is sound enough to go the Vet route, the simple anwser is no. Only go Pre-Vet if that is what you really want..to the point you don't need external reassurance.

Why are you interested in the medical field? To me it sounds like you don't have the passion for either field.
 
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oilidigigoat said:
IMHO Vet Med and Human Med are tough career paths. It takes a lot of work and passion. So If you are asking us if your reasoning is sound enought to go the Vet route, the simple anwser is no. Only go Pre-Vet if that is what you really want..to the point you don't need external reassurance.
Click to expand...

While I don't have any advice for you, I would say that this suggestion should be taken with a grain of salt. I do agree that if you don't like working with people, this isn't the field for you. There may be some positions (such as pharm writer) that are suitable, but you will have to deal with a long torturous period of dealing with the same 60-100 people 5 days a week in a highly stressful environment just to get the DVM. And I think there are likely more direct paths!

Plenty of us have our doubts. I asked plenty of people if my reasoning was unsound for returning to school for vet med. I needed to hear all the reasons it was crazy and foolish because I needed to address those before I applied. I STILL wouldn't have applied if I didn't have the support (external reassurance) of my husband because my decision to pursue a DVM affects both of us. It does take a lot of work and a lot of passion, but some of us are great at talking ourselves out of our passions because of practicalities.

In other words, in any significant decision about a major life path, there aren't simple answers that apply to everyone. You may find that with an animal or a child as the focus, you are able to see adults in a different light. Maybe you can't. You will have to figure that out before you make your decisions. Being able to work with people will be as important as being reasonably good at science and enjoying working with animals (in some way shape or form!)
 
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