This is a common question that we get from people that are interested in the veterinary profession as well as parents who have children who are interested in animals. Please stay tuned to this as I will post some basic information about the veterinary profession. This page will show information based on different stages of entry and interest in the profession. It is also 100% my opinion so reader beware! There are likely some things on this page that you may not believe to be true. I do, however, feel the need to point out what the important considerations of entering this profession and am not going to hold back for the sake of reader comfort. Veterinary medicine is a fabulous career choice for those who understand it well and are good at medicine. For others, it can be the wrong decision. Realize that these are only generalizations and considerations. There are few hard and fast rules of how and when to get into vet school, just general themes. If you ever have questions, please don’t hesitate to call at 252.715.1407 or email me at obxpetdoctor@yahoo.com!
Young Children
It is my personal belief that children that are younger than high school should not be focused on a specific career path. If your child wishes to learn about veterinary medicine or wants to be a vet when they grow up, that is fabulous. Please don’t push them too hard to get into ANYTHING specific, let them make that decision on their own. There are two different things, however, that they can do to get more knowledge and experience that will help them out regardless of whether they end up becoming a veterinarian. 1) Developing an interest in science and 2) learning about proper pet care. Designing a comprehensive list of projects that you could do with your children that are science related would be next to impossible. My advice is to use Google. It’s there for a reason! Just look up ‘science experiments’ and you’ll find plenty. It will also go a long way into teaching your child that learning is FUN! Young children can also help by volunteering at an animal shelter. Many shelters welcome volunteers as they help to lighten the workload of an already overbearing job. Ask a shelter near you if they accept volunteers. If so, it’s a great opportunity to teach your child about responsible pet ownership.
High School
High school is a good age to start finding out what you want to do for a living. At this age, it is very important to focus on getting good grades and experience. This may be more difficult than it may seems as teenagers have a lot of things going on in high school. However, getting into college is absolutely essential to becoming a veterinarian. More important than that, is making sure they understand veterinary medicine as a career and that it is not ‘playing with puppies all day’. I have met many people along the way that spent several years in college and several thousands of dollars to find out later on they didn’t actually want to be a veterinarian. For this, they are going to need to acquire a good amount of experience by shadowing or working at a veterinary hospital. Ask a local veterinary hospital if they allow students to shadow and have them spend a few days there. Again, I can only recommend that high school students get exposure to a wide variety of careers and choose for themselves what they want to do for the next 35 years of their lives.
Undergraduate College
THIS is the age and time that one needs to make a definite decision if they want to be a veterinarian. Thoughts to ponder:
- College is expensive and spending more time getting there costs money and time. Don’t underestimate the time aspect because every extra year you spend in college is a year that you didn’t make much money and a year you weren’t able to save for the future.
- To become a veterinarian, you must at least maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 and many times you will need a GPA of 3.5 or above. This varies somewhat based on a few other factors but there are very few veterinarians who were accepted into veterinary school with a GPA less than 3.0. I know of only 2 and they had extensive experience in the field and were rejected at least once before they got into vet school. It is highly competitive and the coursework for entry usually includes some of the toughest classes that college has to offer. Learn to study well, it doesn’t get easier in vet school!
- Get experience in veterinary medicine. Shadowing a veterinarian or working for one is the best way for you to learn about the profession. I have met more that a few people who said ‘But I have always known I want to become a vet since I was X years old’ and chose to do something else after being in a veterinary hospital for a short while. It can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Make sure you want to do it before you put in the time in college.
Making a move from another career
Sorry but I’ve been working for about 12 hours straight and am beginning to run out of steam. I will post more here later!
Good luck with your career choice!
Dr. Jay Taylor
Outer Banks Veterinary Hospital
3723 N. Croatan Hwy, Unit I
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
Schedule online NOW at : http://outerbanksvet.com/schedule-appointment/
