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Becoming a Veterinarian FAQs


To pursue a veterinary career, what should be done in high school?
Take as many courses in biology, math, and other sciences (including chemistry, physics, and anatomy and physiology) as you can manage while in high school – this will help you prepare for your college courses, and also help you decide if this is the right path for you.

Ask a veterinarian if they would be able to mentor you as you choose which veterinary path you want to follow.  Most veterinarians are interested in helping future veterinarians find their own niche among the many choices offered to them.

Volunteer or work for a veterinarian.  You can work for a veterinarian who does what you hope to do, or with one who does something different so you can get exposed to something new.

 

Volunteer your services to an animal shelter organization, farm, wildlife center, aquarium, or zoo in order to gain hands-on experience with animals. The more experience you gain, the more skills you will learn, and gradually more responsibilities will be handed to you. This will not only help to develop your organization and management skills, as well as good communication skills as you work with both animals, their human handlers, and your co-workers; this experience will also be a very positive addition to your college application form.

Get involved in groups that provide animal experience, such as Future Farmers of America (FFA) or 4-H.  These groups provide valuable experience and education, and also award scholarships for college.

Develop your leadership skills by being active in your school and your class, getting involved in student government associations, and other organizations that help you develop your communication skills and teach you to be a leader.

Once I’m in college, what makes someone a good candidate for veterinary school?
Each veterinary school has its own requirements for admission, including the minimum courses that must be completed before you are considered for admission.  However, many of the requirements overlap.  Basic required classes include biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry.  To find out more about the requirements for a specific veterinary school, call the school’s admissions office or visit their Web site.  The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has a Web site with more information and links to each US veterinary school.  (www.aavmc.org)

A common rule is that when it comes to undergraduate science courses in preparation for application to veterinary school, it is better to be over-prepared rather than just fulfilling the minimum requirements.  As you enter veterinary school, you will be taking courses with people who may already have a master’s or a Ph.D., along with students who have undergraduate degrees from universities and smaller colleges, some who attended smaller colleges, some with non-animal related degrees, some who specialized in animal science during their undergraduate studies, and others who were admitted to veterinary school before they finished their undergraduate degrees.  Veterinary school classes are made up of a wide range of people with widely varied backgrounds, and having as good an education as possible coming into veterinary school can help prepare you for the tough, but rewarding, road ahead.

As recommended for students in high school who are interested in veterinary medicine, college undergraduates are also encouraged to take as many science courses possible so that you can enter veterinary school fully prepared. Along with the suggested undergraduate courses in biology, chemistry, math, and physics, veterinary schools would also like to see courses in communications, language skills, humanities, and social sciences.  Other courses such as microbiology, histology, anatomy and physiology, and zoology can also be of great help and give you a “leg up” on your education.

Isn’t it impossible to gain admittance to veterinary school?
Applicants to a veterinary school are usually required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a standardized test. There are certain stories that students who are considering entering veterinary school almost always come across: some of these are exaggerated, and some of these are true.

Myth: “A student must have a cumulative GPA close to 4.0 on a 4.0 grading scale in order to be seriously considered for admission to the study of veterinary medicine.”

There’s no doubt that a high GPA can help you, because it indicates that you are smart and you work hard, study, and learn well.  But it’s not the only thing that matters.  Actually, those who interviewed in 2005 for the graduating Class of 2009 at the University of Illinois had a mean cumulative GPA of about 3.50 and a science GPA of 3.47. Also, in the last few years, there has been a new approach in the screening of applicants to a veterinary school which evaluates the credentials of applicants as a “whole person” rather than only considering their level of academic achievement.  This is where experience and leadership skills are very helpful.

Myth: “It is harder to get into veterinary medical school than it is to get into human medical school.”

Actually this is not a myth. There are only 29 schools of veterinary medicine in North

America while there are over 160 schools for the study of human medicine. The lack of availability of seats makes it very challenging for a student to be admitted to a veterinary school. Each year there are approximately 21,000 applications for 2,500 – 2,600 slots for entering DVM students. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible; it just means that the schools are admitting the best applicants they get.  By having a solid academic record, animal and veterinary experience, and leadership skills, you ARE that “best applicant.”

What should a veterinary student expect?
A student in veterinary school will have a strong medical- and science-based curriculum with all of its associated challenges. During the first two years of study students take anywhere from 17 – 22 semester hours of science course work per semester. You can expect to attend class from 8:00 a.m. in the morning to about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. during the week, and then expect an average of 35 more hours of homework.  It is important to remember that every student who wants to become a veterinarian has to work extremely hard to reach this goal.

What about AFTER veterinary school?
After finishing the required veterinary degree, you can be a practicing veterinarian (once you have passed the national exam and the exam for the state in which you’re going to practice veterinary medicine).  Many students choose this path.

Other students choose to get more education and training to get more experience or specialize in a certain field.  Internships are one-year programs that offer clinical experience with supervision and additional training by an experienced veterinarian or specialist.  Residency programs are usually 2- or 3-year programs that provide in-depth exposure and experience in a specific field, and often include Master’s or PhD coursework as well.  Specialty areas include surgery, animal behavior, dentistry, cardiology, radiology, internal medicine, anesthesiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology, pharmacology, pathology and many others.

For those who want to work with animals, but I don’t want to go through all the training required to be become a veterinarian, what are other options?
You have many options that still allow you to be a valuable member of the veterinary health care team.  Other careers in the veterinary field include:

  • Veterinary technicians/technologists: The veterinary technician/technologist has been educated in the care and handling of animals, the basic principles of normal and abnormal life processes, and in routine laboratory and clinical procedures. All veterinary technicians/technologists work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. While a veterinary technician/technologist can assist in performing a wide variety of tasks, they cannot diagnose, prescribe, or perform surgery. The majority of entry-level technicians hold a 2-year associate degree from an approved junior college veterinary technology program in which they took classes and gained hands-on clinical experience with live animals.There are 4-year bachelor degree programs for veterinary technologists at some universities and colleges.
  • Veterinary assistants also provide animal care and support the veterinarian and veterinary technician/technologist.
  • Some colleges and universities offer 2-year laboratory animal science programs for students who are interested in pursuing a laboratory research field in either biomedical or veterinary sciences.

Where can I get further information?

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