vet school or med school?

zapfino
Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:57:18 +0000

Let’s separate out the issues:
“…I’m worried that I don’t love animals as much as I need to.”
Well, I think to make a career out of veterinary medicine, you need to have some significant level of dedication to animal health and welfare, or at least you need to find it an interesting and challenging way to use your knowledge and skills.

"…I cannot stop thinking about how it’s almost selfish of me to help animals when I can help people, particularly children."
Veterinary medicine plays a key role in protecting the health of humans, especially in the areas of infectious disease and in maintaining the health and safety of the human food supply. In addition, animal health has economic benefits for those who raise food animals and for a large segments of the economy. These public health and economic benefits are an area of national and international impact. Finally, several types of animals contribute to human welfare in other ways, e.g., police and military dogs, guide dogs, etc. So, it is a very worthwhile career. If you’re currently just working with companion animals, perhaps these considerations come into play and contribute to your conflicted feelings about this.

"…I would want to work with exotic animals in a zoo."
This is a worthwhile endeavor as it contributes to animal conservation as well as the enjoyment of the zoo patrons observing and, sometimes interacting, with animals. Since it seems to have less direct public health and economic benefits, perhaps that contributes to your conflicted feelings.

Of course, you may decide that you have greater concerns about human health and how you can impact it most directly, and that’s OK.

"…I honestly don’t know if I’ll want to be making that much money; I’ve grown up with very little, and having that much somewhat scares me."
Yes, you will have loans to pay back. Also, you will have expenses for professional insurance, equiping an office or clinic, continuing education, etc. You will find that your earnings are not as much as you think once you have these various expenses. Money is a tool; it gives you options. The best antidote to those feelings is to be a good steward of the money you earn—using it frugally, wisely, and responsibly, being charitable, etc. If you have kids, you’ll find they’re expensive, too. You will work hard and make sacrifices becoming professionally qualified and you’ll work hard in your career, so its not like you’d be undeserving of the money you earn. Whether as a vet or as an MD, you’ll have many opportunities to give back to individuals and community. Some of your feelings about money, you’ll have to work through yourself.