The Student Room Group

Doctor vs Veterinary surgeon

I'd be really grateful if someone could give me any info on this.

I've just done my GCSEs, and know pretty much what I want to do in the future. Probably about 80% split between doing medicine and becoming a doctor, or doing vet science and becoming a vet. The other 20% could lead me somewhere else, but we'll see.

Basically I'd like to know the pros and cons of both these jobs. How much work experience do you need? I don't currently have any, because my school is really bad at organising work experience and didn't give me messages in time. How long are the courses at uni? What about the salary? What grades do you need to be able to do the courses? etc etc..

Thanks in advance.
Reply 1
If you're looking at medicine or Vet. Science it's rare for most Universities to offer less than AAA, although you could get really lucky. They obviously vary very differently in themselves, but as an overview;

Pros:
Well paid
Good prospects for progression
Career Satisfaction
Well respected
Ability to go private/set up own practice
Always advancing knowledge

Cons;
Can be long hours
Can be obscure hours (eg Doctor on emergency duty)
Time to see family/friends is not consistent
Long training (degrees tend to last 5 years)
Competition is very tough

However, these said they are both very rewarding careers. Vets eventually may end up setting up their own practice and rewards can be very big. There are also opportunities to travel - both around the country and abroad. Of course, places on courses are very competitive so make sure you stand out from the rest. Volunteer at a hospital or vets practise to show you are committed and all the rest should follow.

Good luck
I'll only add one thing to this:
for those careers, you must get work experience NOW. You'll need to get as much as you possibly can in a year. Apply to all of the local veterinary surgeries/hospitals and see what you can get. Volunteer to do absolutely anything they want.
Also, if you live in a rural area, contact your local farms. Get involved in lambing etc.
My friend volunteered for a year, had 4 As at A level and she still failed to get a place at veterinary school. It's very harsh.
If you have any family/friend contacts in these areas use them as much as you possibly can.

EDIT: Why I can't spell veterinary is beyond me :rolleyes: silly brain.
Reply 3
Something I always considered with Veterinary careers was that if you made a big mistake, an animal dies. If you make a big mistake in Medicine a person dies. Thus slightly more pressure in being a doctor.

However, OF COURSE you've got to be extremely careful in both lol, so a mistake in either is usually unacceptable & can cause hurt.
Reply 4
Remember you can also be taken to court as a Vet for negligence and potentially lose your license to practise if found guilty.
Reply 5
I'd say Vet Science, but only because I used to want to do that.

Would you prefer to work with people or animals..?
Reply 6
Vets aren't particularly well paid are they? Vets always seem to say they don't earn much and I know a vet clinic that pays the staff minimum wage! I think you're better off being a Dr based on the money side of things but it's not all about money I guess.
Cortez
Vets aren't particularly well paid are they? Vets always seem to say they don't earn much and I know a vet clinic that pays the staff minimum wage! I think you're better off being a Dr based on the money side of things but it's not all about money I guess.


Vets are I think!? I'm pretty sure they are very well paid. Perhaps not so much as doctors/surgeons, but still well paid.
Reply 8
Well I thought they were too but apparently they're not (coming from a vet). Obviously if you're self employed (do they call it locom or something?) or have your own practice then you could earn lots but I dunno about working for a practice. Guess it depends where you work though.
Reply 9
Depends. When you start out as an assistant it's probably not great. But as with any job it's takes time to work your way up and within a few years you could be managing the practice. Even better still, lots of Vets tend to break away and set up their own practice. That's where there IS lots of money - considering the average vet cost for a serious dog condition is around £500...

But like you said, it's not just about the money. You have to be really eager to do it too.
Reply 10
I was under the impression that Vet's were very well paid indeed. As previously mentioned, probably not as well as doctors but still pretty good. The starting salary may not be exceedingly fantabulous but after a few years I think it's pretty good.

Also, (for once putting sociology into practice lol, I knew there would come a time in my life) the number of Vets in Britain is deliberately limited, in that only a small number of universities offer the course, because maintaining a low number of vet. surgeons keeps prices high. I think opting out of the Veterinary route purely on the basis of it not being a good wage-earner if probably a bad move lol!

As for vets saying they aren't well paid. That may be from their point of view if you get me. They may not consider themselves to be paid well compared to the effort they are putting in, but overall they're still pretty good comparatively.

Prospects careers advice states:
Salary with five years' experience could be up to £48,300 (salary data collected April 06).
A typical package for someone with 20 years' experience and over could be up to £54,000 (salary data collected April 06).

The starting wage is usually 30-39k.
tony_ron

Prospects careers advice states:
Salary with five years' experience could be up to £48,300 (salary data collected April 06).
A typical package for someone with 20 years' experience and over could be up to £54,000 (salary data collected April 06).

The starting wage is usually 30-39k.


...which is actually more than the average Junior Doctor
Reply 12
Blimey that's good then. Not too hot on doctors but was once considering being a vet. Started out with three science A levels, dropped on in the first week(chem), one after AS(biol), and only carried on psychology on to A level (if you call it a science A level - i know most vet schools wouldn't lol).
Reply 13
Vets are not very well paid. Go on the RCVS website (governing body 4 vets) so the most reliable stats. they will tell u that the average starting package for a vet is really not that great, especially when u consider the 40k + debt they are in before they even start.
people are under the impression vets earn a bomb because you are charged 60 quid call out, but when you think how much medicine actually costs its quite fair (you have to pay staff, electricity, equipement etc- ultrasound scanners are about 40 grand, endoscopes around the same). The average wage for a vet with 10 years experience is some where in the low 40 thousands, which is about the startin wage for a junior doctor according to bbc news the other day and an average GP earns 112k. not too shabby eh?!
dont forget, GPs earn a lot but above them are the surgeons who earn a lot more, whereas a vet fills all these roles! vets are dentists, GPs, surgeons, even therapists who deal with animal behaviour! if your child was being naughty and pissing on the carpet you wouldnt take him to a GP would u?!
plus vets do so much over time, and they dont drive fancy cars like the docs do. they also have the highest suicide rate out of ne profession... a lot of vets are changing careers for some thing less stressful and more worth the time and effort. there were only 6 vet schools till nottingham opened and that was after the foot and mouth when they needed more vets about. Surgeons only keep the prices as high as they need to be, for a 30 pound consult a vet will get roughly 2 quid. not even exaggerating. if there was no NHS and you were living in USA youd realise how much medicine actually costs and you would be paying for a check up at the doctors or when you were smaller and you needed braces (which cost about 2 grand).
but after all this slagging off ive done its still what i want to do, because at the end of the day you need to ask yourself which you can see yourself doing for the next 40 years. people or animals? altho vets still need people skills to deal with the horse owners!
hope you make your mind up!
xxx
oh btw its not up to your school to organise work exp for u! dont think that would sound great at your interview when they ask why you dont have as much!
i did 2 weeks dairy, 2 weeks vets, a life time with horses and a day at an abbatoir, and i dint have much in comparrison to some of my mates! good luck xx
Reply 14
there you go...
this is from an article from the house of commons..

10 The 2002 salaries survey undertaken by the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons indicates that the average total remuneration package (which may include travel and accommodation allowance) for vets who have been qualified for five years is around £33,000, rising to around £36,000 for those who are up to 15 years qualified. The average starting salary is around £17,000, plus travel and accommodation allowances.
The two jobs are completely different. Being a vet isnt just being a doctor for animals, you have to consider the farming industry and economics, public health issues and the animal welfare debate. Yes, it may be true that if someone's puppy dies its not as serious as if its a child, but if a vet fails to spot a zoonotic disease outbreak on a farm and it spreads it could effect thousands of people and cost the economy millions. The safety of every bit of meat you eat is at one point the responsibility of a vet. Plus, a lot of new medical and surgical treatments used by doctors are tested on animals first, these animals will also be under the care of a vet. But, we have to do a lot more anatomy than the medics!
Reply 16
Hi Guys,
A lot of good points have been made so far in the vet vs doc debate. I can settle a few points as I am a practicing vet and my best friend is a doctor.
Pay: doctors are massively better paid than vets (ie. avg vet practice owner 70K, avg specialist doctor 120K). Most employed vets max out around 40-45k.
Work: if you don't want to work with people then DEFINATELY DON'T be a vet. Animals don't bring themselves into a vet surgery. you are dealing with people and the concerns thaey have of their dearly beloved pets constantly. There is a massive amount of pressure asscoiated with this (like being a paediatrician).
If you are a doctor there are many streams you can follow that will minimise contact with patients suchas becoming a radiologist or pathologist. You have many more options and a more formalised strucutre for advancing your career.
If you want to be a vet then be aware 95% are either small animal or large animal or mixed practitioners.
My advise after 10 years in veterinary practice is if you are thinking 50/50 vet vs doc then become a doctor!!
demondae
Hi Guys,
A lot of good points have been made so far in the vet vs doc debate. I can settle a few points as I am a practicing vet and my best friend is a doctor.
Pay: doctors are massively better paid than vets (ie. avg vet practice owner 70K, avg specialist doctor 120K). Most employed vets max out around 40-45k.
Work: if you don't want to work with people then DEFINATELY DON'T be a vet. Animals don't bring themselves into a vet surgery. you are dealing with people and the concerns thaey have of their dearly beloved pets constantly. There is a massive amount of pressure asscoiated with this (like being a paediatrician).
If you are a doctor there are many streams you can follow that will minimise contact with patients suchas becoming a radiologist or pathologist. You have many more options and a more formalised strucutre for advancing your career.
If you want to be a vet then be aware 95% are either small animal or large animal or mixed practitioners.
My advise after 10 years in veterinary practice is if you are thinking 50/50 vet vs doc then become a doctor!!

just wondering do vets get to call themselves Dr X? :p:
Reply 18
My advise after 10 years in veterinary practice is if you are thinking 50/50 vet vs doc then become a doctor!!


Agree with this completely my brother is studying Medicine and im doing Veterinary.If your thinking of doing med and vet go for med!Better paid more,better support structures when your qualified and a hell of a lot easier to have a life in collage!

Vets arent called doctors in the uk and Ireland as we dont do a doctorate degree.we do a bachelors degree.In american they do a doctorate degree for vet so they call themselves doctors.
HI,
I should first state that I am a specialist. No, the average specialist in the UK do NOT earn 120k. I have been a specialist for nearly10 years, i.e. a consultant but have not reached that salary. The vet fees that my neighbour pays each time for an xray under a GA is about 400 pounds. I agree that the vet starting out probably does not earn that much but once they have their own practice, it does seem like the sky is the limit.
I personally think that if you are in it for the money, then you will not make a very good doctor, or at least not a very ethical one. I know from personal experience having worked in a very developed country in Asia for 3 years that that is the case. A lot of them are substandard by comparison to UK and they care more about money and politics then their patients, whether the two factors are related is anybody's guess.