The Student Room Group

Doctor or Vet?

I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.

Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.
Do some proper research and make a pros and cons list for each subject. You could do some virtual work experience on each, do an online course to learn more about physiology of animals or humans and see which interests you more, watch some videos comparing the two subjects etc
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.
Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.

Vets are not that well paid - no one goes into vet med for the money.
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.

Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.

I would recommend against applying for either medicine or veterinary medicine on the basis of salary.

Also, you can only send in one application with the same personal statement to all universities. For competitive medicine and vet med courses, having a personal statement for one course whilst applying to the other would put you at a disadvantage.
I think you'll find that, on average, vet salaries are actually slightly lower than that of doctors. As melancollege said above, it's also really not worth applying for a career like veterinary medicine (or human medicine) on the basis of salary as emotional intelligence, a drive to improve patient welfare and teamwork are the foundations of the entire career. You won't get that from just being motivated by money, and universities will discover that in your interviews. I'm a little confused as to why you'd go into healthcare for the money as there are many less stressful and intensive careers that pay a lot more.
It's also just not true that vets require 'less training'. In vet school you'll be dealing with dozens of species, each with different body systems and health issues rather than just one! While it may take less time to specialise, that doesn't mean it'll be easier.
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.
Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.

I highly recommend gaining a few weeks of work experience at both an animal hospital and a human hospital. (Part of the entry requirements). Additionally, take the opportunity to speak with doctors and veterinary surgeons.

It’s important to understand that people don’t choose these professions for the money. They require a commitment to lifelong learning, emotional resilience (facing injuries, death, or events like pandemics), and long, often unsociable working hours, including night shifts and weekends. While the pay is respectable, careers in fields like investment banking, law, or tech startups typically offer significantly higher earnings—often two to three times more, even before considering bonuses—and without the immense responsibility of caring for human or animal lives.

FYI here are some useful sites about salaries
NHS pay scales - if you work for NHS your salary is banded, you can never go above band 9 (which is currently £121k p.a. in 2024 - this is decades of experience)
Vet surgeon job profile - you can scroll to the "Salary" section to compare , but basically highest is about £110k (partner at a clinic, specialist and years of experience).

It also doesn't matter which university you will go to study Medicine or Vet Med as the courses have to abide by certain standards. Oxbridge are the oldest, doesn't mean they are the only good courses.
Bristol for example is the only university which has an Anatomy School in the UK.
Cambridge might loose its accrediation for Vet Med (read the New and the report), if they don't implement significant changes to the course.
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 6
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.
Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.

Just note there are currently some issues with the Cambridge vet school and it may lose its accreditation.
Tbh you definitely need work experience in both fields and some real research into what the job and the courses really involve.If you want money be a banker or lawyer.
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.
Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.

I think you need to work out what you really want to do - ignoring the salary and the oxbridge focus. Work experience is a really important part of that. At this point choosing to be a neurosurgeon is a very specific target given the breadth of medicine and the very long journey to this specialism. What drove you to this choice? What interests you.
Vet med is more competitive I believe as there are fewer spaces available, so if you don't show true enthusiasm to be a vet and to work with animals specifically it probably won't look good. Vets are not paid extremely well either - prices are high because we have the NHS for humans and animals do not, so it is all privatised, making costs extreme. Vets don't do what they do to be rich
Original post by Jcozzz
I am currently year 12 studying bio, chem, maths and Spanish for a level. My original plan was to apply for Oxford and pursue a career in medicine as a neurosurgeon. However I am now unsure after a recent trip to the vets with my pet where I saw the high prices and therefore presumably high salary that vets earn. Also I believe that it requires less training to become a veterinary surgeon compared to a “human” surgeon. Does anyone have any advice.
Another issue is that Oxford don’t provide a degree in veterinary sciences and Cambridge is the best for veterinary sciences but you aren’t allowed to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge so applying for medicine at Oxford would eliminate the possibility of applying for veterinary science at Cambridge.


As others have said, if your main motivation is money, then being a doctor may not be the career for you. Medicine ought to be a vocation.

Monetised medicine in the US is disastrous. In the UK, medicine is still a public service. Consultants and partners in GP surgeries are reasonably well paid, junior hospital doctors less so, and the route to and through the junior doctor ranks is long and hard.

As noted above, the future of the Veterinary school at Cambridge is currently in doubt.
(edited 1 month ago)
The chances of anyone becoming a surgeon of any kind in human medicine are rather slim, much less neurosurgery- in 2023 there were only 20 training posts available nationally at ST1 level for neurosurgery training. You'd also be geographically limited because not all hospitals even perform neurosurgery.

Veterinary medicine is, in my view, far harder than regular medicine. I know this because I have extremely first hand acute experience of the job. In the veterinary world, you have to depend on yourself a lot. It's not for everyone that is for sure. There is no consultant on the phone, no more senior registrar in the building at 2am on a Saturday when you've a grievously sick animal on the table in front of you. There may be a veterinary nurse- but it will be you who will be sorting the anaesthesia and the rest of the procedure- legally only a veterinary surgeon can perform surgical procedures on animals (unlike in human surgery which for some reason is far more vague). There are vets that will do the initial consult, do their examinations, perform their own investigations (including radiography), interpret the images they generate and then go on and do the surgical procedure they need to do. That's 180 degrees away from human medicine but perhaps that is part of the appeal of the job.

If you were to enter the world of large animal work, you could be called literally to the middle of nowhere to see a sick beast at midnight and you have to drive there in the middle of winter on a January night in the snow. No nurse there then, just an owner looking at his watch and wondering how much all this will cost. They might not even be that keen on the sight of blood or be physically capable of doing anything- it takes a certain degree of strength (and cognitive nous) to handle or roll a large animal; I wouldn't bet on my father in his 70s being able to do it.

I know about all this because I have attended these calls and seen what vets have to do. If you are the kind of person who has that level of self-confidence built in, you're happy to learn fast and feel comfortable or even excited with the above, go for it. Human medicine, by contrast, has a huge social side to it and it very much is a team game with a lot of safeties built into the Swiss cheese model. There is often large amounts of specialist expertise on hand and that kind of confidence in your own team fosters a better learning environment. New grad vets will be on the weekend or overnight rota very early on, just as F1 doctors are but I've had a glimpse into both camps.

Neither is an easy option and certainly do not ever do it for the money- that will be many years into the future. I understand that statistics indicate that newly qualified vets remain in clinical practice on average only 7 years. It very much is a vocational role or certainly used to be. If you want the lifestyle vs job balance then in all honesty North America or Australia will give you more bang for your buck and I know people who have left for both regions. They did not come back.

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