I think if you want to be able to compete for federal research dollars, it’s best to get formalized training in the conduct of research, paper writing, public speaking, and the lead on to grant writing. This means graduate school. I’ve seen people do it with the MD or the DVM, but I myself am a strong proponent that you only do yourself a favor when you get the formal training you will need to compete in the academic world, if that is part of your career goal. Now with that said – there is no reason why they have to be done together (in an md/phd or dvm/phd type setting).

I’ll just tell you one short story. A classmate of mine from my original veterinary school class (would have graduated in 95) finished vet school on schedule and went out into large animal practice for years. I almost totally forgot about this person (not because they were unmemorable- that’s not the case at all, simply- life went on). One day a couple of years ago I called up one of my colleagues who is now faculty at the mecca for my field (we were lab mates in graduate school), and my former vet school classmate was rotating in my former labmate’s lab. Now, my classmate is a graduate student in a very very well known lab in my field- we see each other at meetings etc.
So- although the degrees were not done in a close time frame… I don’t think it will matter much for this person…

And, I don’t remember coursework specifically to address pattern recognition- but all of the memorization of first and second year is about building background so that you can eventually integrate the information of a particular case and recognize a pattern if there is one. Also- my experiences of being a veterinary student- and teaching medical students- are like night and day- and not because I’m sitting in the chair in one and standing at the board in the other- Vet students are just different than Med Students- and the curricula are hard to directly compare.

In medicine in the third year- you learn to integrate all the basic facts, pathology, histology, systems, pretty much everything into interpretation and resolution of clinical cases- that is where the fun begins.

Hey! What about physiomotherfuckinology!?!?!?!?

Seriously, DrDrA, this is a great post. It is interesting that you didn’t mention what seems to me to be a huge feature of medical training, pattern recognition.

Dr. J.- I think anyone reading this would do well to take your point that at the end of professional school you walk out with a saleable skill. I know that I have a fall back position, I do my CE and maintain my license to practice- and this is a good thing.

Dr. J & Mrs. H. – Burnout is a huge problem- as I said- you take all these really smart people and fill their days in private practice with some mind numbingly boring stuff…

For me, I chose grad school over medical school and have never looked back but I can understand how others would prefer a more defined career path.

To be honest, I don’t want to be expressing anal glands from day in or day out. (For once I have an idea of something I’m not interested in! woohoo!) Small animal practice has never been a calling for me (although I have friends who are die-hard for the area).

But my experience with a research vet over the summer was probably on the extreme end of the spectrum. (The critter we were working with is unusual, and difficult to get close to. The closest I got to one was on a necropsy table) The experience honestly turned me off about that kind of research (there were other factors at play).

I’ve shadowed a dairy vet a few times and I can see where some vets burn out. I remember one day he did five of the same kind of surgery at five different barns.

But the experience has been rewarding in different ways too. Putting in an IV in a cow’s jugular at 730am on a Saturday was pretty different, to say the least (most of my friends were sleeping off hangovers). I had to sit on the cow (to restrain it) for 20 minutes while the IV was administered (I was surrounded by the farm hands, farmer and vet who were all male and older then me by a good 20 years). I still think that morning was one of the best mornings ever (even though some of my friends think I’ve totally lost my marbles) and wouldn’t trade that morning in for anything else.

Granted I’ll admit I’m in the honeymoon stage with vet med (I’ve only gotten a small glimpse of what’s out there) and with research (I’ve seen some bad but mostly the good). I think my game plan is to apply to both types of programs and see what happens. Like you stated before, vet school is tough to get into and I don’t think I’m good enough to be accepted anywhere…yet.

Again, thank you for this post and have a good new year!