Is Vet School Easier Than Medical School?
Being a professional in the health field is extremely satisfying. You can feel the gratitude of your patients when you treat them.
But who would you rather treat? Animals or people? Everyone has their own ideas and preferences, but also consider the path to becoming a doctor or a veterinarian.
There are many factors to consider in order to answer the title’s question, such as acceptance rates of each school, the number of open seats, and the curriculum’s difficulty.
Regardless of your pick, you will work hard to become a certified professional. Even if a school is easier, it doesn’t mean it will be simple to graduate from it. It’s all about your effort and dedication.
In this article, I will break down the major components of the schools to help you make an informed choice. Keep reading to find out which school is easier.
Getting Into Vet School vs Med School
The first step is getting accepted into school. I can guarantee you that both are equally hard to join.
Difference in Open Spots
There are over 150 M.D. programs active in the US at the moment, while there are only 30 accredited colleges that offer a veterinarian program.
But these numbers don’t paint the entire picture.
There gap between the number of open spots in med school and how many people apply for the spots is wider compared to vet school. It’s a matter of demand and offer: the demand for med school seats is comparatively much bigger compared to the offer.
Differences in Prerequisites
Getting into vet school isn’t simple. Admission to veterinary programs is extremely competitive. You’ll need to complete courses on subjects such as biology, chemistry, and animal science before applying.
If you want to make your application as strong as possible, do volunteer or paid work on farm or ranches, in kennels, animal shelters, zoos, or aquariums. Ideally, get experience working in at least 3 of these environments. You’ll gain a much better understanding of what it takes to work in the middle of animals, and you’ll learn valuable knowledge.
Plus, most vet schools require you to include a letter of recommendation from a veterinarian, so working alongside one is necessary.
It doesn’t get any easier for med school, where you’ll be required to have taken many courses on subjects such as biology, chemistry, and anatomy.
Just like with vet schools, I strongly advise you to get a lot of practice hours in the medical field before applying. Most medical schools want you to prove that you completed at least 40 hours of medical-related work. However, since the field is extremely competitive, log in at least double that number before applying.
In an ideal world, you’d do most of your volunteering in the medical field, so help in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. The primary trait that distinguishes a brilliant doctor from an average one is empathy. As long as your volunteer work involves helping others, you’re doing great. Medical schools want you to prove that you care about other humans, so any volunteering is fine.
Acceptance Rates in Vet Schools vs Med Schools
Last, let’s consider acceptance rates: the average acceptance rate of vet schools in the US is 11.7%, while the rate drops to 7% for med schools. The primary reason for this difference is the difference between open spots and students who apply.
Getting Into Vet School Is Marginally Easier
Overall, getting into vet school is slightly easier than medical school, because of the lower competition (but it’s still cutthroat). Both require you to work hard in order to join them.
While getting into vet school might be easier, it depends on each specific school. Some faculties have laxer requirements than others, so you will have to compare them individually to get the full picture.
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Vet School vs Med School: The Curricula
The differences in curriculum between the two schools are big, mostly because of their differences in application on the field.
As a general rule of thumb, doctors study one thing in depth (the human body), whereas veterinarians focus on multiple species but more superficially.
The Curriculum in Medical School
Doctors focus on curing a single species: humans. Thus, they study how the human body and mind works in extreme detail.
In specializing, they pick a specific field related to humans. For example, they might decide to specialize in treating eyes and become ophthalmologists, or to become pediatrics and treat children.
Human medicine is a vast and complex field. Every doctor has an expert knowledge of the human body’s fundamentals, but the deeper you delve, the more specialization you need. You don’t want your average doctor to perform an anesthesia, and you need a practitioner to deal with a delicate matter such as a surgery.
Doctors also have to learn how to deal with people. Ever noticed that doctors have an aura of calmness and always feel trustworthy? They have to instill a sense of safety into their patients so that they can perform their job well.
Communicating well with patients is a hard skill to master: you will often relay sensitive information. Imagine you have to tell someone they have cancer.
Do you want to become a doctor? Join the best med school today.
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The Curriculum in Veterinarian School
Veterinarians have to pick what species of animals they want to deal with. At the bare minimum, they will know how to treat typical pets like dogs, birds, and cats, but they can also decide to specialize on treating farm animals like cows, sheep, and horses.
Veterinarians who work at the zoo have to treat feral beasts like tigers and lions, and enormous animals like elephants or rhinoceroses. These creatures require specific treatments and must be handled with care. If you treat them the wrong way, they might rebel and become dangerous.
Veterinarian school will teach you how to deal with animals and their owners. Empathy is a fundamental skill to have when you are treating animals. Imagine having to tell a pet owner that their beloved companion is going to die soon, or that it needs a potentially life-threatening surgery. Communicating well with pets and their owners is crucial in your profession.
If you work with the gigantic beasts in a zoo, your communication skills with these animals are crucial. These animals are dangerous and have to make them feel safe. Imagine working with a scared lion, or a wounded elephant. These situations might end up becoming dangerous for an untrained veterinarian.
Interested in enrolling in vet school? Apply today!
Both Curricula Require Hard Work
There’s no easier curriculum. Both schools require hard work and dedication, there is no shortcut here. Consider your strengths and aspirations, and ask yourself the right questions.
Where would you prefer to work? Not everyone enjoys hospitals or nursing homes. Maybe you love animals, or you would like to work in close contact with various species. Conversely, you might prefer to work with people, and think some pet owners are lunatics.
Whatever your wishes, getting through either school is hard. Don’t get fooled by people who tell you X or Y is easier; their opinions are biased.
Is Vet School Actually Easier?
Graduating from vet school is not easier than med school. These faculties require a similar amount of work.
Both require a firm foundation in biological sciences, a solid GPA, and a certain number of hours of experience in volunteer or paid work.
Vet and med school will need letters of recommendations from accredited practitioners of the discipline and from high-level professors. First-hand experience is important, and it’ll help you decide if you like the profession.
The choice is up to you: both vet and med school will prepare you to treat animals and humans respectively, but there is no easier faculty. Both are challenging and will test your resolve.
The choice depends on your interests and passions.
No matter what you do, as long you have a strong why behind your choice, you will persevere through school and overcome any obstacle it throws your way.
Do you want to enroll into vet school? The earlier you apply, the better. Apply today.
This was a great article for showcasing the similarities and the differences between veterinary school and medical school. There’s one mistake in regards to the curriculum for veterinary school. We’re trained in all basic domesticated species: small animals (dogs and cats), large animals (horses, cows, and other farm animals) and generic exotics like pocket pets and birds. We specialize in specific fields of medicine just like our fellow human doctors. There are veterinary opthalmologist, cardiologist, oncologist, internist, and more.