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If I want to become an experienced veterinarian or doctor how many years would I be required to take in school?

I enjoy being around animals and working with them. At a previous school I attended Job shadowing for a veterinary office. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them take care and attend to these animals and it caused me to want to invest in this career when I grow older. I also want to consider looking into being a Doctor because of how many lives are saved each day. I find it fascinating how hard Doctors work to save lives and improve their patients overall health. If i were to become either one of these options when I grow older how many years should I take and what courses should I consider?

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Francesca’s Answer

To become a doctor requires at least 11 years: 4 years college, then 4 years of medical school, followed by minimum 3 years of residency before you can work as a doctor taking care of patients.

In college, as long as you take the minimum premedical requirements (such as biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and calculus), you can major in whatever you want! I majored in Asian American Studies. I think majoring in something outside of the usual science fields helps your application stand out.

In medical school, you’ll do several-week rotations in Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Surgery, Internal Medicine, etc. which will help you decide what you want to do as a doctor. At the start of your fourth/last year of medical school, you then apply to residency: essentially, you’re on-the-job, supervised training.

Residency varies in length depending on the specialty, ranging from minimum 3 years for specialties like Internal Medicine and Pediatrics to 7 years for things like Neurosurgery! If you then decide you would like to further subspecialize, for example, in Pediatric Cardiology which focuses on children’s heart problems, you will then apply to fellowship which is another minimum 3 years.

As it is a very long road to becoming a doctor, be as sure as possible that this is what you want to do! Get as much exposure as possible to the medical field before you commit yourself to pursuing medical school, whether by shadowing, interviewing, volunteering, and/or working as a medical scribe or medic. Application reviewers will be looking out for evidence that you know what this journey and the profession entails!

Francesca recommends the following next steps:

Interview as many doctors as possible about their jobs. If you don’t know any, you might be able to start with your personal doctor.
Shadow as much as possible, whether one doctor many times or multiple doctors once/few times.
Volunteer at a hospital in positions as close to patients as possible, for example, bringing food trays or books.
Consider a part-time job as a medical scribe or a medic.
Complete at least the minimum premedical prerequisites in college while majoring in whatever you are passionate about/you are good at! Getting good grades is a must, especially in the premedical prerequisites, but majoring outside of the sciences will also help your application stand out.
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Michael’s Answer

Hi, Alexandra, that sounds good. I see that you have already gotten an answer that more than adequately covers the requirements and options. Maybe I can offer a slightly different take on it (though I realize you asked about years of schooling). To become an experienced veterinarian takes a long time. I remember that when our graduating class members were bestowed the veterinary degree and passed our board exam, it was said that we were "minimally competent." Yes, we had clinical rotations and clinical competence test (it was called at the time), but these did not make us seasoned veterinarians. The first year out of vet school you learn a tremendous amount in a short period of time, if you are in private practice and/or if you do an internship or residence. Also, keep in mind that for farm animals, the veterinarian will have to gain years of experience before they earn the trust of the farmers. For example, in dairy medicine, mastitis (inflammation of the udder) and its prevention and treatment require a plan that is worked out best between farmer and veterinarian. The farmer will know his or her cows and the milking parlor and the processes associated with keeping the cows so well that best practice cannot be decided purely upon from a computer in a 1 hour call, though you may have read the latest scientific articles on the subject. The farmer will have questions and the more places you have seen yourself, the more animals you have treated successfully over the years yourself, will be a huge asset in building trust backed by experience-based medicine. Continuing education is a big part of renewing your license to practice (either human or veterinary) medicine, and some people go back to school to improve upon a particular skill or gain another diploma in another area of expertise. Also, specialization requires extra training and veterinary medicine has many specializations, though specialization is not quite as developed as it is in human medicine. Veterinarians contribute to improved health and lives of people through their work on animals, so know that if you were to choose veterinarian "over" human doctor, you would still make a difference through your hard work, dedication and talents.
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Kess’s Answer

Hi Alexandra!

To become a veterinarian, it takes at least 8 years:

1. 4 years in high school (I'm not sure where you are starting so we'll start at the beginning!)
2. 4 years in college to attain a bachelor's degree and complete vet school prerequisites
3. 4 years of veterinarian school + more if you want to specialize in specific animals (i.e. large farm animals, exotic pets, etcetera)

Kess recommends the following next steps:

Apply for FAFSA and complete as many credits as you can at your local community college (make sure they transfer!)
Apply for a university to complete your Bachelor's degree (make sure you've completed the prerequisites for vet school)
Keep going!! You can do this!
Apply for and complete vet school
Be the best animal doc ever! You can do it!!
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