
03-07-2013, 10:27 AM
|
|
|
Location: Manhattan, Ks
1,280 posts, read 6,828,722 times
Reputation: 1813
|
|
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/bu...nted=all&_r=1&
Today, the ratio of debt to income for the average new vet is roughly double that of M.D.’s, according to Malcolm Getz, an economist at Vanderbilt University. To practitioners in the field, such numbers are ominous, and they portend lean times for new graduates.
|

03-10-2013, 01:22 AM
|
|
|
2,873 posts, read 5,591,864 times
Reputation: 4327
|
|
Yet people get so upset when vets don't give any their services for free...
|

03-10-2013, 07:04 AM
|
|
|
7,329 posts, read 15,758,864 times
Reputation: 9681
|
|
It really is a shame. Veterinarians provide as important a service as physicians, handicapped by having patients who can't speak to them. I don't believe most vets are money grubbers, as some people contend. They deserve better than this.
|

03-11-2013, 05:56 PM
|
|
|
Location: Northern California
970 posts, read 2,130,255 times
Reputation: 1400
|
|
My friend graduated in 2011 and had a job before she was even done with school, in the city of her choice, with less than half the amount of debt mentioned in that article. She also had another job offer that paid more but would require relocating to an area she wasn't interested in. At least half of her class also had jobs already, and many of the others were planning on internships/externships to learn more specialized things instead of jumping into work.
For vets willing to work with livestock, there are also jobs out there. My friend was limited because she only wanted to treat dogs and cats, but many people are still willing to spend money to treat livestock even in the bad economy. It is true that business is slow depending on the time of year and people are not spending as much money on their pets but there are still jobs around.
I do agree that being a vet is hard due to the amount of debt you acquire vs. the amount of money you make; however the article chose to highlight someone with a very large debt and no job.
|

03-12-2013, 04:57 AM
|
|
|
Location: Manhattan, Ks
1,280 posts, read 6,828,722 times
Reputation: 1813
|
|
Dr. Schafer is reported as having a better-than-average salary in the article. Her debt is higher than it would have been if she'd been able to go to school in-state, but it's still an accurate representation of many new vets. I'm very happy for your friend and I know quite a few students who will be graduating with jobs already in hand. However, as someone who works in a vet school and deals with vet students every day, from my perspective the article highlights a very real and growing problem.
|

03-12-2013, 11:37 AM
|
|
|
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
385 posts, read 593,497 times
Reputation: 410
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by passwithoutatrace
My friend was limited because she only wanted to treat dogs and cats...
|
Perhaps this is part of the problem. I can't find a decent herp vet within a two hour drive of me.
|

03-12-2013, 06:16 PM
|
|
|
12,823 posts, read 23,174,359 times
Reputation: 11002
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by subject2change
It really is a shame. Veterinarians provide as important a service as physicians, handicapped by having patients who can't speak to them. I don't believe most vets are money grubbers, as some people contend. They deserve better than this.
|
The individuals may not be but sometimes the clinic owners are.
|

03-15-2013, 03:18 PM
|
|
|
Location: Northern California
970 posts, read 2,130,255 times
Reputation: 1400
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by kansas sky
Dr. Schafer is reported as having a better-than-average salary in the article. Her debt is higher than it would have been if she'd been able to go to school in-state, but it's still an accurate representation of many new vets. I'm very happy for your friend and I know quite a few students who will be graduating with jobs already in hand. However, as someone who works in a vet school and deals with vet students every day, from my perspective the article highlights a very real and growing problem.
|
She went to a for-profit vet school. That is why her tuition was so high. Out of state tuition is high, but not to the tune of $300k. If she had applied to other public vet schools, even out of state, tuition would be cheaper.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/ed...-cost-you.html
According to that article (from 2012), average vet school debt is around $125k. I looked up out of state tuition for UC Davis, and it is an additional 12k/year.
I know the economy is bad and plenty of people in all fields are having trouble finding work, but the original article chose a terrible person to highlight.
|

03-16-2013, 05:44 PM
|
|
|
Location: Floyd Co, VA
3,513 posts, read 6,091,830 times
Reputation: 7621
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by passwithoutatrace
She went to a for-profit vet school. That is why her tuition was so high. Out of state tuition is high, but not to the tune of $300k. If she had applied to other public vet schools, even out of state, tuition would be cheaper.
.
|
Most likely she did apply to several schools in the states but did not get accepted. Check out these stats for VT's vet school applicants and admitted: 1,038 qualified apps, 127 students admitted.
http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/acad/dvm/docs/stats.pdf
I believe that those ratios are similar for almost all the schools in the US.
|

03-16-2013, 06:00 PM
|
|
|
Location: Space Coast
1,988 posts, read 5,186,496 times
Reputation: 2765
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by zugor
Most likely she did apply to several schools in the states but did not get accepted. Check out these stats for VT's vet school applicants and admitted: 1,038 qualified apps, 127 students admitted.
http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/acad/dvm/docs/stats.pdf
I believe that those ratios are similar for almost all the schools in the US.
|
Yes, plus there are only around 28 vet schools in the country. So vet schools don't want to accept students from states that have their own vet school unless the student is just so so brilliant and extraordinary.
|
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
|
|