Stop telling kids they can’t be a vet!

It’s often said that veterinary medicine is one of the hardest courses to get into. Those of us who have long-since graduated are understandably proud of that view and enjoy seeing some of the brightest and most capable students follow in our footsteps. Many of us have enjoyed regaling others with this line, but we need to take a hard look at whether that’s really the case and whether we are perpetuating problems for our profession.

As vets, we are one of the key gatekeepers of the profession. Enthusiastic school kids approach us with their dreams of being a vet and it could be all too easy to dismiss them or squash their youthful passion if we feel they might not be up to the challenge academically.

The new British Veterinary Association (BVA), Association of Veterinary Students (AVS), and Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) guide ‘Applying to study veterinary medicine’ aims to bust the myths of applying to vet school and it’s vital that we, as vets, don’t keep perpetuating these myths.

The myths about getting into vet school

I still hear vets saying there are over 20 applicants for each place - that is far from true. The Veterinary Schools Council Admissions guide 2021 shows there are around 2,400 people applying for 1,200 places to study. That is likely to shift further as new vet schools launch and we look to a more home-grown workforce to tackle our current workforce shortage. 

Another popular myth is that all applicants need to be aiming for A*s across the board, but offers commonly include Bs and all vet schools now look at contextual information too when making their decisions. This allows them to make offers that consider not only a student’s current grades but also their wider educational background. Many of the vet schools also have alternative entry programmes that accept applications from those without the standard A-levels/Highers and grades. It is particularly important that practising vets are aware of these programmes and can highlight the opportunities to those who would otherwise not contemplate veterinary medicine, particularly if we feel they would make great future veterinary surgeons.

Certainly, we do need some of the best critical thinkers in our profession, but we also need workforce diversity and a wide range of people with different perspectives and life skills. Academic ability and pushy parents are not necessarily an indication of whether you will thrive as a vet, and the opposite may even be true. 

What can vets do?

As gatekeepers of the profession, it is vital that we engage with school-age kids who express an interest in veterinary medicine. We should take them under our wing, show them what the profession is really like. I realise that safeguarding and Covid have placed significant barriers in the way of work experience, but it plays a vital role in the future of our profession.

More than anything, we need selection of candidates who will go on to make great vets rather than great vet students. Veterinary medicine is often as much about humans as animals, and so social intelligence and people skills are at least as important as academic ability.It is particularly important that we encourage students from a wide range of social backgrounds, and supporting those students who don’t have “science capital” in their family is particularly important. Widening participation is not a trendy nice-to-have; it’s recognising that our future profession needs a diverse range of vets to thrive and we, as practising vets, play an influential role in encouraging the vets of the future to apply and reach their potential.

Take a look at our new resource 'Applying to vet school' for more information about how you can confidently encourage the vets of the future to take the first step towards achieving their dreams.