Should newly qualified vets earn as much as doctors?

A newly qualified vet's starting package is around £25,000; a doctor's (GP's?) is £35,000. Is this fair? Given that the period of study is the same, and trainee vets are largely required to practice longer shifts and do more work overnight, why should one receive more than the other? Both students graduate with relatively equal amounts of debt, how are vets meant to pay theirs back?

Answers:
Doctors incur more risk. We cannot say, "Sorry, your Mom's just in too much pain. We'll have to put her down. It's the humane thing to do"

Human lives are worth more than animals' (PETA people. DOWN! Good boy.)

Not what you wanted to hear, but true.
Yes.
I don't know about your country, but here in the USA, malpractice insurance for a doctor is so much more than for a veterinarian! --and a doctor is so much more likely to be hit with a malpractice, or even manslaughter, suit than a veterinarian. Take a risk, earn a reward.
Veterinarians are not paid as much as GP's for one simple reason. Because the public does not see them as professionals or as "real" doctors that deserved to be paid for their services. Noone would go into a GP's office and demand a lower price on their exam or schedule an exam for one child and then bring the sibling along and say "while you're at it, could you check little Timmy's ears" and expect not to get charged for two office visits. At vet office's this occurs all of the time.

Veterinarians, in terms of the amount of schooling, debt, and type of work they do, are underpaid in comparison to all other professions of similar standing, not just medical doctors. Not to mention, at least in the United States, it is a relatively known fact that it is harder to get into veterinary school, costs more to go to veterinary school, and that veterinarians spend more time working with less reward than medical doctors.

While veterinarians may not be sued as often, they take risks too. How often do you hear of medical doctors getting urinated and deficated on, scratched, or bit? Working with large, aggressive dogs serves just as much of an occupational risk!

The medicine information post by website user , ByeDr.com not guarantee correctness , is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.

More Questions & Answers...