Societal Need
The job is not high in demand but, excellent job opportunities are expected because there are only 28 schools of veterinary medicine in the United States.
There are many areas of specialization for veterinarians. Some choose to focus on specific animals such as horses, or recognized areas such as pathology, internal medicine, dentistry, surgery, radiology, preventive medicine, or laboratory animal medicine.
Works Cited
- Sandmeyer, Sue. "Veterinarian." ExploreHealthCareers.org. American Dental Education Association, 17 May 2011. Web. 25 May 2011. <http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/26/Veterinarian>.
- McKay , Dawn R. "Veterinarian: Career Information." About.com. The New York Times Company , 8 Dec. 2010. Web. 25 May 2011. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/veterinarian.htm.
- Shapiro, Alexander . "Veterinarian Career Description/Veterinarian ." TouchGraph . Google, 2001. Web. 25 May 2011. http://www.touchgraph.com/seo/launch?q=Veterinarian.
- "How To become A Vet." College Crunch . N.p , 19 July 2009. Web. 26 May 2011. <http://www.collegecrunch.org/jobs/how-to-become-a-veterinarian/>.
-- Salary ranges from $80,510 to $101,040
-- Professional Associations
American Veterinary Medical Association
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Work Environment
The job of a vet isn't the easiest out there. They work very long hours and are always on the go! The typical work day of a vet includes:
- diagnose animal health problems
- vaccinate against diseases, such as distemper and rabies
- medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses
- treat wounds
- set fractures
- perform surgery
- advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.
Vets in group practices may take turns being on call for evening, night, or weekend work. Solo vets can work extended and weekend hours, responding to emergencies or filling in during unexpected appointments.
Post High School Education (College)
Vets must graduate from a 4-year program at a college of veterinary medicine with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree and obtain a license to practice. Many colleges don't require a bachelor's degree for entrance, but all of them do require a significant number of credit hours - ranging from 45-90 semester hours.
High School Recommended Courses
One year each of algebra, biology and chemistry are essential for your entry into a veterinary technician program. Additional math and science courses will look great on transcripts as well.
Veterinarians provide medical services for animals both big and small. They give advice to pet owners about the care and breeding of their pets. They are basically doctors for animals. They use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on animal health problems.
Vetanarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, zoo and labatory animals.