Nature of the Work
"Veterinarians care for the health of pets, livestock, and
animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their
skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct
clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic
research, broadening our knowledge of animals and medical science, and in
applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.
Most veterinarians diagnose animal health problems; vaccinate
against diseases, such as distemper and rabies; medicate animals suffering from
infections or illnesses; treat and dress wounds; set fractures; perform surgery;
and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.
According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, more
than 70 percent of veterinarians who work in private medical practices
predominately, or exclusively, treat small animals. Small-animal practitioners
usually care for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, but also treat birds,
reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and other animals that can be kept as pets. About
one-fourth of all veterinarians work in mixed animal practices, where they see
pigs, goats, cattle, sheep, and some wild animals in addition to companion
animals.
Work
environment.
Veterinarians in private or clinical practice often work long
hours in a noisy indoor environment. Sometimes they have to deal with emotional
or demanding pet owners. When working with animals that are frightened or in
pain, veterinarians risk being bitten, kicked, or scratched.
Veterinarians in large-animal practice spend time driving
between their office and farms or ranches. They work outdoors in all kinds of
weather and may have to treat animals or perform surgery, under unsanitary
conditions.
Veterinarians working in nonclinical areas, such as public
health and research, have working conditions similar to those of other
professionals in those lines of work. These veterinarians enjoy clean, well-lit
offices or laboratories and spend much of their time dealing with people rather
than animals.
Veterinarians often work long hours. Those in group practices
may take turns being on call for evening, night, or weekend work; solo
practitioners may work extended and weekend hours, responding to emergencies or
squeezing in unexpected appointments.
Training, Other
Qualifications, and Advancement
Veterinarians must obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
degree and a State license. There is keen competition for admission to
veterinary school.
Education and training. Prospective veterinarians must
graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a
4-year program at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. There are 28
colleges in 26 States that meet accreditation standards set by the Council on
Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
The prerequisites for admission to veterinary programs vary.
Many programs do not require a bachelor’s degree for entrance, but all require a
significant number of credit hours—ranging from 45 to 90 semester hours—at the
undergraduate level. However, most of the students admitted have completed an
undergraduate program and earned a bachelor’s degree. Applicants without a
degree face a difficult task gaining admittance.
Preveterinary courses should emphasize the sciences.
Veterinary medical colleges typically require applicants to have taken classes
in organic and inorganic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, general biology,
animal biology, animal nutrition, genetics, vertebrate embryology, cellular
biology, microbiology, zoology, and systemic physiology. Some programs require
calculus; some require only statistics, college algebra and trigonometry, or
pre-calculus. Most veterinary medical colleges also require some courses in
English or literature, other humanities, and the social sciences. Increasingly,
courses in general business management and career development have become a
standard part of the curriculum to teach new graduates how to effectively run a
practice.
Licensure
All States and the District of Columbia require that
veterinarians be licensed before they can practice. The only exemptions are for
veterinarians working for some Federal agencies and some State governments.
Licensing is controlled by the States and is not strictly uniform, although all
States require the successful completion of the D.V.M. degree—or equivalent
education—and a passing grade on a national board examination, the North
American Veterinary Licensing Exam. This 8-hour examination consists of 360
multiple-choice questions covering all aspects of veterinary medicine as well as
visual materials designed to test diagnostic skills.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates
grants certification to individuals trained outside the United States who
demonstrate that they meet specified requirements for English language and
clinical proficiency. This certification fulfills the educational requirement
for licensure in all States.
Other qualifications
When deciding whom to admit, some veterinary medical colleges
place heavy consideration on a candidate’s veterinary and animal experience.
Formal experience, such as work with veterinarians or scientists in clinics,
agribusiness, research, or some area of health science, is particularly
advantageous. Less formal experience, such as working with animals on a farm or
ranch or at a stable or animal shelter, also can be helpful. Students must
demonstrate ambition and an eagerness to work with animals.
Prospective veterinarians must have good manual dexterity.
They should have an affinity for animals and the ability to get along with their
owners, especially pet owners, who usually have strong bonds with their pets.
Veterinarians who intend to go into private practice should possess excellent
communication and business skills, because they will need to manage their
practice and employees successfully and to promote, market, and sell their
services
Advancement
Most veterinarians begin as employees in established group
practices. Despite the substantial financial investment in equipment, office
space, and staff, many veterinarians with experience eventually set up their own
practice or purchase an established one.
Newly trained veterinarians can become U.S. Government meat
and poultry inspectors, disease-control workers, animal welfare and safety
workers, epidemiologists, research assistants, or commissioned officers in the
U.S. Public Health Service or various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. A State
license may be required.
Nearly all States have continuing education requirements for
licensed veterinarians. Requirements differ by State and may involve attending a
class or otherwise demonstrating knowledge of recent medical and veterinary
advances.
Employment
Veterinarians held about 62,000 jobs in 2006. According to the
American Veterinary Medical Association, about 3 out of 4 veterinarians were
employed in a solo or group practice. Most others were salaried employees of
another veterinary practice. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show
that the Federal Government employed about 1,400 civilian veterinarians, chiefly
in the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and,
increasingly, Homeland Security. Other employers of veterinarians are State and
local governments, colleges of veterinary medicine, medical schools, research
laboratories, animal food companies, and pharmaceutical companies. A few
veterinarians work for zoos, but most veterinarians caring for zoo animals are
private practitioners who contract with the zoos to provide services, usually on
a part-time basis.
Job
Outlook
Employment is expected to increase much faster than average.
Excellent job opportunities are expected
Employment change
Employment of veterinarians is expected to increase 35 percent
over the 2006-16 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Veterinarians usually practice in animal hospitals or clinics and care primarily
for companion animals. Recent trends indicate particularly strong interest in
cats as pets. Faster growth of the cat population is expected to increase the
demand for feline medicine and veterinary services, while demand for veterinary
care for dogs should continue to grow at a more modest pace.
Many pet owners are relatively affluent and consider their
pets a member of the family. These owners are becoming more aware of the
availability of advanced care and are more willing to pay for intensive
veterinary care than owners in the past. Furthermore, the number of pet owners
purchasing pet insurance is rising, increasing the likelihood that considerable
money will be spent on veterinary care.
Job
prospects
Excellent job opportunities are expected because there are
only 28 accredited schools of veterinary medicine in the United States,
resulting in a limited number of graduates—about 2,700—each year. However,
applicants face keen competition for admission to veterinary school.
New graduates continue to be attracted to companion-animal
medicine because they prefer to deal with pets and to live and work near heavily
populated areas, where most pet owners live. Employment opportunities are good
in cities and suburbs, but even better in rural areas because fewer
veterinarians compete to work there.
Beginning veterinarians may take positions requiring evening
or weekend work to accommodate the extended hours of operation that many
practices are offering. Some veterinarians take salaried positions in retail
stores offering veterinary services. Self-employed veterinarians usually have to
work hard and long to build a sufficient client base.
Earnings
Median annual earnings of veterinarians were $71,990 in May
2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $56,450 and $94,880. The lowest 10
percent earned less than $43,530, and the highest 10 percent earned more than
$133,150.
The average annual salary for veterinarians in the Federal
Government was $84,335 in 2007.
According to a survey by the American Veterinary Medical
Association, average starting salaries of veterinary medical college graduates
in 2006 varied by type of practice as follows:
Large animals, exclusively $61,029
Small animals, predominantly 57,117
Small animals, exclusively 56,241
Private clinical practice 55,031
Large animals, predominantly 53,397
Mixed animals 52,254
Equine (horses) 40,130
Related
Occupations
Veterinarians prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases,
disorders, and injuries in animals. Those who do similar work for humans include
chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, physicians and surgeons, and podiatrists.
Veterinarians have extensive training in physical and life sciences, and some do
scientific and medical research, as do biological scientists and medical
scientists.
Animal care and service workers and veterinary technologists
and technicians also work extensively with animals. Like veterinarians, they
must have patience and feel comfortable with animals. However, the level of
training required for these occupations is substantially less than that needed
by veterinarians.
Source
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Veterinarians, on the Internet
at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos076.htm (visited March 31,2008)"
