Doctors of veterinary medicine diagnose, treat, and control diseases and injuries of animals. They treat animals in hospitals and clinics and on farms and ranches. They perform surgery and prescribe and administer drugs and vaccines.
While most familiar to the general public are those veterinarians who treat small animals and pets exclusively, others specialize in the health and breeding of cattle, horses, and other farm animals. Veterinarians are also employed by federal and state public health programs where they function as meat and poultry inspectors. Others teach at veterinary colleges; do research on animal foods, diseases, and drugs; or take part in medical research for the treatment of human diseases. Veterinarians are also employed by zoos, large animal farms, horse-racing stables, and drug manufacturers.
In the army, the air force, and the U.S. Public Health Service, veterinarians are commissioned officers. Other federally employed veterinarians work for the Department of Agriculture.
Places of Employment and Working Conditions
Veterinarians are located throughout the country—in rural areas, small towns, cities, and suburban areas.
Working hours are often long and irregular, and those who work primarily with farm animals must work outdoors in all kinds of weather. In the course of their work, all veterinarians are exposed to injury, disease, and infection.
Qualifications, Education, and Training
A veterinarian needs the ability to get along with animals and should have an interest in science. Physical stamina and a certain amount of strength are also necessary.
High school students interested in this field should emphasize science courses, especially biology. Summer jobs that involve the care of animals can provide valuable experience.
The veterinary degree program (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) requires a minimum of six years of college—at least two years of pre-veterinary study with emphasis on physical and biological sciences followed by a four-year professional degree program. Most successful applicants complete four years of college before entering the professional program.
There are only few accredited colleges of veterinary medicine, many of them state supported. Admission to all of these schools is highly competitive with many more qualified applicants than the schools can accept. Successful applicants need pre-veterinary college grades of "B" or better, especially in science courses; part-time work or summer job experience working with animals is a plus. State-supported colleges usually give preference to residents of the state and to applicants from nearby states or regional areas.
The course of study in veterinary colleges is rigorous. It consists of classroom work and practical experience in diagnosing and treating animal diseases, surgery, laboratory work in anatomy and biochemistry, and other scientific and medical studies. Veterinarians who intend to teach or do re-search usually go on to earn a master's degree in pathology, physiology, or bacteriology.
All states and the District of Columbia require veterinarians to be licensed. Licensing requires a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from an accredited college and passing a written state board of proficiency examination. Some states will issue licenses without examination to veterinarians licensed by another state.
Potential and Advancement
Employment opportunities for veterinarians are great primarily because of growth in the population of companion animals—horses, dogs, and other pets—and an increase in veterinary research. The growing emphasis on scientific methods of breeding and raising livestock and poultry, as well as an increase in public health and disease control programs will also contribute to the demand for veterinarians. Overall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the field will grow by 9 percent between 2014 and 2024, providing better than average job prospects.
Income
The incomes of veterinarians in private practice vary greatly depending on type of practice, years of experience, and size and location of community. They usually have higher incomes, however, than veterinarians in salaried positions. The median annual salary for all veterinarians in 2015 was $88,490, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
