| Employment opportunities for veterinarians | | | | determine the nature of their practice and |
| are expected to grow fast. Single adults have | | | | set their working hours. Because they are |
| come to appreciate animal companionship. Pet | | | | self-employed, most private clinical |
| owners may be willing to pay for more | | | | practitioners choose to work beyond normal |
| elective and intensive pet care than they | | | | retirement age. |
| have in the past. | | | | |
| | | | Veterinarians in private practice serve a |
| In addition, new scientific methods of | | | | variety of animals. This is especially true |
| breeding and raising livestock, poultry, and | | | | in companion animal practice because of the |
| fish as long as the continued support for | | | | increased popularity of pet birds, small |
| public health and disease control programs | | | | mammals (like hamsters and gerbils), and |
| will also contribute to the demand for | | | | fish. Today, a veterinarian may be treating |
| veterinarians. Demand for specialists in many | | | | llamas, catfish, or ostriches as well as |
| areas including toxicology, laboratory animal | | | | cats, dogs, horses, cows, hogs, sheep, and |
| medicine, and pathology is expected to | | | | goats. |
| increase. Most of these jobs for specialists | | | | |
| will be in metropolitan areas. | | | | The chief risk for veterinarians is injury by |
| | | | animals; however, modern tranquilizers and |
| Veterinarians have an inquiring mind and good | | | | technology have made it much easier for |
| powers of observation. They generally have | | | | veterinarians to work on all types of |
| aptitude and interest in the biological | | | | animals. |
| sciences. Veterinarians also need an | | | | |
| understanding of animals. Veterinarians | | | | Large animal practitioners tend to work more |
| should be able to meet, talk, and work well | | | | irregular hours than do those in small animal |
| with a variety of people. | | | | practice, industry, or government. |
| | | | |
| The primary reward for all veterinarians is | | | | Students interested in a career in veterinary |
| the personal satisfaction in knowing that | | | | medicine need to take a strong science, math, |
| they are improving the quality of life for | | | | and biology program in high school. To be |
| animals and people. Depending on the stage of | | | | considered for admission to a college of |
| a veterinarian's career, the type of | | | | veterinary medicine, a student must complete |
| practice, and the veterinarian's likes and | | | | undergraduate preveterinary medical |
| dislikes, the pluses and minuses of a | | | | coursework, which usually includes three to |
| veterinary career may vary. | | | | four years of college study, with specific |
| | | | course requirements. General requirements |
| Veterinarians who are employed by government | | | | include basic language and communication |
| agencies, laboratories, colleges, and | | | | skills, social sciences, humanities, |
| commercial firms often have responsibility | | | | mathematics, chemistry, and the biological |
| for large health programs and may manage | | | | and physical sciences. |
| large numbers of people. | | | | |
| | | | Preveterinary coursework can be completed at |
| Veterinarians who work for the U.S. | | | | many colleges and universities, including |
| Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and | | | | those at which the veterinary medical schools |
| Inspection Service (FSIS) and for state and | | | | are located.Admission to veterinary school is |
| municipal food inspection services protect | | | | highly competitive. |
| the public from diseased livestock and unsafe | | | | |
| meat and poultry. They ensure that food | | | | Applicants usually have grades of "B" or |
| products are safe and wholesome. To prevent | | | | better, especially in the sciences. |
| the introduction of foreign diseases, | | | | Applicants must take the Veterinary Aptitude |
| veterinarians employed by state and federal | | | | Test, Medical College Admission Test, or the |
| regulatory agencies quarantine and inspect | | | | Graduate Record Examination. Most colleges |
| animals brought into the United States from | | | | give preference to candidates with animal or |
| other countries. | | | | veterinary related experience. |
| | | | |
| Veterinarians in research seek better ways to | | | | In most veterinary colleges the professional |
| prevent and solve animal and human health | | | | program comprises two phases. In the first |
| problems. Many problems, such as cancer and | | | | phase, preclinical sciences, such as anatomy, |
| cardiovascular disease, are studied through | | | | physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and |
| the use of laboratory animals, which are | | | | microbiology are emphasized. Most of the |
| carefully bred, raised, and maintained under | | | | students' time is spent in classroom and |
| the supervision of veterinarians. Laboratory | | | | laboratory study. |
| animal veterinarians help select the best | | | | |
| animal models for particular research | | | | The second phase of professional study is |
| projects and ensure that the animals receive | | | | principally clinical. Students learn the |
| proper care. | | | | principles of medicine and surgery in the |
| | | | classroom and through hands-on clinical |
| In addition to developing ways to reduce or | | | | experience. Students learn to apply their |
| eliminate the threat of animal diseases, | | | | knowledge in a clinical setting under the |
| veterinarians involved in research have made | | | | supervision of graduate veterinarians on the |
| many direct contributions to human health. | | | | faculty. Students treat animals, perform |
| Veterinarians were the first to isolate | | | | surgery, and deal with owners who use the |
| filterable viruses, slow viruses, the first | | | | school's clinical services. |
| tumor-causing virus and other pathogenic | | | | |
| agents. They also helped conquer malaria and | | | | In conclusion, students learn about many |
| yellow fever, produced an anticoagulant used | | | | different animals and diseases, and become |
| to treat some people with heart disease, and | | | | skilled in surgical techniques and many |
| defined and developed surgical techniques for | | | | laboratory and diagnostic procedures. |
| humans, such as hip-joint replacement and | | | | |
| limb and organ transplants. | | | | After studies, veterinarians must acquire a |
| | | | license issued by the state they wont to work |
| Veterinarians working in pharmaceutical and | | | | in. In research and teaching, a master's or |
| biomedical research firms develop, test, and | | | | Ph.D. degree is usually required. |
| supervise the production of drugs, chemicals, | | | | Veterinarians who seek specialty board |
| and biological products, such as antibiotics | | | | certification in one of the 20 specialty |
| and vaccines for human and animal use. These | | | | fields, such as ophthalmology, pathology, |
| veterinarians usually have specialized | | | | surgery, radiology, or laboratory animal |
| training in pharmacology, virology, | | | | medicine, must complete 2- to 5-year |
| bacteriology, pathology, parasitology, | | | | residency programs and must pass an |
| toxicology, nutrition, endocrinology, or | | | | examination. |
| laboratory animal medicine. | | | | |
| | | | Approximately half the states require |
| However, most veterinarians work in private | | | | veterinarians to attend continuing education |
| clinical practice, which has its own set of | | | | courses to maintain their licenses. New |
| advantages and disadvantages. Veterinarians | | | | scientific knowledge and techniques are |
| in private clinical practice gain | | | | constantly being developed, and veterinarians |
| satisfaction from helping owners keep their | | | | must keep up to date by reading scientific |
| animals well and from treating sick and | | | | journals and attending professional meetings |
| injured animals. Private clinical | | | | and seminars. |
| practitioners who own their own practices | | | | |