A veterinarian (from Latin veterinae, "draught animals") is an animal doctor, a practitioner
of veterinary medicine. Although veterinarians hold doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine, not all veterinarians enter clinical
practice. Those that work in clinical settings practice medicine in specific fields, such as companion animal or "pet"
medicine, reptile medicine, ratite medicine, livestock medicine, equine medicine (e.g. sports, race track, show, rodeo), or
laboratory animal medicine. Other veterinarians research areas of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and pharmacology. Research
veterinarians were the first to isolate oncoviruses, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and various other pathogenic agents.
They also helped conquer malaria and yellow fever; solved the mystery of botulism; produced an anticoagulant used to treat
human heart disease; and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip-joint replacement, and limb and organ transplants.
Like all physicians, veterinarians must make serious ethical decisions about their patients' care. There is ongoing
debate over the ethics of performing certain controversial procedures, like declawing cats and docking tails, cropping ears,
and debarking dogs. In some countries, these procedures are illegal, and therefore their practice is contentious. The Veterinarian's
Oath was adopted by the American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates July 1969, and amended by the AVMA
Executive Board, November 1999. It goes as follows:
"Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine,
I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health,
the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement
of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles
of veterinary medical ethics."
Some veterinarians work in a field called regulatory medicine, ensuring the
nation's food safety by working with the USDA FSIS, or work by protecting us from imported exotic animal diseases by working for the USDA APHIS.
The emerging field of conservation medicine involves veterinarians even more directly with human health care, providing a multidisciplinary approach to medical research that also involves environmental scientists.
More
than 3,800 veterinarians in the USA currently work at veterinary schools where they teach student vets what they need to know
to graduate, teaching is another career path for a veterinarian.
Veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution,
or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of future veterinary practitioners (veterinarians). The
entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of veterinary programs offered at veterinary schools vary considerably
around the world. In the U.S., a doctorate of veterinary medicine degree (D.V.M.) (Or in the Veterinary Medical School at
the University of Pennsylvania, a degree of veterinary medical doctor (V.M.D.) is awarded) is a four-year program. The program
generally consists of 2.5 to 3 years of mostly traditional classroom coursework followed by the clinical rotations.
Currently, unlike human medical school, a subsequent internship and/or residency are not required, but are optional to those
who choose to seek further education and possible accreditation. Unsurprisingly, the number of veterinarians pursuing internships
and/or residencies will continue to increase as the understanding of veterinary medicine continues to grow greater. A good
veterinarian enjoys working with animals and their owners.
Admission into veterinary medical school is so competitive
that in the United States it is far easier to gain acceptance into either a medical school or a top Law School than to meet
the GPA requirements for most veterinary schools. This situation occurs mostly because there are far fewer schools, allowing
the schools to be much more selective. According to the US Department of Labor, only 1 in 3 applicants were accepted into
a veterinary program in 2002.
Prerequisites for admission include the undergraduate studies listed under veterinary
medicine and extensive veterinary experience (typically about 500 or more hours) in private practice or other veterinary environment.
The average veterinary medical student has an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a GRE score of approximately 1800. US graduates
are awarded either a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or the less common Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree, depending
upon the traditions of the veterinary school.
Public health medicine is another option for veterinarians. Veterinarians
in government and private laboratories provide diagnostic and testing services. Some veterinarians serve as state epidemiologists,
directors of environmental health, and directors of state or city public health departments. Veterinarians are also employed by the US Agriculture Research
Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Library of Medicine, and National Institutes
of Health. The military also employs veterinarians in a number of capacities, caring for pets on military bases, caring for
military working animals, and controlling various arthropod-borne diseases or other such things.
Veterinary medicine
is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production
animals. Veterinary Science is concerned with the scientific basis of animal production, health and disease. It requires the
acquisition and application of scientific knowledge in several disciplines and uses technical skills towards the solution
of animal production, health, management and welfare problems.
Veterinary medicine is informally as old as the
human/animal bond but in recent years has expanded exponentially because of the availability of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic
techniques for most species. Animals nowadays often receive advanced medical, dental, and surgical care including insulin injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract extractions, and pacemakers.
Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality,
quantity, and security of food supplies by working to maintain the health of livestock and inspecting the meat itself. Veterinary
scientists are very important in chemical, biological, and pharmacological research.
In many countries, equine
veterinary medicine is also a specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves mainly locomotor and orthopaedic problems,
digestive tract conditions (including equine colic, which is a major cause of death among domesticated horses), and respiratory
tract infections and disorders.
As in the human medical field, veterinary medicine (in practice) requires a diverse
group of individuals to meet the need of patients. In addition to veterinarians, many veterinary hospitals utilize a team
of veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants to completely care for healing, critical and well animals. Veterinary nurses
are generally registered as "veterinary technicians" in most states and are legally qualified to assist veterinarians
in many medical procedures. Veterinary assistants, who are not licensed by most states, but can be well-trained at facilities
such as The School for Veterinary Assistants, are also becoming increasingly in-demand in the veterinary industry due to a
wide range of treatments and services being offered to meet the higher expectations of pet owners in the United States
This two-year Associate's Degree program is ideally suited to anyone who is interested in helping animals
and wants a steady, reliable job without the long years and heavy investment needed to become a veterinarian. If you love
working with animals and are looking for a fast track to a career working with them, consider becoming a veterinary technologist.
The duties of a veterinary technologist are very similar to those of a nurse or physician's assistant for
a medical doctor. If you work as a veterinary technologist in a veterinarian's office or animal clinic, you will spend
part of your time doing crucial paperwork and part of your time working directly with pets of all shapes and sizes. A typical
day might include filling out charts and documents, scheduling appointments and updating patient records. Or, you may help
in collecting specimens, blood draws and skin scrapings for lab tests. You may even assist in preparing animals, lab equipment and instruments for surgery and other procedures. Other tasks include
grooming animals and assisting with routine procedures such as vaccinations, taking x-rays and performing lab tests.
Because there are so many different responsibilities, a veterinary technologist
needs to be able to juggle many different tasks and delegate responsibilities effectively. Decision making skills are very
important, as is attention to detail. Medical charts must be accurate and readable to avoid the possibility of errors in treatment.
A love of animals is, of course, essential to anyone pursuing a degree in veterinary technology. You will spend most of your
time around animals and should have a soothing personality for pets in distress, as well as their owners.
There
are many career options available for anyone with a veterinary technology Associate's Degree. While the majority of graduates
will work in a veterinarian's office or animal clinic, there are also many opportunities in other areas. If you are interested
in medical research or the sciences, there are many research facilities that rely on veterinary technologists to take care
of animals in their biomedical research facilities. In this capacity, you would oversee all work with animals to make sure
humane care is provided and track all research protocols for the supervising scientists.
You can combine a love
for the outdoors or wildlife with your career by working at a zoo or wildlife park. Many veterinary technologists work behind
the scenes at zoos doing everything from preparing special diets for animals to taking care of newborn animals. Larger cities
with professionally staffed Humane Societies or SPCA's often recruit vet techs with Associate's Degrees to assist
in caring for the many abused or abandoned animals that come to them. This is a particularly rewarding but taxing job that
involves a great deal of healthcare work.
Many people don't realize that pet food and pet supply companies also need veterinary technologists for their Research and Development divisions. These companies are always looking
for ways to improve the quality and appeal of products like dog treats, cat food and pet toys. They need staff members who can work with their products and their "testing panel" of animals to
determine what is most attractive and also healthiest for their target customers.
A career as a veterinary technologist
requires a two year Associate's Degree, which you should seek from a technical school that is approved by the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The program will consist of basic courses in math and business as well as more intensive
courses in areas such as zoology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, animal nursing, surgical principles, comparative anatomy,
public health and more. You will also be required to serve an externship during which you'll put what you've learned
into practice under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
If veterinary technology sounds like an exciting
career for you, check into various health and business schools in your area. Many of these will offer a vet tech program.
Also contact animal hospitals, clinics and veterinarians who can suggest good vet tech programs in your area.
