Veterinary Medicine
By Paul Adams
Veterinarians have many career paths to choose from, from private practice to teaching and research. Regardless of the practice setting, veterinarians provide a valuable service to animals and to families who love their pets.
There are more than 84,000 professional veterinarians practicing in the U.S. today, and they work in a variety of settings.
Private practitioners make up about three-quarters of all veterinarians, and three-quarters of private-practice veterinarians engage in small animal practice—mainly dogs and cats. Approximately 11% treat large animals, primarily farm animals and horses.
In teaching and research, veterinarians at universities, private firms, and government agencies work to prevent and treat animal diseases, and they train tomorrow’s veterinarians at colleges of veterinary medicine. Research veterinarians have helped to conquer malaria and yellow fever, solve the mystery of botulism, produce anti-coagulants used to treat heart disease, and refine delicate surgical techniques.
In regulatory medicine, veterinarians protect the public from animal diseases that affect people. They investigate sources of unsafe meat, inspect and quarantine animals entering the country from abroad, supervise the interstate shipping of animals, help develop new vaccines, and much more.
Veterinarians working in public health investigate outbreaks of disease and evaluate the safety of food processing plants, water supplies, and restaurants. They may serve in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and do research.
In private industry, most veterinarians are employed in research and development. Industrial veterinarians have also found themselves engaged in marketing, market research, public relations, advertising, and sales. Other professional activities include zoo practice, aquatic animal medicine, space medicine, and wildlife management.
Regardless of the practice setting, veterinarians provide a valuable service to animals and to families who love their pets. They’re recognized in their communities as experts, and their advice is often sought by local officials and agencies. Beyond that, they’re at the forefront of important public health initiatives:
• they’ve investigated outbreaks of mad cow disease and safeguarded our food supply;
• they’ve done important research on West Nile Disease;
• they’ve pioneered efforts to address the growing incidence of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease;
• they’ve educated the public on strategies that protect pets and farm animals during disasters such as tornados and floods;
• they’ve contributed to biosecurity during the post-9/11 period.
To prepare for a career in veterinary medicine, you’ll need to start by taking math, science, and biology courses in high school, followed by undergraduate-level pre-veterinary medicine coursework. Admission to veterinary school is highly selective, often requiring strong communications and language skills and courses in social sciences and humanities in addition to completion of an approved pre-veterinary program.
As for salary, veterinarians make good money. In 2005, experienced veterinarians in private practice earned, on average, approximately $70,000-$120,000 a year. Vets employed in private industry can earn even more.
You can learn much more about career opportunities in veterinary medicine, education requirements, and accredited programs at the website of the American Veterinary Medical Association, www.avma.org. Click on “Jobs.”
