Veterinarians
For those who love animals, I believe being a veterinarian is the best choice for an occupation. There are many reasons why being a veterinarian is great. The first and most popular one is the experiences shared with the animals. Another is the rush of cordiality when you save an animal from dying. Veterinarians also have the opportunity to see how the animal mind and body work with one another to create a living organism.
Veterinarians cure animals with illnesses or injuries, prescribe medication, perform surgery, and provide dental care and vaccinations for pets (Anonymous 2011 D, 3; Anonymous 2011 F, 3; Anonymous 2011 C, 1; Anonymous 2011 B, 4; Anonymous 2011 A, 1; Anonymous 2011 A, 4). Since the animals cannot talk, vets diagnose them with the help of their appearance, behavior, and scent (Anonymous 2011 A, 2). They can determine what medication to give to injured animals by performing blood tests, x-rays, and other tests (Anonymous 2011 A, 3). Vets do not just treat house pets. They care for and heal a variety of animals found at homes, zoos, farms, laboratories, and even sporting events (Mckay 2011, 1; Anonymous 2011 D, 1). Only about 77 percent of veterinarians work with domestic pets, 16 percent work with food animals, and about 6 percent work only with horses (Anonymous 2011 B, 5; Anonymous 2011 A, 6). Vets that treat small animals usually work in local clinics, but some work in large, technically advanced hospitals (Anonymous 2011 a, 9). They can also work on ranches or farms where they care for larger animals and make sure their living space is acceptable (Anonymous 2011 A, 8). Here, other than doing the regular treatments, vets working with mainly horses and cows will consult farm or ranch owners on animal production, feeding, and housing issues, and especially help with birth (Mckay 2011, 7). Vets who work with food animals check for and cure diseases before slaughtering the animals (Anonymous 2011 B, 6; Anonymous 2011 D, 5). Veterinarians also may work as food inspectors, inspecting animal products being imported or exported across the border (Anonymous 2011 D, 1 ; Anonymous 2011 F, 4; Anonymous 2011 B, 8). They check for things like Salmonella, marine toxins, E coli, Listeria, and other various food borne illnesses. Many veterinarians work in private practice, but some still work for colleges or universities, medical schools, and research where they develop new vaccines and medicines or animals (Anonymous 2011 B, 26; Anonymous 2011 F, 5; Anonymous 2011 A, 19). These people research ways to prevent human health problems and then test these new techniques on animals (Anonymous 2011 B, 7; Anonymous 2011 B, 3). Some vets may even have a job with the U.S. government as a meat and poultry inspector, disease-control worker, animal welfare and safety worker, epidemiologist, research assistant, or commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service or one of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (Anonymous 2011 B, 24). The Federal Government also employs veterinarians to work at local zoos as caretakers for zoo animals and private practitioners who contract with the zoos (Anonymous 2011 B, 27).
Before they can start practicing veterinary medicine, veterinarians must attend a four year college where they study biology, physics, chemistry, nutrition, animal science, math, and English (Anonymous 2011 A, 13; Anonymous 2011 B, 17). In order to be admitted into a veterinary college, though, students must complete 90 hours of course work as an undergraduate (Anonymous 2011 D, 7). Although only two years of undergraduate training at a basic college is required, most students earn their bachelor's degree in order to be accepted into a veterinary college; being accepted into a veterinary college is very competitive (Anonymous 2011 F, 7; Anonymous 2011 B, 16). Only 1 in 3 people are selected to attend a veterinary school (Anonymous 2011 D, 7; Anonymous 2011 B, 18). They also must attend one of the 28 four year veterinary colleges in the U.S. (Anonymous 2011 A, 14; Tellefsen 2011, 2; Anonymous 2011 F, 6; Anonymous 2011 B, 13). Here, students get their DVM and license; before they can receive their license, they must pass written and oral exams (Anonymous 2011 A, 14; Tellefsen 2011, 1; Anonymous 2011 D, 9; Mckay 2011, 3; Anonymous 2011 B, 14; Anonymous 2011 B, 15). The only reason why a veterinarian would not need a license is if they were working for federal agencies or a state government (Anonymous 2011 B, 20).
During veterinary school, students take additional science classes and learn how to perform surgery and handle the animals and equipment (Anonymous 2011 A, 15). The first two years consist of studying biology, anatomy, neurology, pathology and pharmacology while the last two consists of working at an accredited animal hospital (Anonymous 2011 D, 6). During this two-year internship, most recent graduates assist more established veterinarians (Anonymous 2011 F, 8; Anonymous 2011 A, 16). Students with formal experience with established veterinarians have a greater chance of graduating, but less formal still helps (Anonymous 2011 B, 22). Some students gain experience by working at a clinic or shelter instead (Anonymous 2011 A, 13). Only about 2,500 people become graduates per year (Anonymous 2011 B, 33). Students can choose whether or not to specialize in certain areas. They have a choice between ophthalmology, anesthesiology, surgery, oncology, dermatology, dentistry, and emergency care (Anonymous 2011 D, 10). There are also certifications for students who specialize in treating only certain animals such as birds, beef cattle, dogs and cats, dairy cattle, horses, exotic pets, only cats, food animals, reptiles and amphibians, and swine health management (Anonymous 2011 D, 11). Students who want board certification must attend a 3-4 year residency program that includes training in either internal medicine, oncology, pathology, dentistry, nutrition, radiology, surgery, dermatology, anesthesiology, neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology, preventive medicine, or exotic-small-animal medicine (Anonymous 2011 B, 19). The Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates offers these certifications for graduates trained outside of the U.S. if they meet English language and performance requirements (Anonymous 2011 B, 21). There are several things people can do prior to attending a veterinary college to prepare. They can learn more about animals and take science and English classes. The English classes are important because they teach how to speak formally when explaining situations to the pet owners (Anonymous 2011 A, 17). It is a good idea for students to take economics classes in college because vets should also have great communication and business skills (Anonymous 2011 B, 23).
There are only 28 veterinary schools in the U.S that are certified by the AVMA (Anonymous 2011 E, 1). There are two veterinary schools in Alabama, Auburn University and Tuskegee University (Anonymous 2011 E, 2).
Similarly, there are only two veterinary schools in California,
University of California and Western University of Health Sciences
(Anonymous 2011 E, 3). There is only one veterinary school in Colorado, Colorado State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 4). There is only one veterinary school in Florida, University of Florida (Anonymous 2011 E, 5). The University of Georgia is the only veterinary school in Georgia (Anonymous 2011 E, 6). The same runs for Illinois where the only veterinary school is the University of Illinois (Anonymous 2011 E, 7). Purdue University is the only veterinary school in Indiana (Anonymous 2011 E, 8). The only veterinary school in Iowa is Iowa State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 9). Kansas State University is the only veterinary school in Kansas (Anonymous 2011 E, 10). Louisiana State University is the only veterinary school in Louisiana (Anonymous 2011 E, 11).
In New Grafton, Massachusetts, Tufts University, the only standing
veterinary school in Massachusetts, is found (Anonymous 2011 E, 12). Michigan's only veterinary school is Michigan State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 13). Minnesota's only veterinary school is the University of Minnesota (Anonymous 2011 E, 14). The only veterinary school in Mississippi is Mississippi State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 15). The University of Missouri-Columbia is the only existing veterinary school in Missouri (Anonymous 2011 E, 16). Cornell University is the only veterinary school in New York (Anonymous 2011 E, 17). North Carolina's only veterinary college is North Carolina State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 18). The only veterinary school in Ohio is Ohio State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 19). Oklahoma State University is Oklahoma's only veterinary school (Anonymous 2011 E, 20). Oregon's only veterinary school is Oregon State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 21). There is only one veterinary school in Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania (Anonymous 2011 E, 22). Tennessee's only veterinary school is the University of Tennessee (Anonymous 2011 E, 23). There is only one veterinary school in Texas, Texas A&M University (Anonymous 2011 E, 24). Virginia Tech is the only veterinary college in Virginia (Anonymous 2011 E, 25). The only veterinary school in Washington is Washington State University (Anonymous 2011 E, 26). The last veterinary school in the U.S. is the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Anonymous 2011 E, 27). The cost per year for veterinary school tuition is $15,656 for
residential students and $28,861 for nonresidential students (Tellefsen
2011, 3). The average cost of a veterinary school tuition, plus other
expenses is over $147,656 for state residents and almost $211,324 for
out-of-state or international students (Tellefsen 2011, 4).
Luckily, there are organizations like the American Veterinary Medical
Foundation or the AAVMC who offer scholarships for academically
successful students (Tellefsen 2011, 5).
If a veterinarian is salaried they can earn benefits like paid holidays, vacations, health insurance and pension plans. Location, experience, and whether the vet is private or salaried determines what their pay will be (Anonymous 2011 F,
11). Vets working with small animals earned an average of $64,744. Those working with large animals earned about $62,424 and those working with a variety of animals earned about $58,522. Vets that work with horses earned $41,636 (Anonymous 2011 B,
38). An average starting salary is between $40,000 and $65,000, but ranges around $104,110 for more experienced vets (Tellefsen 2011,
6; Anonymous 2011 D,
8). In 2008, vets were earning an average amount $89,450 per year (Anonymous 2011 A,
18). Their median salary was around $80,510 in 2009 (Mckay 2011,
5). They currently earn a salary of about $66,590 (Anonymous 2011 F,
1). The highest percentage of veterinarians earned above $143,660, the middle percentage earned between $64,370 and $104,110, and the lowest percentage earned less than $46,610 (Anonymous 2011 B,
37).
The employment outlook for veterinarians is very good (Anonymous 2011 F, 2; Anonymous 2011 B, 1; Anonymous 2011 B, 28). From 2008- 2018, veterinary jobs are supposed in increase by about 33 percent (Anonymous 2011 B, 29; Mckay 2011, 4; Anonymous 2011 F, 9; Anonymous 2011 B, 28). Veterinary jobs are expected to have an increase higher than that of all other jobs combined (Anonymous 2011 A, 20). There is a greater opportunity for vets who work with smaller pets and seek more advanced training (Anonymous 2011 A, 21). Jobs for vets that care for large animals are increasing at a much slower rate (Anonymous 2011 A, 22; Anonymous 2011 B, 35). Those in the areas of toxicology, laboratory animal medicine, animal behavior, and pathology and farm animal specialists have a great job outlook too (Anonymous 2011 F, 9). Veterinarians trained in food safety and public health have a good career outlook with the Federal Government (Anonymous 2011 B, 36). The rising concern for public health and animal safety will help increase the demand for vets (Anonymous 2011 B, 32).
Several treatments and cures used to heal humans can also be used to cure animals (Anonymous G 2011, 1). One of these treatments is endoscopy, where veterinarians can look inside of an animal just by inserting a long tube into the pet's body. Tools can be put inside the tube to perform other surgical procedures (Anonymous G 2011, 2). Treatments such as echocardiography, an ultrasound that views the heart, are available for animals as well (Anonymous G 2011, 3). A few other treatments include hip replacements, kidney transplants, and blood transfusions (Anonymous 2011 B, 31). Another is MRI’s. MRI's are used to discover early developments of tumors (Anonymous G 2011, 5). Laser therapy is one of the newest techniques to heal animals. Pain, injuries, arthritis, and other illnesses can be healed through this safe and clean process (Troup 2011, 1). One current method in questioning is the preservation of animal corpses, so they can be used for dissections instead of live animals (Silva 2007, 1). The way these corpses are preserved is with the solutions Larssen (MLS) and Laskowski (LS) (Silva 2007, 2). Even though both solutions preserved the corpses well, the LS leaves a foul, sugary aroma (Silva 2007, 3). Another method is the thought of using insulin to increase the amount of embryos in animals such as cows, pigs, and sheep (Baki 2011, 1). Veterinarians are also studying how human and animal diseases are related and how human diseases are transmitted to animals (Anonymous 2011 F, 5). Secondly, the “Clean Teeth for Life” program provides dental care for pets. In addition, the this program is attempting to remind pet owners that it is vital to have your pet's teeth cleaned before calculus, gum disease, or even bad breath build up (Johnson 2011, 1). Proper dental hygiene helps fight against permanent damage to your pet's teeth and kidney, liver, or heart diseases (Johnson 2011, 2). A good thing about the "Clean Teeth for Life" program is that the veterinarians use a light and reversible sedative to knock out the animals, clean the their teeth and release them; this means there is no overnight wait to take your pet back home (Johnson 2011, 3). A second benefit pet owners can get from this program is the savings; "Clean Teeth for Life" is only $99 a year instead of $400 dollars a year (Johnson 2011, 4].
In conclusion, there are many positions veterinarians can work in. There's a lot of work to be done prior to becoming a vet, though. You must attend four years of ordinary college and four years of veterinary college. After all the work, it is worth it because the salary is very good and the experience shared with the animals is fantastic.
Personally, I find the job as a vet very interesting. I love animals, so i believe this is the perfect job for me. There is also a great pay to keep me financially steady. This job can also be stressful. Vets work long hours and I think that I would rather spend that time doing what I want. Overall, though, I think a job as a vet would be an excellent job choice for me.