Veterinarian Job Description

Animals have played a big part in my life, I have always had some sort of animal ever since I was born. Growing up I've had dogs, hamsters and fish and I have loved all of them deeply. This love for animals has showed me that I want to work with animals for the rest of my life. Becoming a Vet Tech is a great job because I get to see animals all day every day and I get to care and love for them.Vet Techs provide care for all animal's, anywhere from dogs, cats, exotic pets, lab animals and zoo animals. They help animals recover from injury, illness and help maintain animal's overall health. Vet Techs are commonly called ''nurses'' for animals, having the same jobs nurses have but just for animals.

Veterinarians must hold a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine, pass a national licensing examination and meet any other state-specific requirements for licensing or certification. They must complete and participate in a four year Doctor of Medicine (DMV) program. Some of the courses that are in the DMV program are; Animal behavior, Veterinary pharmacology, Animal Nutrition, Clinical Pathology, Large and Small animal medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, Anesthetic and Surgery principles. Veterinarians in training will usually complete rotations of Cardiology, Dentistry, Oncology, and or Equine care. Some of the courses that will prepare them for veterinary school is; Microbiology, Animal Management, Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Nutrition, and Equine Care if I plan to go into the field of equines. To get my veterinary license I must complete a 360 question test, which usually takes about 7.5 hours (Erickson 1). Some states will require other things along with this test. Education is probably one of the toughest parts of being a veterinarian. The schooling and certification takes a great deal of time, which means I must be ready and realize that I will have a lot of schooling to pay off. I must also have dedication to be able to complete all of these necessary things (Veterinarian Education Requirements and Career Info 1). Along with all of those necessary

A lot of the work performed by vets are treatment of the animals. So if they are sick, they will give them a checkup, test blood and maybe even do and x-ray. They also give advice to owners about breeding and care taking of the animal. Some vets may specialize in the care and treatment of either large or small animals. Small-animal vets will deal mostly with household pets, such as dogs, cats, birds, rodents, and reptiles. Usually they will work in cities and the owners have to bring their animals to them in their clinics.

From a very young, becoming a veterinarian has been a dream of mine. The love of animals coupled with the thought of helping those animals through suffering and having the opportunity to actually save one's life has been a motivator for the future. A veterinarian changes an animal’s life in more ways than one. They care for the health of animals. Veterinarians are also able to diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of not just pets but also livestock and wildlife ("Summary" U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). It goes beyond the annual vaccinations.

There are many kinds of veterinarians. There are vets that specialize in common house pets like, cats and dogs, vets that take care of exotic creatures like, lizards and snakes, and vets that treat large animals like, horses and cows. For my future career I chose a large animal veterinarian. A large animal veterinarian can treat animals from the zoo to the farm. They mainly work with horses and cattle but they know how to treat other animals. A large animal vet needs to know several types of math and how to use each type in their daily work.

A Veterinary Technician works as a skilled technical assistant to a veterinarian, or to another biomedical researcher or scientist. Veterinary technicians do not prescribe, diagnose, or perform surgery, and they always work under the supervision of a veterinarian. Thus being said, a veterinary technician career is a natural step for an aspiring veterinarian wanting to test the waters. Most veterinary technicians find employment in private veterinary practices doing traditional clinic work, but veterinary technician career opportunities are also available in other fields, such as teaching, biomedical research, and zoo wildlife medicine.

Most veterinarians work in private clinics and hospitals. Some work in laboratories, classrooms, or work for the government (“Veterinarian”. U.S.). Some vets travel to farms or ranches and work in all kinds of weather. Veterinarians work long hours, sometimes 50 or more a week. When they just start, practice usually takes longer hours. Some vets even work on weekends. If they work with larger animals, they work longer hours than if you work with smaller animals (“Veterinarian” Encyclopedia 680).

Veterinarians also have to collect body samples in order to examine the pets. In order to collect body samples veterinarians have to be able to examine, detect and determine the nature of the animals, treat sick animals by providing medication, Continue education courses, Educate the public about diseases, and Operate on the animal.

There are many duties of being a veterinarian. Vets treat sick and injured animals. They also euthanize very old or sick animals. This way, animals can die in a relatively pain-free way. Preventive medical care is provied. They vaccinate and provide check-ups to make sure animals stay healthy. Vets give owners advice about animal care and breeding. Like doctors, vets may focus on a one area of medicine. Before becoming a veterinarian, a specific education is needed (“Veterinarian”).

Many veterinarians are specialized in the treatment of a specific group of animals. The main types of veterinarians are small animals veterinarians, large animals veterinarians, marine veterinarians, wildlife veterinarians, and equine veterinarians. But all veterinarians have the same goal; to treat as many veterinarians as they are able to. A veterinarian is not a routine job. Each day is different and the unexpected can happen unexpectedly each and every day (“Veterinarians”).

A Bachelor's degree is recommended but is optional. The path towards a veterinarian starts with High School. Then, to a collage for a Bachelor's degree. Then, to a veterinarian school to get a doctor’s degree. It will take four years if you want the Bachelor's degree. Four more years for the Doctor’s. The total cost for schooling is $147,656 for residents and $211,324 for non residents.

While most vets study/work on most livestock species, they would mainly focus on horses, cows, and pigs. But some would just work with small animals, large animals, or even both of them. They would have different people who work on just 1 livestock animal while everyone else had their own animal to study.

Veterinarians in private clinical practice work to prevent disease and other health problems in their patients. They examine animals, vaccinate them, prevent the transmission of animal disease to humans, and advise owners on how to keep their animals healthy and happy.

There are education and experience requirements to start a career as a veterinarian. Most veterinarians complete around four years of undergraduate education and receive a bachelor’s degree before applying to a DVM program. Undergraduate courses taken should heavily emphasize focus on biological and physical sciences. Other studies that can be beneficial to a veterinarian’s career are communication, humanities, mathematics, and social science. A veterinarian must graduate from a veterinary school with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or a Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree. Even though getting a bachelor’s degree is not a requirement, it can highly increase the chances of acceptance. It is often the best choice to earn your bachelor’s degree because of extremely competitive admission rates with DVM programs. Nonetheless, all DVM programs still require

Handling, examining and treating all kinds of animals-domestic animals like cats and dogs, farm animals and wildlife