VETERINARY MEDICINE

By: Julie

A Day in the Life…It depends on the specific area of veterinary medicine the vet is in, but this focuses on a typical domestic animal veterinarian.

6am-12pm Arrive at work and check up on the

“overnighters”…make sure they’re doing alright and call the owners to give them a progress report.

Examine the animals as they come in, and admit the ones in need of surgery or hospitalization first.

Owners of animals in need of surgery are informed of the procedure, and after admission, the vet technician or the vet will draw blood for pre-anesthetic blood work.

Next is regular appointments or surgery… Appointments include: new puppy or kitten visits,

vaccinations, sick animals, checking lumps and bumps, suture removals, and similar processes. Once in a while there’s an appointment for euthanasia.

Common surgeries include: spays, neuters, tumor removals, dental cleanings, and tooth extractions.

A Day in the Life, cont.Lunchtime, maybe...

Bigger vet clinics with more than one veterinarian working at a time will allow their vets to take a lunch break, so they can stay open. Small clinics with only one or two vets will often take a one to two hour break from appointments and surgeries unless there is an emergency.

Lunchtime is for eating lunch (obviously), finish surgery, return phone calls, check on animals recovering from anesthesia, check on other hospital patients, and see any emergency appointments.

2pm-closing time More appointments, including: Sick and injured

animals are examined and evaluated for stability. If an animal appears critical or requires overnight

monitoring, they’re referred to the emergency clinic. Afternoon treatments are done for hospital cases, phone calls are returned, and final notes made in records before the day ends.

(Schedule found on VetMedicine)

Working ConditionsAgain, it depends on what area of veterinary medicine the vet decides to specialize in, but the basics are as follows: All vets have some sort of clinic they work

from, whether a big clinic with a couple other vets working alongside them, or a private business.

Rural veterinarians often have to travel around to check on their clients…it’s not practical for a large-operation farmer to take his herds to the clinic, so he just reimburses the vet for fuel and time

Urban vets don’t have to travel as much, unless it’s an emergency visit for a client.

Interview with a Vet “How would you describe what you do?”

“In veterinary medicine you’ve got to do two things: you treat the animal, and then you’ve got to use psychology on the owner. Everyday I put up with people like that. And I make the joke that one end of the leash is easy to deal with. The other end of the leash is very difficult to deal with.”

“How are you compensated?” “Disease prevention, vaccinations, routine healthcare is

probably where most of the income is generated. Surgery can be a source of income. The sale of healthcare products: flea products, heartworm preventions, even prescription dog foods is another source of income.”

“What is most rewarding about being a veterinarian?” “When you save an animal’s life or some little old lady comes in

here and gives you a hug because you have saved her animal’s life. That’s what it’s all about. Some people don’t think it is. Some people think it’s money. The most rewarding thing to me is what I do for the animal.”

Interview with a Vet cont. “How much time off do you get?”

“Personally, all I take off is one week a year. And I’m not the normal. Most veterinarians today that go into a group practice, they will get probably a month off a year. I would say that’s going to be pretty well normal. But not for somebody that’s a single-man practice. You don’t get to take off a week here, a week there, you know. People get tired of you not being around and go someplace else, because it’s very easy for them to just go across the street or down the road.”

“What advice would you offer someone considering this career?” “Be damn sure this is what you want to do. It’s a long ways through

veterinary school. The first year is probably the most grueling part of the whole thing. The gross anatomy where you’ve got all these species of animals to learn about. You have to have dedication, and have patience, and you need to have a work ethic.”

“I’d say that most veterinary students come away from school with about $150,000 in debt, and that takes a lot out of your income to start with. It’s a difficult road the first five years out of school. You just don’t come out of veterinary school and say, Here I am. I’m a veterinarian, you know, and you’re going to get this big salary, and life is going to be great. It’s not. The person needs to have patience, and want, and have a desire.”

(Interview found on Jobshadow.com)

Education Requirements

Becoming a vet requires a professional or doctoral degree in Veterinary Medicine, which requires:

A high school diploma, B.A. in biology or pre-veterinary study, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an

accredited veterinary college, And a state license.

Total: 4 years high school, 4 years undergrad, 4 years graduate

Certifications

Certification is optional, it just shows a licensed veterinarian's experience in a particular field or topic.

If you were to get a certificate, you would have to pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination and fulfill other state-determined requirements.

Required Training

Having an internship at a vet clinic while working towards your DVM diploma is required as well as extremely helpful, but there is no other required training, unless required by the vet school you attend.

Job Outlook

There were over 70,000 veterinarians in the US as of 2012, with the number estimated to increase by 12% (average growth) by 2022.

Salary

Depends on what area of veterinary medicine you specialize in (productive/large animal, domestic, wildlife, avian, exotic), your overall experience, location, company, industry, and benefits provided. Most veterinarians make, on average, $86,640 annually according to the 2013 BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Although in larger practices, veterinarians can make close to $200,000 annually.

Related Occupations Veterinary Technician

A vet tech works with veterinarians like a nurse works with a doctor: doing blood tests, sterilizing surgical equipment, records patient history and the like.

Veterinary Assistant Clean and maintain equipment; feed, exercise, and

groom patients and similar tasks. Veterinary Inspector

Works for government health agencies. Inspectsslaughterhouses and other food plants to

ensure that the animals do not carry diseases and follow sanitary regulations.

Advancement

Depends on whether you are self-employed or are part of a larger practice. If you are part of a large practice with multiple

other vets, you could work your way up to becoming the head vet in that practice, unless your employer says otherwise.

If you are a “one-man-band”, you can compete with other area veterinarians to become the go-to vet. However, you may want to consider expanding your practice if you want to stay ahead of the game.

Any Specialty Careers? Large animal Vets Domestic animal vets Exotic animal vets Avian vets Pretty much everything can be

specialized…

Why I’m Interested…Being a vet is appealing to me because of my love

for animals. I’ve always been that stereotypical kid who brings a stray dog/cat/snake-like-thing home and begged to keep it. I also like caring for people and animals; I suppose I got that from my mom (a nurse). When my cat was sick last winter, I took him into the house everyday and made sure he’d warm up and give him some water from a dropper (he’s healthy again now). Another trait I share with veterinarians is my ability to handle gross and bloody situations. I’ve gone hunting with my dad since I was four and seen the insides of birds, rabbits, and deer (and even helped clean them out) more than once, so I don’t think performing surgery will cause any issues for my stomach. Being a vet doesn’t pay much compared to other vocations, but I don’t want a lot of money. I just want to have a career that I enjoy doing.

Top Vet Colleges

The top ten veterinary schools in the US as of 2011:1. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York2. University of California - Davis3. Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO4. Ohio State University5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

I myself will most likely attend U.o.M. or Iowa State (not ranked) because they are closer to family.

(Ranks according to EducationPortal)

Cost

The average cost of attending a vet college with four year tuition, room and board, is around $63,000 annually, rounding up to $252,000. However, cost of tuition is continuing to rise as inflation does. The decreasing amount of pets

in the US and the rising number of aspiring vets is another factor for the rising debt of newly graduated veterinarians.

(According to the NewYorkTimes)

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