Do You Want to Become a Veterinarian?

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Veterinarians

Do you love animals and science? Maybe the right profession for you is veterinary medicine! Some important things you need to know if you are interested in becoming a vet are schooling, the different types of vets, and the logistics of being a vet.

Schooling

In order to become a vet, years of schooling is involved. Planning ahead, some courses that should have already been taken before college are many science classes such as biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, zoology, microbiology, and animal science. Most of them are required by veterinary medicine programs. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college is also strongly recommended (Occupational Outlook Handbook). Another thing to consider is taking pre-veterinary courses. These courses typically emphasize science, and also business management and career development. These are especially useful for veterinarians interested in running their own practice (College Grad). Something to be aware of is that admission into veterinary medicine programs is very competitive. In 2012, less than half of the applicants were admitted into the program. A good thing to have on your application is experience, which is weighed very heavily. Particularity formal experience such as having worked with scientists in the health science field, but less formal experience such as working in an animal shelter is still helpful (Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Those admitted will be in a Veterinary Medicine program that if completed and passed, gets a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree which, in addition to a state license, qualifies to be a veterinarian! The program usually takes about four years. The first three years are spent doing classroom, lab, and clinical work then the...

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...et other than just taking care of animals.

The most common things that animals come in regularly for vets to take care of are;

• Spay and neuter animals

• Examine animals to diagnose their health problems

• Diagnose and treat animals for medical conditions

• Treat and dress wounds

• Perform surgery on animals

• Test and vaccinate against diseases

• Operate medical equipment such as x-ray machines

• Advise animal owners about general care, medical conditions, and treatments

• Prescribe medication

• Euthanize animals (Occupational Outlook Handbook)

In addition to helping sick animals, another option for veterinarians is doing scientific research and trying to make new medicines (Fact Monster).

So, does the veterinary profession sound fun to you? It requires a lot of hard work through the schooling, but the daily job being with animals makes up for it!

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