Student Section
Things to consider when becoming a Veterinarian:
There are currently 28 veterinary colleges in the United States. (Please see link for more information on Veterinary Colleges) Pre-veterinary coursework varies from university to university. Prospective veterinary students should determine which schools they are interested in and contact them or look on-line at their requirements prior to taking any college or university courses so they can tailor their classes to meet the requirements. Work related-experience, including volunteer work, in the veterinary field or health field area is often a requirement for admittance into veterinary colleges. Experience with large and small animals and/or public and animal health work will strengthen a student’s application.
The veterinary curriculum is more diversified than human medicine because of the number and variety of species and physiologies the students have to study. Many veterinarians, especially general practitioners, take on many responsibilities as surgeons, pharmacists, diagnosticians, radiologists, behaviorists, dentists, orthopedic surgeons, etc. and provide comfort to both patient and owner- all this has to be learned. In public veterinary practice, veterinarians also function as pathologists, epidemiologists, diagnosticians, public health officers, food scientists, food safety experts, research scientists, program managers, Directors, and Administrators.
There are courses in veterinary colleges that encompass an overview of many different animal species. These include marine and fresh water animals and wildlife, but most courses are specific to domestic land animals (both companion and farm animals). Birds and reptiles are also covered but to a lesser degree depending on the track that students select. Aquatic medicine and wild animal medicine are specialties that can be followed once the student decides in which specific field they want to practice.
Students should apply for veterinary school in the summer prior to the year in which they will matriculate from undergraduate school. For example, if a student is applying for veterinary college starting fall of 2010, they would submit their application in the summer of 2009. The national Grade Point Average for acceptance into a veterinary college is no less than a “B” or 3.0. When a student graduates from a US veterinary college they receive a doctorate of veterinary medicine (DVM) or a Veterinary Medical doctorate (VMD).
The DVM or VMD degree requires a minimum of 6 years of college consisting of at least 2 years of pre-veterinary study that emphasizes the physical and biological sciences and a 4-year veterinary program. Many applicants have already completed 4 years of college prior to applying to veterinary colleges. In addition to academic instruction, training includes clinical experience in diagnosing and treating animal diseases, performing surgery, and performing laboratory work in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and other scientific, medical, and public health related subjects.
All 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the US and several foreign veterinary colleges are accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Admission is highly competitive. Applicants must take the Veterinary Aptitude Test, Medical College Admission Test, or the Graduate Record Examination and submit evidence that they have experience working with animals. Colleges usually give preference to in-State applicants, because most are State supported. There are regional educational agreements through which States without veterinary schools send students to designated regional schools. In other areas, schools give preference to applicants from nearby States that do not have veterinary schools.
To meet State licensure requirements, foreign-trained veterinarians must fulfill the English language and clinical evaluation requirements of the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG). To meet the federal government hiring requirements, foreign-trained veterinarians must also show the college they graduated from is equivalent to US accredited veterinary colleges. Each veterinarian also takes the “Veterinarian’s Oath” in order to be admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine.
Most private practice veterinarians begin as employees or partners in established practices. With experience, they may set up their own practice or purchase an established one. Veterinarians that own their practice usually have a higher annual income than those who work for a practice.
Newly hired veterinarians of the U.S. federal government can work for more than 28 federal agencies in a variety of positions including, animal health, animal disease eradication and control, food safety, emergency disease management, epidemiology, animal welfare, animal protection research, biologics production, laboratory animal medicine, wildlife medicine and management, animal diseases surveillance, management, Administration, or as commissioned officers in the U.S. Public Health Service. In the federal government, the salaries usually increase automatically every 1-3 years or promotions to other positions are always an option.
Once a veterinarian has obtained a license to practice veterinary medicine, s/he must complete several hours of continuing education courses annually to maintain licensure. The seminars they choose are up to them. This allows veterinarians to meet individual educational needs for their specialties along with keeping current on many new techniques, ideas and recent diseases. The federal government often provides additional training for veterinarians depending on the position they are performing in. Many veterinarians also routinely subscribe to journals of veterinary medicine and belong to veterinary organizations and/or associations to assist them in maintaining their overall knowledge of veterinary advances, to support organized veterinary medicine, and to assist them when they have questions or concerns on how to handle difficult situations they encounter.