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About 60%of veterinarians are in private practice and many of them treat
all animals but in densely populated areas, many have limited their practice
to animals such as horses, cattle, poultry, or zoo animals. Other veterinarians
deal with certain animal medical problems. About 11% of veterinarians in
private practice concentrate their work with farm animals. Like veterinarians
that work with companion animals, many veterinarians who work with farm
animals run their own private practice. Therefore they have to face a lot
of business concerns in addition to their responsibilities in dealing with
livestock and farms.
Veterinarians who focus their efforts on large animals tend to work with
farms and other agricultural buisnesses. They diagnose and treat ailments
and advise farmers on proper care for their livestock. Like physicians,
veterinarians also provide inoculations, offer advice on feeding and care,
and use other measures to keep pets healthy. Such veterinarians usually
work in animal hospitals or clinics. Other veterinarians prevent, control,
and eradicate diseases in cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry through quarantine,
immunization, inspection, and education.
The average starting salary in private practice for a new graduate is about $28,900. Veterinarians who practice on the East Coast usually receive higher salaries than those in other areas of the country, and veterinarians in major metropolitan areas also tend to make more than rural practitioners.
The required training to become a veterinarian in the U.S. is two years of preveterinary study with a concentration on physical and biological sciences, and a four year professional degree program. People who apply in a specialized field may need additional training. Veterinarians are also required to have a license to practice veterinary medicine.
The benefits of being a veterinarian are helping a sick animal become healthy, helping people whose animals need help, earning a good salary, working with good people, meeting new and exciting people, and being around animals all day.
The career outlook for people who want to be veterinarians is pretty good because about 60% of all U.S. households owned a pet in 1991. The American Veterinary Medical Association expects pet ownership to increase in coming years, mainly because of rising incomes and an increasing number of people age 34 to 59. Traditionally, this age group has the highest proportion of pet owners. Pet owners are increasingly willing to pay for elective procedures and intensive care for their animals, and quite a few jobs become available each year as older veterinarians retire.
I think veterinary medicine would be a good career for me. As a veterinarian I would be able to help sick animals, which would really make a difference for the owner. As a pet owner I can understand how painful it is when a pet dies and when a pet's life is saved. I also think it would be a good career for me because it pays well when training is completed. Another good thing about being a veterinarian is that I would get to hang around animals all day and get paid for it, which would be good because I love animals. I think that a career as a veterinarian or any other veterinary medical career would be a good career for anyone who might want to be a doctor, and for anyone who loves animals, likes to make people happy, and likes to save lives.
If you like animals, helping people, and like to make good money, then is this your lucky day because there is a fabulous, well paying, and satisfying job in the exciting field of veterinary medicine waiting for you! As a veterinarian you would be able to deliver babies for pregnant animals, help sick animals become healthy, perform surgery, do check-ups, be with animals all day long, and earn a good salary. So join the millions of people world-wide in the wonderful field of veterinary medicine.
To get information on a career as a veterinarian I searched in libraries for books. I found that some of the books didn't have good information but I did find a book called Careers in Veterinary Medicine by Jane Caryl Duncan, D.V.M. that did have some really good information. I also found some good information in CD ROM encyclopedias such as Encarta '96 and Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1995 edition. The place that had the best information and was the most fun using was the World Wide Web. A good thing to search for on the net is veterinary medicine. Interviews have good information and if you wish to do more research on veterinarians then I suggest you read interviews.
"Career Outlook" Online. Available. Copyright 1996 United Multimedia, L.L.C. vet.futurescan.com/companionoutlook.html Duncan, Jane Caryl D.V.M. Careers in Veterinary Medicine .New York1994. "Research"Online. Available. Copyright 1996 United Multimedia, L.L.C. Stockbridge, Robert Reed "Veterinary Medicine" Encarta Encyclopedia 1996 edition. "Veterinary Medicine" Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1995 edition. "Working with Large Animals" Online. Available. copyright 1996 United Multimedia L.L.C. vet.futurescan.com/large.html other link Spanko's Spot