A doctor who care for the health of animals and work to improve public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals. There is a wide variety of careers as a vet. Companion animal veterinarians treat pets like cats, dogs and rabbits. There are other specialties including Equine vets for horses, food animal vets for farm animals and research vets that work with animals in laboratories and research.
The work environment can be indoors or outdoors, depending on the types of animals. It is most common that vets work in teams with veterinary technicians, other vets and caregivers. It can be both a rewarding and a stressful job. Injuries can occur through bites or scratches from any of the animals, and larger animals kicks or frightened movements can create hazards.
Vets are doctors with degrees from accredited veterinary colleges and each state requires licenses to practice animal medicine. The education required is typically a bachelor’s college degree before Vet medical school. Classes typically focus on biology, animal anatomy, treatments, disease prevention and lots of laboratory time. They then must do time working within various veterinary businesses to get hands-on practical experience. There are about 30 universities that provide Veterinary Medicine degrees.
To be a vet it is important to be detail oriented, compassionate towards animals, have quick decision making skills and a true curiosity that leads to problem solving.
It can be tough to get into Veterinary school, because it is a very popular field. Pet ownership and the desire for healthy living for animals and people drive the job demand. It is a steady growth field for jobs, but not a rapid growth field.