A Veterinarian’s Salary Can Be Comfortable, But is it the Right Job for You?
As an animal lover and pet owner since childhood, I once toyed with the idea of becoming a veterinarian. Sadly, math and science were not my best subjects, so I stuck with my first choice … writing. A degree from an accredited veterinary college can lead to a variety of related jobs, though three-fourths of all veterinarians work in private practice, serving small animals and their human companions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “employment of veterinarians is expected to increase 35 percent between 2006-2016.” Competition for jobs working with large animals will not be as stiff because most veterinarians want to stay in metropolitan and surburban areas, rather than rural. An entry level veterinarian’s salary can range between approximately $50,000-$68,000 annually, according to PayScale.com.
Besides working in private practice animal hospitals where they can care for pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, snakes or turtles, veterinarians also work in rural areas, tending to livestock and other farm animals. Many private practice vets work in zoos on a contract basis, taking care of the residents there; they care for race horses and racing dogs, too. Some work in research laboratories alongside medical doctors to learn how to protect both animals and humans from diseases.
A large part of a veterinarian’s job involves maintaining animal health through checkups and vaccinations; prescribing medication for sick animals; treating and dressing wounds; performing surgery when necessary; and advising owners about proper care and breeding. The most unpleasant task vets sometimes have to perform is euthanizing animals that are unwanted or can’t be healed.
Training for doctors of veterinary medicine isn’t quite as arduous as what medical doctors go through, but competition for admission into veterinary colleges is just as tough; there are only twenty-eight colleges in the U.S. that meet the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) accreditation standards. Although a bachelor’s degree is not required, it’s preferred, and applicants without degrees need to have completed at least 45 or more semester hours of undergraduate study to even be considered. Some of the sciences that veterinary colleges prefer applicants to have taken are:
- organic and inorganic chemistry
- physics
- biochemistry
- general biology
- animal biology
- animal nutrition
- genetics
The math requirements, depending on the veterinary college, could include calculus, though some schools only require students to have studied statistics, college algebra, and trigonometry or pre-calculus. It’s becoming more common for students to also be required to have taken humanities, like English or literature, and the social sciences because most veterinarians end up in private practice hospitals or clinics, working with pet owners. Business management and career development classes are required to help students understand how to manage and operate a practice. Finally, applicants must have successfully completed one of the following exams:
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – required by most schools
- Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT) – required by 4 schools
- Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) – accepted by 2 schools
All 50 states and the District of Columbia require veterinarians to be licensed before they can work. Licensing differs from state to state, but passing scores can be transferred between those states that offer the same exam. Once a student receives his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a passing score on the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam, he’s ready to go to work; however, most recent graduates opt to do one-year internships first. The practical work experience helps them obtain more lucrative positions than those who didn’t.
There’s so much more to being a veterinarian than just taking care of sick pets, and there will always be a place for them. They’re often called upon to take care of farm animals, “working” animals like race horses, zoo animals and even animals in game preserves and national parks. Beyond that, veterinarians play a large part in research that focuses on human health concerns. A veterinarian’s salary at the entry level can provide one with a comfortable living, but the work could be very gratifying, despite long hours and troublesome pet owners.
Sources:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos076.htm
http://www.payscale.com
