Veterinarian: Job Duties, Occupational Outlook and Education Requirements

Veterinarian Job Description

Veterinarians are similar to human physicians, except that they work to care for the health of various kinds of animals. Some veterinarians specialize in smaller animals, like pets, while others may specialize in livestock or exotic animals, such as zoo animals. Some vets also help protect public health by ensuring food animals are taken care of and are healthy for eating. Here we discuss different aspects of a veterinarian job description in more detail, including what they do and how much they make.

What Does a Veterinarian Do?

Veterinarian responsibilities primarily consist of examining animals, diagnosing any problems, and treating any health issues. They must also educate pet/animal owners on the proper care of their animals. Occasionally, these professionals need to be prepared to euthanize animals. Other veterinarian duties may be similar to those of a human physician and may include:

• Prescribing medication
• Operating on animals
• Cleaning and dressing wounds
• Administering vaccinations
• Testing for diseases/medical issues
• Using various kinds of medical equipment

What is the Veterinarian Job Outlook?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for veterinarians from 2020 to 2030 is 17%. This outlook is much faster than the national average. The BLS cites the increase in consumer spending for their pets as a possible factor in job growth, as well as the fact that veterinarians can offer a wide range of medical services with advances in technology.

How Much Does a Veterinarian Make?

The BLS also reported that as of May 2020, the average annual salary for a veterinarian was $108,350. Veterinarians with the highest average salary of $134,060 for the same year worked in management, scientific, and technical consulting services.

How Do You Become a Veterinarian?

While there are many different kinds of medical degrees for health professionals working with humans, the education requirements for becoming a veterinarian are unique. Read on for an overview of how to become a vet.

Bachelor's Degree

Veterinarians typically need to complete a bachelor's degree program before applying to vet school. While there is no specific major requirement for vet school, students need to complete a program that allows them to take prerequisite courses for admission to a vet school. These courses often include subjects like:

• Chemistry
• Physics
• Organic chemistry
• Biology
• Mathematics
• Genetics

Some schools offer a pre-veterinary track with some of their bachelor's degrees and/or students can commonly fulfill their prerequisites with majors in areas like biology, zoology, biochemistry, animal sciences, or wildlife biology. Most of these degree programs take 4 years to complete, but there are also some schools that may offer a pre-vet 3+1 program, where students only take 3 years of undergraduate work and then pursue their doctorate.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD)

All veterinarians must obtain their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) from an accredited veterinary school. Some vet schools may prefer to accept students with some hands-on experience working with animals, but typically these programs provide classroom, laboratory, and clinical work during the first 3 years of the program. The final year of the program is reserved for clinical rotations for hands-on experience practicing veterinary medicine.

Licensure

All veterinarians must also obtain a license to practice veterinary medicine. Although each state has its own licensure requirements, all states require students to take the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination, and then most states also require a state-level licensing exam.