Veterinarians

Summary

Veterinarians check for symptoms of illnesses in pets.

Quick Facts: Veterinarians
2010 Median Pay	$82,040 per year $39.44 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Doctoral or professional degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	61,400
Job Outlook, 2010-20	36% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	22,000

What Veterinarians Do

Veterinarians care for the health of animals. They diagnose, treat, or research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories.

Work Environment

Although most veterinarians work in private clinics, others travel to farms, work outdoors, or work in laboratories. Work can sometimes be emotionally stressful.

How to Become a Veterinarian

Veterinarians must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a state license.

Pay

The median annual wage of veterinarians was $82,040 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of veterinarians is expected to grow 36 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities should be particularly good in government and in farm animal care.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of veterinarians with similar occupations.

O*NET

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about veterinarians by contacting these additional resources.

What Veterinarians Do About this section

Veterinarians use x rays to diagnose animals.

Veterinarians care for the health of animals. They diagnose, treat, or research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories.

Duties

Veterinarians typically do the following:

• Examine animals to diagnose their health problems
• Treat and dress wounds
• Perform surgery on animals
• Test for and vaccinate against diseases
• Operate medical equipment such as x-ray machines
• Advise animal owners about general care, medical conditions, and treatments
• Prescribe medication
• Euthanize animals

Veterinarians in private clinical practices treat the injuries and illnesses of pets and farm animals with a variety of medical equipment, including surgical tools and x-ray machines. They provide treatment for animals that is similar to what a doctor would do to treat humans.

The following are common types of veterinarians:

Companion animal veterinarians treat pets and generally work in private clinics. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 77 percent of veterinarians who work in private clinical practice treat pets. They most often care for cats and dogs, but also treat other pets, such as birds, ferrets, and rabbits. These veterinarians diagnose animal health problems, consult with owners of animals, and carry out medical procedures, such as vaccinations and setting fractures.

Equine veterinarians work with horses. About 6 percent of private practice veterinarians treat horses.

Food animal veterinarians work with farm animals such as pigs, cattle, and sheep. About 8 percent of private practice veterinarians treat food animals. They spend much of their time at farms and ranches treating illnesses and injuries and testing for and vaccinating against disease. They also may advise owners or managers about feeding, housing, and general health practices.

Food safety and inspection veterinarians inspect livestock and animal products and enforce government food safety regulations. They may inspect livestock, checking the animals for E. coli and other transmittable diseases. They check for food purity and sanitation by inspecting food products, animals and carcasses, and slaughtering and processing plants. Others may work along the country’s borders in food safety and security, ensuring abundant and safe food supplies.

Research veterinarians work in laboratories, conducting clinical research on human and animal health problems. These veterinarians may perform tests on animals to identify the effects of drug therapies, or they may test new surgical techniques. They may also research how to prevent, control, or eliminate food- and animal-borne illnesses and diseases.

Some veterinarians teach at colleges and universities. For more information, see the profile on postsecondary teachers.

Work Environment About this section

Most veterinarians work in veterinary clinics.

Veterinarians held about 61,400 jobs in 2010, of which 81 percent were in the veterinary services industry. Others held positions at colleges or universities; in private industry, such as medical or research laboratories; or in federal, state, or local government. About 9 percent were self-employed.

Although most veterinarians work in private clinics, others travel to farms, work outdoors, or work in laboratories.

Veterinarians who treat horses or food animals must travel between their offices and farms or ranches. They work outdoors in all kinds of weather and may have to perform surgery, often under unsanitary conditions.  

Veterinarians who work in food safety and inspection must travel to farms, slaughterhouses, and
food-processing plants.  

Veterinarians who conduct research work primarily in offices and laboratories and spend much of their time dealing with people rather than animals.  

Veterinarians' work can sometimes be emotionally stressful as they deal with sick animals and the animals' anxious owners. Also, the workplace can be noisy as the animals make noise when sick or being handled.

When working with animals that are frightened or in pain, veterinarians risk being bitten, kicked, or scratched.

Work Schedules

Veterinarians often work long hours. Some work nights or weekends, and they may have to respond to emergencies outside of scheduled work hours. About 1 in 4 veterinarians worked more than 50 hours per week in 2010.

How to Become a Veterinarian About this section

Veterinarians can choose specialties such as companion animals or farm animals.

Veterinarians must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a state license.

Education

Veterinarians must complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. There are currently 28 colleges with accredited programs. A veterinary medicine program generally takes 4 years to complete and includes classroom, laboratory, and clinical components.

Although not required, most applicants to veterinary school have a bachelor's degree. Veterinary medical colleges typically require applicants to have taken many science classes, including biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, zoology, microbiology, and animal science. Some programs also require math and humanities or social science courses.

Admission to veterinary programs is competitive, and less than half of all applicants were accepted in 2010.

In veterinary medicine programs, students take courses on normal animal anatomy and physiology, as well as disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Most programs include 3 years of classroom, laboratory, and clinical work. Students typically spend the final year of the 4-year program doing clinical rotations in a veterinary medical center or hospital. In veterinary schools today, increasingly, courses also include general business management and career development classes to help new veterinarians learn how to effectively run a practice.

Licenses

All states and the District of Columbia require veterinarians to have a license. Licensing requirements vary by state, but all states require prospective veterinarians to complete an accredited veterinary program and to pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam.

Most states require not only the national exam but also have a state exam that covers state laws and regulations. Few states accept licenses from other states, so veterinarians who want to be licensed in a new state must usually take that state's exam.

Training

Although graduates of a veterinary program can begin practicing once they receive their license, many veterinarians pursue further education and training. Some new veterinary graduates enter 1-year internship programs to gain experience. Internships can be valuable experience for veterinarians who apply for competitive or better paying positions or in preparation for a certification program.

Certification

The American Veterinary Medical Association offers certification in 40 different specialties, such as surgery, microbiology, and internal medicine. Although certification is not required for veterinarians, it can show exceptional skill or expertise in a particular field. To sit for the certification exam, veterinarians must have a certain number of years of experience in the field, complete additional education, or complete a residency program, typically lasting 3 to 4 years. Requirements vary by specialty.

Work Experience

When deciding whom to admit, some veterinary medical colleges weigh experience heavily. Formal experience, such as work with veterinarians or scientists in clinics, agribusiness, research, or some area of health science, is particularly advantageous. Less formal experience, such as working with animals on a farm, at a stable, or in an animal shelter, can also be helpful.

Important Qualities

Compassion. Veterinarians must be compassionate when working with animals and their owners. They must treat animals with kindness and must be sensitive when dealing with the owners of sick pets.

Decision-making skills. Veterinarians must decide the correct method for treating the injuries and illnesses of animals. Deciding between euthanizing and treating a sick animal, for instance, can be very difficult.

Interpersonal skills. Strong communication skills are essential for veterinarians, who must be able to explain treatment options to animal owners and give instructions to their staff.

Management skills. Management skills are important for those veterinarians who are in charge of running private clinics or laboratories. In these settings, they are responsible for providing direction, delegating work, and overseeing daily operations.

Manual dexterity. Manual dexterity is important for veterinarians because they must control their hand movements and be precise when treating injuries and performing surgery.

Problem-solving skills. Veterinarians need strong problem-solving skills because they must figure out what is ailing animals. Those who test animals to determine the effects of drug therapies also need excellent diagnostic skills.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of veterinarians was $82,040 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,910, and the top 10 percent earned more than $145,230.

According to a survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, average starting salaries for veterinary medical college graduates in 2011 in different private specialties were as follows:

The average annual wage for veterinarians in the federal government was $88,340 in May 2010.

Veterinarians often work long hours. Some work nights or weekends, and they may have to respond to emergencies outside of scheduled work hours. About 1 in 4 veterinarians worked more than 50 hours per week in 2010.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of veterinarians is expected to grow 36 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The need for veterinarians will increase to keep up with the demands of a growing pet population. Many people consider their pets to be a part of their family and are willing to pay more for pet care than owners have in the past. Also, veterinary medicine has advanced considerably, and many of the veterinary services offered today are comparable to health care for humans, including cancer treatments and kidney transplants.  

There also will be employment growth in fields related to food and animal safety, disease control, and public health. As the population grows, more veterinarians will be needed to inspect the food supply and ensure animal and human health.  

Job Prospects

Overall job opportunities for veterinarians are expected to be good. Although veterinary medicine is growing quickly, there are only 28 accredited veterinary programs in the United States, which produce a limited number of graduates—about 2,500—each year. However, most veterinary graduates are attracted to companion animal care, so job opportunities in that field will be fewer than in other areas.

Job opportunities in large animal practice, public health, and government should be best. Although jobs in farm animal care are not growing as quickly as those in companion animal care, opportunities will be better because fewer veterinarians compete to work with large animals. There also will be excellent job opportunities for government veterinarians in food safety, animal health, and public health.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information on careers in veterinary medicine, a list of U.S. schools and colleges of veterinary medicine, and information on accreditation policies, visit

American Veterinary Medical Association

For more information on veterinary education, visit

Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

For information on veterinarian positions with the federal government, visit

USAJOBS