Starting A Career As A Veterinarian Today

Veternarians that work in clinical settings practice medicine in specific fields, such as companion animal or pet medicine, reptile medicine, ratite medicine, livestock medicine, equine medicine e.g. sports, race track, show and rodeo, or laboratory medicine. While other veterinarians work in research areas of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and pharmacology. Such research has been of great help in isolating oncoviruses, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and various other pathogenic agents. They have also helped to conquer malaria and yellow fever, solved the mystery of botulism, produced an anticoagulant used to treat human heart disease and also developed new and advanced surgical techniques for humans, such as hip-joint replacement, and limb and organ transplants.

Ethics Like other medical professionals, veterinarians also must make serious ethical decisions about the patients in their care. There has always been a debate or a controversy over procedures like de-clawing cats, docking dogs' tails, cropping ears, and debarking dogs. In some countries, these procedures are considered illegal, and therefore their practice has been stopped. The Veterinary Medical Association adopted the Veterinarians Oath in July 1969, which was amended by the AVMA Executive Board in November 1999, according to which veterinarians have to abide by strict medical ethics, similar to that applicable to humans.

Career Options Some veterinarians work in the field called regulatory medicine, which ensures the Nation's food safety by working with the USDA FSIS, or work with the USDA APHIS to prevent the import of exotic animal diseases. The emerging field of conservation medicine involves veterinarians even more directly with human health care, providing a multidisciplinary approach to medical research that involves environmental scientists. Today veterinarians in the world work in schools and colleges where they teach students what they need to know in order to graduate. These days, many veterinarians are also taking teaching jobs in schools and colleges, training students to attain a veterinary degree. Veterinary schools are tertiary educational institutions, or part of such education, which is involved in the education of future veterinary practitioners.

The entry criteria, the structure, the teaching methods and the modules vary from college to college. Required Education For example, while in other sates of the U.S.

a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree (D.V.M.) is given in three years, in Pennsylvania the degree is awarded after a four-year program. It usually consists of classroom coursework followed by clinical practice. Currently, unlike human medical schools or colleges, a subsequent internship or residency is not required, but is optional to those who choose to seek further education and accreditation.

Surprisingly, the numbers of veterinarians pursuing internships and/or residencies is increasing due to the increasing demand in the field. Admission to these veterinary schools or colleges is very competitive, and getting admission to a medical college or law college in the US is easier than getting into a veterinary college. This is because there are very few veterinary colleges, so the selection procedure is very selective. According to the US Department of Labor, only 1 of 3 applicants is accepted into a program during admissions. Public health medicine is another option for veterinarians.

Veterinarians in government and private laboratories provide diagnostic and testing services. Some veterinarians also serve as state epidemiologists, directors of environmental health, and directors of state and city public health departments. The military also appoints them to take care of the animals in their department. This profession is gaining in popularity due to the demand for the wide range of treatments and services required for both animals and humans.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.