The medical field for humans is booming but animals need love to! Just as people get sick, injured, get diseases and need surgery, animals need health care providers to treat the same problems. If you love animals and care for the welfare of other creatures, then becoming a veterinary would be an enjoyable and rewarding career for you. Veterinarians provide care for animals by treating, diagnosing and operating on their needful animal patients. Other occupations that work with animals would include animal trainers, zoologists, marine biologists, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants.
As the pet population rises in domestic homes across America, particularly as baby boomers (aged 34-59) seek out animal companionship as they rise in their years, pet owners are more willing to pay for more intensive pet care than in the past. The rise of new scientific methods of breeding and raising livestock, poultry and the increasing need for disease control programs have contributed to more demand for veterinarians. Especially for veterinarian specialists with specialized training in fields of toxicology, animal medicine, pathology and animal laboratory medicine. There is also a need for veterinarians in the farming communities as most vets would prefer to stay in the cities or metropolitan surroundings.
Most vets have their own private practice and maybe specializing in certain areas. However, some treat all kinds of animals and issues while most deal with domesticated animals such as dogs, cats and birds. Some may even specialize in only fish and poultry and others may only deal with larger animals.
Most people think of veterinarians as only caring and helping animals, but through the treatment and care of pets, farm animals and other types of species, most don't realize that a veterinarian also contributes to human health through controlling the spread of disease in animals to humans, assisting in food inspection, educating on animal issues and some even work with medical doctors and scientists to combat and treat diseases in humans.
In order to become a veterinarian, you will need to be licensed and obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. of V.M.D) degree from an accredited veterinary college. You will also need to pass a State board exam. To consider a career in a specialized field such as pathology, surgery, radiology or animal lab medicine, you must complete a three year residency program and pass an exam.
The opportunities for becoming a veterinarian are also not limited to just working in an animal clinic. A newly trained veterinarian out of college has open doors to becoming a U.S. government meat and poultry inspector, a disease control worker, a research assistant, or may find themselves employed in the U.S. Public Health Service!
Other career opportunities in the field are in veterinary technology as a veterinary technician or as veterinary assistants and in veterinary science.
The Veterinary Tech works in clinics and private veterinary hospitals and their job is to take laboratory samples, do diagnostic tests, take x-rays, give medication, and assist in surgery.
Veterinary technicians not only work with house pets and farm animals but there is also opportunity to work with fish, cattle, birds, monkeys, pigs, mice and other types of animals. This career position also has opportunity to work in animal research and other testing laboratories.
Veterinarian assistants can find themselves employed in an animal shelter, pet store, animal control facility, kennel, in a private practice or involved with a veterinary drug company and can find themselves performing tasks such as restraining animals during procedures, preparing equipment for surgical procedures, setting up lab tests, answering telephones, scheduling appointments, cleaning and other assisting duties.
If you love to work with animals and would like to move up from this position you will need to further your education. You will need to move to the next step and that is to get your associate's degree in veterinary technology and pass the state licensing examination.
You may also choose to go into veterinary science, the study of diagnosing and treating sickness and disease in animals and birds. It is the study of animal physiology, treatment and prevention of diseases in animals and also involves scientific breeding and handling of livestock.
So if you like working with animals or have an interest in other facets of the animal kingdom, you should seriously consider getting your learning degree and carry on your education in the veterinary field. There are several colleges to choose from! After all, you may just save some lives and help out our animal friends as well! Get your degree today!
