| A veterinarian (from Latin veterinae, "draught | | | | United States it is far easier to gain acceptance into |
| animals") is an animal doctor, a practitioner of | | | | either a medical school or a top Law School than to |
| veterinary medicine. Although veterinarians hold | | | | meet the GPA requirements for most veterinary |
| doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine, not all | | | | schools. This situation occurs mostly because there |
| veterinarians enter clinical practice. Those that work in | | | | are far fewer schools, allowing the schools to be |
| clinical settings practice medicine in specific fields, such | | | | much more selective. According to the US |
| as companion animal or "pet" medicine, reptile | | | | Department of Labor, only 1 in 3 applicants were |
| medicine, ratite medicine, livestock medicine, equine | | | | accepted into a veterinary program in 2002. |
| medicine (e.g. sports, race track, show, rodeo), or | | | | Prerequisites for admission include the undergraduate |
| laboratory animal medicine. Other veterinarians | | | | studies listed under veterinary medicine and extensive |
| research areas of human medicine, veterinary | | | | veterinary experience (typically about 500 or more |
| medicine, and pharmacology. Research veterinarians | | | | hours) in private practice or other veterinary |
| were the first to isolate oncoviruses, Salmonella | | | | environment. The average veterinary medical student |
| species, Brucella species, and various other | | | | has an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a GRE score of |
| pathogenic agents. They also helped conquer malaria | | | | approximately 1800. US graduates are awarded either |
| and yellow fever; solved the mystery of botulism; | | | | a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or the less |
| produced an anticoagulant used to treat human heart | | | | common Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree, |
| disease; and developed surgical techniques for | | | | depending upon the traditions of the veterinary |
| humans, such as hip-joint replacement, and limb and | | | | school. |
| organ transplants. | | | | Public health medicine is another option for |
| Like all physicians, veterinarians must make serious | | | | veterinarians. Veterinarians in government and private |
| ethical decisions about their patients' care. There is | | | | laboratories provide diagnostic and testing services. |
| ongoing debate over the ethics of performing certain | | | | Some veterinarians serve as state epidemiologists, |
| controversial procedures, like declawing cats and | | | | directors of environmental health, and directors of |
| docking tails, cropping ears, and debarking dogs. In | | | | state or city public health departments. Veterinarians |
| some countries, these procedures are illegal, and | | | | are also employed by the US Agriculture Research |
| therefore their practice is contentious. The | | | | Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental |
| Veterinarian's Oath was adopted by the American | | | | Protection Agency, National Library of Medicine, and |
| Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates | | | | National Institutes of Health. The military also employs |
| July 1969, and amended by the AVMA Executive | | | | veterinarians in a number of capacities — caring |
| Board, November 1999. It goes as follows: | | | | for pets on military bases, caring for military working |
| "Being admitted to the profession of veterinary | | | | animals, and controlling various arthropod-borne |
| medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific | | | | diseases or other such things. |
| knowledge and skills for the benefit of society | | | | Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, |
| through the protection of animal health, the relief of | | | | diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, |
| animal suffering, the conservation of animal | | | | domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. |
| resources, the promotion of public health, and the | | | | Veterinary Science is concerned with the scientific |
| advancement of medical knowledge. | | | | basis of animal production, health and disease. It |
| I will practice my profession conscientiously, with | | | | requires the acquisition and application of scientific |
| dignity, and in keeping with the principles of | | | | knowledge in several disciplines and uses technical |
| veterinary medical ethics." | | | | skills towards the solution of animal production, health, |
| Some veterinarians work in a field called regulatory | | | | management and welfare problems. |
| medicine — ensuring the nation's food safety by | | | | Veterinary medicine is informally as old as the human |
| working with the USDA FSIS, or work by protecting | | | | animal bond but in recent years has expanded |
| us from imported exotic animal diseases by working | | | | exponentially because of the availability of advanced |
| for the USDA APHIS. The emerging field of | | | | diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for most |
| conservation medicine involves veterinarians even | | | | species. Animals nowadays often receive advanced |
| more directly with human health care, providing a | | | | medical, dental, and surgical care including insulin |
| multidisciplinary approach to medical research that also | | | | injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract |
| involves environmental scientists. | | | | extractions, and pacemakers. |
| More than 3,800 veterinarians in the USA currently | | | | Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, quantity, |
| work at veterinary schools where they teach | | | | and security of food supplies by working to maintain |
| student vets what they need to know to graduate | | | | the health of livestock and inspecting the meat itself. |
| — teaching is another career path for a | | | | Veterinary scientists are very important in chemical, |
| veterinarian. | | | | biological, and pharmacological research. |
| Veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, | | | | In many countries, equine veterinary medicine is also |
| or part of such an institution, which is involved in the | | | | a specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves |
| education of future veterinary practitioners | | | | mainly locomotor and orthopaedic problems, digestive |
| (veterinarians). The entry criteria, structure, teaching | | | | tract conditions (including equine colic, which is a |
| methodology and nature of veterinary programs | | | | major cause of death among domesticated horses), |
| offered at veterinary schools vary considerably | | | | and respiratory tract infections and disorders. |
| around the world. In the U.S., a doctorate of | | | | As in the human medical field, veterinary medicine (in |
| veterinary medicine degree (D.V.M.) (Or in the | | | | practice) requires a diverse group of individuals to |
| Veterinary Medical School at the University of | | | | meet the need of patients. In addition to |
| Pennsylvania, a degree of veterinary medical doctor | | | | veterinarians, many veterinary hospitals utilize a team |
| (V.M.D.) is awarded) is a four-year program. The | | | | of veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants to |
| program generally consists of 21D2 to 3 years of | | | | completely care for healing, critical and well animals. |
| mostly traditional classroom coursework followed by | | | | Veterinary nurses are generally registered as |
| the clinical rotations. Currently, unlike human medical | | | | "veterinary technicians" in most states and are legally |
| school, a subsequent internship and/or residency are | | | | qualified to assist veterinarians in many medical |
| not required, but are optional to those who choose | | | | procedures. Veterinary assistants, who are not |
| to seek further education and possible accreditation. | | | | licensed by most states, but can be well-trained at |
| Unsurprisingly, the number of veterinarians pursuing | | | | facilities such as The School for Veterinary |
| internships and/or residencies will continue to increase | | | | Assistants, are also becoming increasingly in-demand |
| as the understanding of veterinary medicine continues | | | | in the veterinary industry due to a wide range of |
| to grow greater. A good veterinarian enjoys working | | | | treatments and services being offered to meet the |
| with animals and their owners. Admission into | | | | higher expectations of pet owners in the United |
| veterinary medical school is so competitive that in the | | | | States. |