Being a Veterinarian Today

A veterinarian (from Latin veterinae, "draughteither a medical school or a top Law School than to
animals") is an animal doctor, a practitioner ofmeet the GPA requirements for most veterinary
veterinary medicine. Although veterinarians holdschools. This situation occurs mostly because there
doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine, not allare far fewer schools, allowing the schools to be
veterinarians enter clinical practice. Those that work inmuch more selective. According to the US
clinical settings practice medicine in specific fields, suchDepartment of Labor, only 1 in 3 applicants were
as companion animal or "pet" medicine, reptileaccepted into a veterinary program in 2002.
medicine, ratite medicine, livestock medicine, equinePrerequisites for admission include the undergraduate
medicine (e.g. sports, race track, show, rodeo), orstudies listed under veterinary medicine and extensive
laboratory animal medicine. Other veterinariansveterinary experience (typically about 500 or more
research areas of human medicine, veterinaryhours) in private practice or other veterinary
medicine, and pharmacology. Research veterinariansenvironment. The average veterinary medical student
were the first to isolate oncoviruses, Salmonellahas an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a GRE score of
species, Brucella species, and various otherapproximately 1800. US graduates are awarded either
pathogenic agents. They also helped conquer malariaa Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or the less
and yellow fever; solved the mystery of botulism;common Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree,
produced an anticoagulant used to treat human heartdepending upon the traditions of the veterinary
disease; and developed surgical techniques forschool.
humans, such as hip-joint replacement, and limb andPublic health medicine is another option for
organ transplants.veterinarians. Veterinarians in government and private
Like all physicians, veterinarians must make seriouslaboratories provide diagnostic and testing services.
ethical decisions about their patients' care. There isSome veterinarians serve as state epidemiologists,
ongoing debate over the ethics of performing certaindirectors of environmental health, and directors of
controversial procedures, like declawing cats andstate or city public health departments. Veterinarians
docking tails, cropping ears, and debarking dogs. Inare also employed by the US Agriculture Research
some countries, these procedures are illegal, andService, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental
therefore their practice is contentious. TheProtection Agency, National Library of Medicine, and
Veterinarian's Oath was adopted by the AmericanNational Institutes of Health. The military also employs
Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegatesveterinarians in a number of capacities - caring for
July 1969, and amended by the AVMA Executivepets on military bases, caring for military working
Board, November 1999. It goes as follows:animals, and controlling various arthropod-borne
"Being admitted to the profession of veterinarydiseases or other such things.
medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientificVeterinary medicine is the application of medical,
knowledge and skills for the benefit of societydiagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion,
through the protection of animal health, the relief ofdomestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals.
animal suffering, the conservation of animalVeterinary Science is concerned with the scientific
resources, the promotion of public health, and thebasis of animal production, health and disease. It
advancement of medical knowledge.requires the acquisition and application of scientific
I will practice my profession conscientiously, withknowledge in several disciplines and uses technical
dignity, and in keeping with the principles ofskills towards the solution of animal production, health,
veterinary medical ethics."management and welfare problems.
Some veterinarians work in a field called regulatoryVeterinary medicine is informally as old as the human
medicine - ensuring the nation's food safety byanimal bond but in recent years has expanded
working with the USDA FSIS, or work by protectingexponentially because of the availability of advanced
us from imported exotic animal diseases by workingdiagnostic and therapeutic techniques for most
for the USDA APHIS. The emerging field ofspecies. Animals nowadays often receive advanced
conservation medicine involves veterinarians evenmedical, dental, and surgical care including insulin
more directly with human health care, providing ainjections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract
multidisciplinary approach to medical research that alsoextractions, and pacemakers.
involves environmental scientists.Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, quantity,
More than 3,800 veterinarians in the USA currentlyand security of food supplies by working to maintain
work at veterinary schools where they teachthe health of livestock and inspecting the meat itself.
student vets what they need to know to graduate -Veterinary scientists are very important in chemical,
teaching is another career path for a 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 thea specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves
education of future veterinary practitionersmainly locomotor and orthopaedic problems, digestive
(veterinarians). The entry criteria, structure, teachingtract conditions (including equine colic, which is a
methodology and nature of veterinary programsmajor cause of death among domesticated horses),
offered at veterinary schools vary considerablyand respiratory tract infections and disorders.
around the world. In the U.S., a doctorate ofAs in the human medical field, veterinary medicine (in
veterinary medicine degree (D.V.M.) (Or in thepractice) requires a diverse group of individuals to
Veterinary Medical School at the University ofmeet the need of patients. In addition to
Pennsylvania, a degree of veterinary medical doctorveterinarians, many veterinary hospitals utilize a team
(V.M.D.) is awarded) is a four-year program. Theof veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants to
program generally consists of 21/2 to 3 years ofcompletely care for healing, critical and well animals.
mostly traditional classroom coursework followed byVeterinary 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 arequalified to assist veterinarians in many medical
not required, but are optional to those who chooseprocedures. 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 pursuingfacilities such as The School for Veterinary
internships and/or residencies will continue to increaseAssistants, are also becoming increasingly in-demand
as the understanding of veterinary medicine continuesin the veterinary industry due to a wide range of
to grow greater. A good veterinarian enjoys workingtreatments and services being offered to meet the
with animals and their owners. Admission intohigher expectations of pet owners in the United
veterinary medical school is so competitive that in theStates.
United States it is far easier to gain acceptance into