Veterinary professionals are very much needed in every community to care for the pets, livestock and working animals. Veterinary professionals do not only provide animal care, but they also perform number of other kinds of tasks and jobs, including conducting research, ensuring the nation’s food supply is safe, and working towards controlling the spread of diseases. These professionals also have to own communications and problem-solving skills because they have to fulfill a number of roles. Veterinarians are involved in the care for companion animals, promoting the health of farm animals, working animals, and exotic animals.
Veterinarians work towards improving the public health and the health of animals, they research, diagnose and treat diseases and medical conditions in pets and livestock. Some of the most prominent tasks of veterinary professionals include treating wounds, performing surgery, examining animals, testing and vaccinating against diseases, prescribing medications, operating medical equipment, and euthanizing animals.
There are a number of types of veterinarians, including food animal veterinarians, companion animal veterinarians, and food safety and inspection veterinarians. If you are planning to study veterinary medicine, you must be interested in what career options are there.
Veterinary Career Options
Here is a general preview of careers in veterinary medicine which you can consider. Hence, if you have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, you can pursue work in
- Corporate veterinary medicine, such as corporations which offer veterinary care, test human drugs for safety or produce animal-related products.
- Private practice, such as general practice or a specialty field, including ophthalmology, orthopedics, aquatic animal medicine, marine biology, wildlife animal medicine, or emergency animal medicine.
- The Federal Government, which employs veterinarians through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They work on environmental quality, meat inspection, public health, and regulatory medicine.
- The U.S. Army Corps and U.S. Air Force which offer career opportunities food safety and military working dog veterinary medicine areas.
- Research, such as in a university setting or with companies.
- Teaching in academia or non-professionals schools.
- Public Health, such as governmental agencies, which work to control the transmission of animal-to-human (zoonotic) diseases.
- Food supply medicine in the government or a food animal company.
- Global Veterinary Medicine, such as in private practice or with international agencies.
- Public Policy, in governments or as consultants with non-governmental agencies.
- Shelter medicine, where you can work with communities and private or public agencies.
