What Exactly is a Veterinarian?
Doctors of Veterinary Medicine are
responsible for protecting the health and safety
of their animal patients. They diagnose
patients, prescribe medication, and perform
surgery as needed. Ultimately, it is the
veterinarian who is responsible for all patient
care and outcome. Currently, there are nearly
sixty thousand veterinarians active in the United
States. Statistically, there are more male
veterinarians than females, but that number is
also expected to change since women comprise more
than 60% of students in veterinary schools.
Of the sixty thousand veterinarians in the
United States, nearly three-quarters are in
private clinical practice. However, experts
speculate that those numbers will change as more
vets enter other fields such as research,
government, military service, teaching, and work
in the private sector. The greatest growth areas
in veterinary science tend to be in positions
which require extensive education, such as
molecular biology, toxicology, immunology,
pathology, environmental medicine, and other
specialties.
Veterinarians and their Work
According to veterinarians, there
are many advantages to working in their
profession. Most vets point to their ability to
help animals live healthier lives by performing
surgeries, prescribing appropriate medication,
and finding cures for diseases. However,
veterinarians also express that there are
disadvantages that go along with their
profession. For instance, pet
care medicines and surgeries don't always
help animals, and animals often have to be used
for research to test the effects of new drugs and
experimental surgeries. Furthermore, many
veterinary clinic owners note that private
practice is particularly stressful due to the
business aspect of their work and the risks of
investing money into the hospital and equipment.
To get more information in the veterinary
sciences field, talk to your veterinarian about
his or her experiences and his or her reasons for
choosing a career in veterinary medicine.
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