3 answers
Ella
Student
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
2
Questions
Asked
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What are some veterinary jobs other than just the "standard vet"?
Hello!
I'm really interested in veterinary medicine, but not in being a clinical vet. What are some other jobs within this subject? Any information about day-to-day tasks, education requirements, salaries, or work conditions would be super helpful and greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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3 answers
Nadia G
Psychologist, Coach & Career Advisor
64
Answers
Norway
Updated
Nadia’s Answer
Hi Ella,
You can check this link, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/highest-paid-veterinarians, for some inspiration. It's a list of vet-related jobs with average salaries and descriptions.
You can check this link, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/highest-paid-veterinarians, for some inspiration. It's a list of vet-related jobs with average salaries and descriptions.
Elizabeth F Schilling DVM
Veterinarian/Educator
37
Answers
Redlands, California
Updated
Elizabeth F’s Answer
Hello Ella!
Veterinary medicine is a huge and varied field, with many possibilities other than the traditional neighborhood clinic. There are small and large animal mobile practices, as well as opportunities in zoo, wildlife, research, industry, regulatory medicine and even opportunities working with movie or performance animals that might take you all over the world.
Day-to-day responsibilities, work conditions and salaries are all variable. The indeed list that was suggested gives a little overview, but a lot of those averages will depend on the region and exact type of workplace. Just for a few examples... vets working in the zoo or wildlife field may be actually out in the field some of the time, as well as in the hospital, pathology lab, or doing lots of reading and writing. In the research field, you could be doing primary bench research, clinical trials, nutrition and feeding studies, or you could be the veterinarian for the research animals, ensuring their health and well-being. Many of the specialties listed on the indeed list are actually clinical positions; to be a specialist you work in an internship or regular clinical practice, then do a residency to become board certified. There are almost as many specialties in veterinary medicine as there are in human medicine! Opportunities in industry include being in the product/medication development or testing field, or in technical advisory (helping vets in the field) or sales roles, which chan include a lot of travel.
There is no limited licensure; all veterinarians are licensed to work on all animal species, and we all take the same licensing exams. To this end, everyone begins with the same veterinary education (centered on dogs, cat, cows, horses and pigs, with some study also of birds and other species), usually at least for the first two years. As you get closer to the clinical years of your education, there will be more opportunity to study different specific species. In the clinical training years some schools have "tracking" in a specific species/field and some require each student to complete the same core clinics and then pursue electives. From there, you can write your own path.
The best ways to start are to talk to different veterinarians in different types of practice, and start making connections now that could help you decide your path and also turn into references. Talk to your counselors/advisors for information about local/in-state opportunities, and also visit the AAVMC website for good pre-vet information. As you get closer to applying, each vet school's admissions website will have more specific information about any requirements or outreach programs that they may have.
Visit https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/what-to-know-before-you-apply/pre-vet-student-resources/ for good general information
Talk to/visit with veterinarians in your area - try to visit different types of practices.
Talk to your advisors and counselors about pre-vet course study
Think about whether you want to go to college and vet school in your home state or elsewhere, and visit their websites/visit the campuses. (you do not need to go to undergrad and vet school at the same campus, but in-state tuition is usually less expensive)
Veterinary medicine is a huge and varied field, with many possibilities other than the traditional neighborhood clinic. There are small and large animal mobile practices, as well as opportunities in zoo, wildlife, research, industry, regulatory medicine and even opportunities working with movie or performance animals that might take you all over the world.
Day-to-day responsibilities, work conditions and salaries are all variable. The indeed list that was suggested gives a little overview, but a lot of those averages will depend on the region and exact type of workplace. Just for a few examples... vets working in the zoo or wildlife field may be actually out in the field some of the time, as well as in the hospital, pathology lab, or doing lots of reading and writing. In the research field, you could be doing primary bench research, clinical trials, nutrition and feeding studies, or you could be the veterinarian for the research animals, ensuring their health and well-being. Many of the specialties listed on the indeed list are actually clinical positions; to be a specialist you work in an internship or regular clinical practice, then do a residency to become board certified. There are almost as many specialties in veterinary medicine as there are in human medicine! Opportunities in industry include being in the product/medication development or testing field, or in technical advisory (helping vets in the field) or sales roles, which chan include a lot of travel.
There is no limited licensure; all veterinarians are licensed to work on all animal species, and we all take the same licensing exams. To this end, everyone begins with the same veterinary education (centered on dogs, cat, cows, horses and pigs, with some study also of birds and other species), usually at least for the first two years. As you get closer to the clinical years of your education, there will be more opportunity to study different specific species. In the clinical training years some schools have "tracking" in a specific species/field and some require each student to complete the same core clinics and then pursue electives. From there, you can write your own path.
The best ways to start are to talk to different veterinarians in different types of practice, and start making connections now that could help you decide your path and also turn into references. Talk to your counselors/advisors for information about local/in-state opportunities, and also visit the AAVMC website for good pre-vet information. As you get closer to applying, each vet school's admissions website will have more specific information about any requirements or outreach programs that they may have.
Elizabeth F recommends the following next steps:
Nirah Shomer, DVM PhD DACLAM
Senior leader in laboratory animal science, animal welfare, and regulatory compliance
63
Answers
Updated
Nirah’s Answer
I’m so glad you asked that question, because there are many types of veterinarian other than the “standard vet”.
By standard Vet, I am going to assume that you mean a clinical vet who works with companion animals such as dogs and cats, in a conventional clinic setting where there is daily interaction with pet owners. That’s more or less the equivalent of a general practitioner in human medicine. There are of course veterinarians who specialize in certain species, including horses, food and farm animals, poultry, reptiles, wildlife, zoo animals, etc. There are also vets that specialize in certain aspects of medicine, such as radiology, cardiology, surgery, pathology, dermatology and allergies, etc. All of the above usually requires additional advanced training and certification beyond the four years of vet school.
However, it sounds like you’re looking for something even more off the beaten path. Did you know that veterinarians are critically involved in assuring human health and safety? Veterinarians working for the United States Department of agriculture inspect all meat before it is allowed to enter the human food chain. They work in ports and inspect incoming shipments of live animals, and are responsible for making sure that no exotic diseases get into our country. Veterinarians work in infectious disease labs, researching vaccines and cures for diseases that affect animals and people. Veterinarians also work for the military. Veterinarians also act as inspectors for USDA, ensuring the welfare of animals in research facilities, zoos, exhibits, and similar venues. Many of the above mentioned government jobs don’t require any additional formal training, and you can enter them right after graduating from vet school.
You should consider what aspects of veterinary medicine excite you and then think about what career matches that best. Veterinarians have to learn a tremendous amount about biology and physiology in order to be able to diagnose and treat many different species of animals. It makes us fantastic scientists, and many of us follow a career in a scientific path. However, some of us just love working with animals and want to be knee-deep in four footed friends all day. As a vet, you can have a job where you never leave the office, or a job where you never leave the outdoors. For that matter, you could have a job where you never see a live animal at all, and spend your days diagnosing diseases from microscopic samples on a slide or radiographs on a screen.
By standard Vet, I am going to assume that you mean a clinical vet who works with companion animals such as dogs and cats, in a conventional clinic setting where there is daily interaction with pet owners. That’s more or less the equivalent of a general practitioner in human medicine. There are of course veterinarians who specialize in certain species, including horses, food and farm animals, poultry, reptiles, wildlife, zoo animals, etc. There are also vets that specialize in certain aspects of medicine, such as radiology, cardiology, surgery, pathology, dermatology and allergies, etc. All of the above usually requires additional advanced training and certification beyond the four years of vet school.
However, it sounds like you’re looking for something even more off the beaten path. Did you know that veterinarians are critically involved in assuring human health and safety? Veterinarians working for the United States Department of agriculture inspect all meat before it is allowed to enter the human food chain. They work in ports and inspect incoming shipments of live animals, and are responsible for making sure that no exotic diseases get into our country. Veterinarians work in infectious disease labs, researching vaccines and cures for diseases that affect animals and people. Veterinarians also work for the military. Veterinarians also act as inspectors for USDA, ensuring the welfare of animals in research facilities, zoos, exhibits, and similar venues. Many of the above mentioned government jobs don’t require any additional formal training, and you can enter them right after graduating from vet school.
You should consider what aspects of veterinary medicine excite you and then think about what career matches that best. Veterinarians have to learn a tremendous amount about biology and physiology in order to be able to diagnose and treat many different species of animals. It makes us fantastic scientists, and many of us follow a career in a scientific path. However, some of us just love working with animals and want to be knee-deep in four footed friends all day. As a vet, you can have a job where you never leave the office, or a job where you never leave the outdoors. For that matter, you could have a job where you never see a live animal at all, and spend your days diagnosing diseases from microscopic samples on a slide or radiographs on a screen.