Running head: SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARIAN 1

Small Animal Veterinarian

Emily M. Paolone

Perquimans County High School

Small Animal Veterinarian

they motivate people to go outdoors and exercise, they entertain people, they assist on farms,

they assist police officers and firemen, they serve in the military, and they assist people with

physical and mental disabilities. They do so much for the good of the world, it is necessary that

humans keep them safe and healthy in return. Those who are extremely passionate about the

well-being of animals usually have a goal of pursuing a career in the field of animal science. The

most common and most educated career in the field of animal science is veterinary medicine.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Todays veterinarians are

the only doctors educated to protect the health of both animals and people. They work hard to

address the health and welfare needs of every species of animal. Veterinarians also play critical

roles in environmental protection, research, food safety, and public health (Veterinarians:

Protecting, 2017).

Small animal veterinarians are especially important to the health of animals and humans.

They diagnose, treat, and prevent health problems in small companions animals such as cats,

dogs, hamsters, birds, and rabbits (Small Animal Veterinarian, 2016). Without small animal

veterinarians, many animals would live shorter lives due to health issues that were not able to be

treated by a professional or treated at all. The usual job duties a small animal veterinarian has to

perform on a day-to-day basis include: administering vaccinations, prescribing medications,

dressing wounds, performing surgery, ordering diagnostic tests, performing euthanasia, and

counseling owners regarding general care, behavior, nutrition or breeding (Small Animal

Veterinarian, 2016).
SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARIAN 3

The first step in becoming a small animal veterinarian is taking pre-veterinary courses as

an undergraduate; this usually includes courses such as chemistry, physics, biology, nutrition,

zoology, microbiology, and mathematics. Taking these prerequisite courses will help prepare one

for the required veterinary school entrance examination. Taking the required veterinary school

entrance examination is the second step in becoming a small animal veterinarian. The test is

usually the Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT), the Graduate Record Examination

(GRE), or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) (Small Animal Veterinarian, 2016).

After taking one of the aforementioned examinations, the third step is to gain physical

experience working with animals, while also earning a bachelors degree in science in order to

get into veterinary school. This will lead to the fourth step, which is to complete four more years

of college at a veterinary school and earn a doctor of veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) degree. Once

one has earned their D.V.M. degree, they are finished with college, but not with education of

veterinary medicine completely. The fifth and final step in becoming a small animal veterinarian

is to earn a license to practice veterinary medicine in the United States. Depending on the state,

the requirements for earning this license can vary (Small Animal Veterinarian, 2016). Once all

of these steps are completed, one may choose to start their own practice or intern at another.

Most veterinarians decide to start their career by interning in a clinic that has already been a

business for some time. Once one is ready to become an entrepreneur at their own clinic, they

may have to have additional training, as well as occasional workshops, teaching, and research

opportunities.

As of 2014, there was a total of 78,300 veterinarian careers. From then to 2024, there is

an expected job outlook of 9%, which is a faster growth than average. This expected job outlook

percentage is said to grow the 78,300 veterinarian careers by 6,900, totalling at about 85,200
SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARIAN 4

veterinarian careers by 2024. On average, in May 2015, the median salary for veterinarians was

$88,490, or $42.50 per hour (Veterinarians: Occupational, 2017). This average salary is also

expected to grow each year, along with the number of veterinary careers.

Even with the expected job growth in veterinarian jobs, veterinarians still face many

challenges today. Some major challenges veterinarians, or veterinarians in training, face are the

limited number of veterinary schools, the possibility of relocation, a strong competition for jobs,

major stress, dealing with pet owners, and working extended hours including weekends and

some holidays (Cost vs Reward, 2017). Some other examples of issues veterinarians face

today are the growing issues of Zika virus infections in the United States, new veterinary feed

directives and regulations, and pet food and other pet product recalls and alerts (Hot Issues,

2017). While facing these challenges, veterinarians have to be able to make proper decisions

based on the animals needs.

Quick decision making skills are also necessary, typically every day. Whatever the issue

an animal has, the veterinarian has to be able to quickly evaluate the options of what the problem

could be. Based off of the symptoms an animal has and the medical history of the animal, the

veterinarian should be able to decide what virus, infection, disease, or disorder the animal has.

The veterinarian also has to be able to make a decision of how to treat the animal based off of the

possible health issues it has.

The largest reward of going into the veterinary medicine field, according to Doctorly.org,

is that Veterinarians play a significant role in saving the lives of pets, who are often viewed as a

member of the family. The service they are able to provide creates constant gratifying

experiences and a deep sense of job satisfaction in that respect (Cost vs Reward, 2017).
SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARIAN 5
SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARIAN 6

References
Cost vs Reward of Veterinary School (2017). Retrieved March 09, 2017, from

http://doctorly.org/cost-vs-reward-of-veterinary-school/

Hot Issues (2017). Retrieved March 09, 2017, from

https://www.avma.org/News/Issues/Pages/default.aspx

Small Animal Veterinarian: Career Summary, Employment Outlook, and Education

Requirements (2016). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from

http://learn.org/articles/Small_Animal_Veterinarian_Career_Summary_Employment_Out

look_and_Education_Requirements.html

Veterinarians: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015,

December 17). Retrieved March 09, 2017, from

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm

Veterinarians: Protecting the Health of Animals and People. (2017). Retrieved March 08, 2017,

from https://www.avma.org/public/YourVet/Pages/Veterinarians.aspx