| A veterinarian (from Latin veterinae, | | | | acceptance into either a medical school or a |
| "draught animals") is an animal doctor, a | | | | top Law School than to meet the GPA |
| practitioner of veterinary medicine. Although | | | | requirements for most veterinary schools. |
| veterinarians hold doctoral degrees in | | | | This situation occurs mostly because there |
| veterinary medicine, not all veterinarians | | | | are far fewer schools, allowing the schools |
| enter clinical practice. Those that work in | | | | to be much more selective. According to the |
| clinical settings practice medicine in | | | | US Department of Labor, only 1 in 3 |
| specific fields, such as companion animal or | | | | applicants were accepted into a veterinary |
| "pet" medicine, reptile medicine, ratite | | | | program in 2002. Prerequisites for admission |
| medicine, livestock medicine, equine medicine | | | | include the undergraduate studies listed |
| (e.g. sports, race track, show, rodeo), or | | | | under veterinary medicine and extensive |
| laboratory animal medicine. Other | | | | veterinary experience (typically about 500 or |
| veterinarians research areas of human | | | | more hours) in private practice or other |
| medicine, veterinary medicine, and | | | | veterinary environment. The average |
| pharmacology. Research veterinarians were the | | | | veterinary medical student has an |
| first to isolate oncoviruses, Salmonella | | | | undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a GRE score of |
| species, Brucella species, and various other | | | | approximately 1800. US graduates are awarded |
| pathogenic agents. They also helped conquer | | | | either a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) |
| malaria and yellow fever; solved the mystery | | | | or the less common Veterinary Medical Doctor |
| of botulism; produced an anticoagulant used | | | | (VMD) degree, depending upon the traditions |
| to treat human heart disease; and developed | | | | of the veterinary school. |
| surgical techniques for humans, such as | | | | |
| hip-joint replacement, and limb and organ | | | | Public health medicine is another option for |
| transplants. | | | | veterinarians. Veterinarians in government |
| | | | and private laboratories provide diagnostic |
| Like all physicians, veterinarians must make | | | | and testing services. Some veterinarians |
| serious ethical decisions about their | | | | serve as state epidemiologists, directors of |
| patients' care. There is ongoing debate over | | | | environmental health, and directors of state |
| the ethics of performing certain | | | | or city public health departments. |
| controversial procedures, like declawing cats | | | | Veterinarians are also employed by the US |
| and docking tails, cropping ears, and | | | | Agriculture Research Service, Fish and |
| debarking dogs. In some countries, these | | | | Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection |
| procedures are illegal, and therefore their | | | | Agency, National Library of Medicine, and |
| practice is contentious. The Veterinarian's | | | | National Institutes of Health. The military |
| Oath was adopted by the American Veterinary | | | | also employs veterinarians in a number of |
| Medical Association's House of Delegates July | | | | capacities - caring for pets on military |
| 1969, and amended by the AVMA Executive | | | | bases, caring for military working animals, |
| Board, November 1999. It goes as follows: | | | | and controlling various arthropod-borne |
| | | | diseases or other such things. |
| "Being admitted to the profession of | | | | |
| veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use | | | | Veterinary medicine is the application of |
| my scientific knowledge and skills for the | | | | medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic |
| benefit of society through the protection of | | | | principles to companion, domestic, exotic, |
| animal health, the relief of animal | | | | wildlife, and production animals. Veterinary |
| suffering, the conservation of animal | | | | Science is concerned with the scientific |
| resources, the promotion of public health, | | | | basis of animal production, health and |
| and the advancement of medical knowledge. | | | | disease. It requires the acquisition and |
| | | | application of scientific knowledge in |
| I will practice my profession | | | | several disciplines and uses technical skills |
| conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping | | | | towards the solution of animal production, |
| with the principles of veterinary medical | | | | health, management and welfare problems. |
| ethics." | | | | |
| | | | Veterinary medicine is informally as old as |
| Some veterinarians work in a field called | | | | the human/animal bond but in recent years has |
| regulatory medicine - ensuring the nation's | | | | expanded exponentially because of the |
| food safety by working with the USDA FSIS, or | | | | availability of advanced diagnostic and |
| work by protecting us from imported exotic | | | | therapeutic techniques for most species. |
| animal diseases by working for the USDA | | | | Animals nowadays often receive advanced |
| APHIS. The emerging field of conservation | | | | medical, dental, and surgical care including |
| medicine involves veterinarians even more | | | | insulin injections, root canals, hip |
| directly with human health care, providing a | | | | replacements, cataract extractions, and |
| multidisciplinary approach to medical | | | | pacemakers. |
| research that also involves environmental | | | | |
| scientists. | | | | Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, |
| | | | quantity, and security of food supplies by |
| More than 3,800 veterinarians in the USA | | | | working to maintain the health of livestock |
| currently work at veterinary schools where | | | | and inspecting the meat itself. Veterinary |
| they teach student vets what they need to | | | | scientists are very important in chemical, |
| know to graduate - teaching is another career | | | | biological, and pharmacological research. |
| path for a veterinarian. | | | | |
| | | | In many countries, equine veterinary medicine |
| Veterinary school is a tertiary educational | | | | is also a specialized field. Clinical work |
| institution, or part of such an institution, | | | | with horses involves mainly locomotor and |
| which is involved in the education of future | | | | orthopaedic problems, digestive tract |
| veterinary practitioners (veterinarians). The | | | | conditions (including equine colic, which is |
| entry criteria, structure, teaching | | | | a major cause of death among domesticated |
| methodology and nature of veterinary programs | | | | horses), and respiratory tract infections and |
| offered at veterinary schools vary | | | | disorders. |
| considerably around the world. In the U.S., a | | | | |
| doctorate of veterinary medicine degree | | | | As in the human medical field, veterinary |
| (D.V.M.) (Or in the Veterinary Medical School | | | | medicine (in practice) requires a diverse |
| at the University of Pennsylvania, a degree | | | | group of individuals to meet the need of |
| of veterinary medical doctor (V.M.D.) is | | | | patients. In addition to veterinarians, many |
| awarded) is a four-year program. The program | | | | veterinary hospitals utilize a team of |
| generally consists of 21D2 to 3 years of | | | | veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants |
| mostly traditional classroom coursework | | | | to completely care for healing, critical and |
| followed by the clinical rotations. | | | | well animals. Veterinary nurses are generally |
| Currently, unlike human medical school, a | | | | registered as "veterinary technicians" in |
| subsequent internship and/or residency are | | | | most states and are legally qualified to |
| not required, but are optional to those who | | | | assist veterinarians in many medical |
| choose to seek further education and possible | | | | procedures. Veterinary assistants, who are |
| accreditation. Unsurprisingly, the number of | | | | not licensed by most states, but can be |
| veterinarians pursuing internships and/or | | | | well-trained at facilities such as The School |
| residencies will continue to increase as the | | | | for Veterinary Assistants, are also becoming |
| understanding of veterinary medicine | | | | increasingly in-demand in the veterinary |
| continues to grow greater. A good | | | | industry due to a wide range of treatments |
| veterinarian enjoys working with animals and | | | | and services being offered to meet the higher |
| their owners. Admission into veterinary | | | | expectations of pet owners in the United |
| medical school is so competitive that in the | | | | States. |
| United States it is far easier to gain | | | | |