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Researched by Monica S.
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Research Summary
A veterinarian is someone who helps animals in need. They help
them by giving them vaccinations medicine so they don’t get diseases like
the West Nile virus and rabies and other diseases that can hurt not just
them, but people too. There are more than 55,000 veterinarians in
the United States. One third of them treat only small animals.
Veterinarians have a big responsibility. They have to help animals
when they are sick or injured. They also keep animals healthy. They
sometimes use dissolvable stitches that just dissolve in the body of the
animal.
Job Responsibilities
Veterinarians diagnose problems, treat illnesses and injuries, and keep
good report
Veterinarians have a responsibility for helping animals. They
also have a responsibility to people. They make sure that farm animals
don’t have any diseases because we eat and drink the food they produce.
Veterinarians also have a responsibility to prevent problems for animals
as much as they can. They give vaccinations against diseases like
rabies or distemper. They give advice to customers about caring for
their animals.
Work Schedule
The average veterinarian works about 50 hours a week. Think about
it, that’s just the average! Some veterinarians work from 80 to 90 hours
a week. Veterinarians sometimes get holidays off, but they can be
called at any time, if the office really needs them.
Where They Work
Many veterinarians work in an office, where they examine animals, and
run tests. They also do surgery and treat animals at the offices.
Veterinarians work on farms taking care of large animals and cattle.
Veterinarians work at houses when they get house calls. Veterinarians
also work at labs doing research. Some also work at colleges when
teaching other people how to become a veterinarian.
Different Kinds of Veterinarians
There are about 6 different kinds of veterinarians. There are small animal veterinarians who take care of house pets such as cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and even lizards. Then there are the large animal veterinarians or farm animal veterinarians. They take care of animals such as cows and horses and other livestock. Zoo veterinarians treat zebras, monkeys and all the other animals in the zoo. Also there are the industrial veterinarians that check animals for diseases because they produce things that we eat and drink. If it wasn’t for them we might have diseases too. Then there are the people that teach other people about becoming a veterinarian. Finally there are research vets that discover diseases other veterinarians can’t find or create new medicines or treatments.
Tools Used
Veterinarians use a lot of different tools you would normally find in
a regular hospital like thermometers, stethoscopes, syringes, and microscopes.
They use x-ray machines to check the animals. They also use most
of the same tools for surgery including scalpels, anesthesia, needle, thread,
and IV equipment. They also use beds, sort of like a regular hospital,
as well as cages.
Good Aspects
The good aspects of being a veterinarian are you can treat your own
animals on your days off. You also get to examine animals and help
them get better. You also get paid a decent wage.
Not so good aspects
One not so good aspect about being a veterinarian is if you have to put an animal to sleep. You also have to watch the animals suffer if you can’t do anything about their problem. Then there are the late hours and the early calls to the office. You also have to stay later at the office to do some tests.
Training
To become a veterinarian you need a high school diploma but you also
need a medical degree. To become a veterinarian you must go to vet school.
Before vet school you take a Veterinary Aptitude Test, College Admission,
or the Graduate Record Examination. You also need to take biology
and chemistry in high school. When you go to vet school you have
to go to 4 years of vet school.
History
Veterinarians started around 900 B.C. among Mid Eastern shepherds.
Veterinarian skills developed further in the hands of Egyptians from about
400 to 300B B.C. Ancient Egyptians understood veterinary anatomy.
The first vet school was in Lyons, France later known as the Royal Veterinary
School. The word "veterinarian" is a Latin word coming from the words
"horse doctor".
Personal Skills
A veterinarian needs personal skills like a helping, caring attitude.
You also need teaching skills so you can teach other people to take care
of their animals. It would be good to have technical skills
so you can work the machines and tools you use in a veterinarian office.
It would also be good to have scientific knowledge so you can study and
run tests on animals. You need to know how to solve problems too.
You must be intelligent. If you aren’t intelligent you can’t help
the animals and run tests and figure out problems. You also must
be kind.
Advancement
The advancement for a veterinarian is to get into a higher position
like research. You can also get paid more the longer you work at
a veterinarian office or the more clients you see.
Number of Jobs in the US
There are currently more than 55,000 veterinarians in the US.
More than half of those treat small animals such as cats, dogs or basically
any house pets. Only 10% treat only large animals such as cattle.
At least 4% specialize in horses. The rest treat both small and big
animals. More than 10,000 vets work in corporation or public institutes.
Large animal vets work primarily with livestock. Small animal vets
give vaccinations, do parasite control, and spay and neuter animals.
Large animal vets usually treat more than one individual animal.
Large animal surgery and medicine are usually done in barns.
Classes needed in 5th 6th and 7th
To prepare yourself for becoming a veterinarian when you’re in school
you should start taking certain classes. You should take language
and communication skills, social sciences, humanities, mathematics, chemistry,
and the biological and physical sciences.
Best Websites
www.avma.org, www.hsus.org,
www.kindnews.org
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