Veterinarian Career Guide

From rabbits to dogs to turtles, animals are loving companions that have become family members to many people. When something is wrong with their beloved companion, pet owners trust the skills and compassion of a veterinarian to make things right. If you love animals and are interested in keeping them happy and healthy, you might want to consider becoming a veterinarian.

To become a veterinarian, you will need to complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. Typically, this program takes 4 years to complete.

No two days are alike for a veterinarian. You will get to examine different types of animals, see a variety of injuries and conditions, and utilize many diagnostic tools to determine the best plans of action. You never know what will come through the clinic door on any given day.

Mary Hope Kramer

Veterinarian Career Ratings

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Contribution

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Job Profiles

Real-Life Veterinarian Job Profiles

Below is a list of links to anonymous job profiles of REAL PEOPLE who have filled out our survey and offered to share their insights with our users about their job in the Veterinarian field.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33905	Veterinary Cardiology Resident	Male	30	$26,600	Madison, WI	01/01/2010
32562	Associate Veterinarian	Female	27	$76,000	Forest Park, IL	01/01/2010

Overview

What a veterinarian does

Veterinarians, or otherwise called ‘vets’, are responsible for caring for the health of animals – from dogs and cats, to lions, horses and anything in-between! Veterinarians can choose to work in a setting that best suits their interests. For example, they may want to work with large farm animals and will therefore set up a private practice in a rural farmland where they can work with cows, horses, pigs, and other large animals. Veterinarians can also seek work at a zoo, aquarium, or an animal research facilities. Most veterinarians, however, work in a veterinary clinic.

No matter where you choose to work, each day will bring a new challenge, from new diseases to handling a unique animal. Regardless of where a veterinarian works, their typical duties and responsibilities include:

Examining animals to assess their health and diagnose problems
Treating and dressing wounds
Performing surgery on various animals
Vaccinating animals against diseases
Operating medical equipment (e.g., x-ray machines)
Advising owners about general care of their pets
Informing owners on medical conditions and treatments
Prescribing medication
Euthanizing animals where necessary

Why they are needed

Just like humans, animals get sick and need medical care. Vets are needed to ensure that all animals receive the medical attention they need. Whether it’s farm animals who are bred for human consumption, or the animals we keep for companionship, vets are needed to treat these animals against diseases and other medical conditions.

The pros and cons of a career as a veterinarian

Pros:

Veterinarians are in high demands as more and more people are getting pets
Veterinarians tend to make a really good salary
If you like working with animals, then you will have high job satisfaction
It is a versatile career, as there are many different breeds of animals to work with
It is a rewarding role – you make furry friends and their families feel a lot better!

Cons:

It is a lengthy education and training process!
Vets can work very long hours, which can be exhausting
Vets will have to euthanise animals, which can be devastating and very difficult
Vets may get compassion fatigue because being exposed to heart-wrenching and emotional situations can take its toll emotionally

Employability

Job Market

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the employment of veterinarians is projected to grow 16% from 2019 to 2029, which is much faster that the average for all occupations.

This employment growth is expected because it is predicted that there will be an increase in consumers’ pet-related spending, which will create a demand for more vets. Similarly, veterinary medicine has advanced considerably. Therefore, veterinarians are able to offer many services that are comparable to healthcare for humans, including procedures for cancer treatments, which further creates a demand.

Career paths

To become a veterinarian you must complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. Students will take courses on animal anatomy and physiology, as well as disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Most programs include 3 years of classroom, laboratory, and clinical work. Students typically spend the final year of the 4-year program doing clinical rotations in a veterinary medical center or hospital.

Admission to veterinary programs are very competitive. In general, most applicants to veterinary schools have a bachelor’s degree which includes classes in science, including biology, chemistry, and animal science. Most veterinary programs also require math, humanities, and social science courses.

To have the best chances of getting accepted, aspiring veterinarians should aim to have experience working with veterinarians in clinics, or working with animals on a farm, at a stable, or in an animal shelter.

Example Job Titles for Veterinarian

Below is a list of common job titles in the Veterinarian field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for veterinarians was $95,4600 in 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $58,080 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $160,780.

The top paying industry was social advocacy organizations, where the median annual salary was $97,010. This was followed by veterinary services ($95,500), the government ($90,500) and finally educational services ($80,800).

Autonomy and flexibility

Veterinarians are typically the most senior people at their workplace. They are often in charge of instructing veterinary assistants and deciding what course of treatment an animal should have. Therefore, their autonomy is likely to be high. Flexibility is likely to be lower, as vets often work long hours and may not have a huge amount of control over their schedule.

Locations and commute

According to Zippia, the best states to be a veterinarian, based on average annual salary and number of job opportunities available, are:

Utah, where the average annual salary is $138,748
Kansas, where the average annual salary is $127,678
Alaska, where the average annual salary is $124,322
Texas, where the average annual salary is $117,770
North Dakota, where the average annual salary is $150,805

The worst states, according to Zippia, are Louisiana, Florida, Maine, Kentucky and Hawaii.

Work environment

The largest employed of veterinarians in the United States was veterinary services, which employed 76% of all veterinarians. 14% of vets were self-employed workers, 3% were employed by the government, 1% by educational services and 1% by social advocacy organizations.

Most vets will work in private clinics and animal hospitals. However, they can also work in laboratories, classrooms, zoos or travel to farms and ranches, where they may have to work outdoors.

The work of a vet can be incredibly emotionally stressful. They may have to care for abused animals, euthanize sick ones, offer support to pet owners or attend emergencies in slaughterhouses. Vets are also at risk of being bitten, kicked and scratched by distressed (or mean!) animals.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Veterinarian careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Veterinarian career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Veterinarian.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

ISFP
INFP

Big Five (OCEAN)

Agreeableness

DISC

None

Enneagram

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Personality types

It is very likely that successful veterinarians will be incredibly compassionate and caring individuals. However, with this compassion, they will also need to be independent, strong and profusely resilient. As a result, they are likely to be ISFPs or INFPs.

Accomplishment and mastery

As vets train for so long in order to become qualified and licensed, accomplishment is often quite high once they land their first job. Furthermore, throughout their career vets will always be learning, keeping their sense of accomplishment and mastery consistently high. They will also feel a huge sense of accomplishment each time they save an animals life.

Meaning and contribution

For as long as there are animals, the work of a vet will have incredibly high meaning and contribution. Whether they are working on farms to help with meat production, or treating our four-legged friends, they have the unique skills that no one else has!

Life fit

Most veterinarians work full time, often working more than 40 hours per week. Some work nights or weekends, and they may have to respond to emergencies outside of scheduled work hours.

Who will thrive?

Due to the commitment needed to becoming a vet and to the continuous career progression, those with a genuine passion for animals and excitement for a career as a vet are more likely to thrive and succeed. With this genuine interest and passion comes the ability to be understanding, compassionate and empathetic, which is needed to thrive as a vet. Due to the likelihood that medical emergencies will occur, individuals who remain calm, composed and work well under pressure are likely to thrive in a veterinary environment.

Who will struggle?

Individuals are likely to struggle if they aren’t physically fit enough to meet the requirements of leaning over or lifting heavy animals. Individuals will also struggle if they are not willing to commit to the educational commitments needed to become a vet, or to the long hours that accompany being a vet.

Individuals who prefer to work alone, rather than as part of a team, may also struggle with the teamwork and communication aspect of being a vet. Finally, those who cannot remain calm in unforeseen circumstances will struggle with the demands of this career.

Requirements

Quick Glance

Skills

Degrees

Skills and talents

Communication skills, as veterinarians must be able to communicate effectively with other members of their team and with the owners of the animals they are treating
Detail-orientation, as veterinarians must pay exceptional attention to detail in order to spot what is wrong with an animal.
Dexterity, as veterinarians must be able to control their hand movement and be precise when treating injuries
Leadership skills, as veterinarians may be responsible for leading a veterinary team
Compassion, as veterinarians must be respectful when treating animals and dealing with their owners
Problem-solving skills, as veterinarians need to be able to quickly figure out what is wrong with an animal and determine the best course of treatment
The ability to work well under pressure, as veterinarians will face emergencies often and must be able to remain calm and level-headed throughout them

Education

Veterinarian will need to complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. Typically, this program takes 4 years to complete and has a mixture of classroom learning and hands on clinical experience. In general, most applicants to veterinary schools will have a bachelor’s degree which includes classes in science, including biology, chemistry, and animal science.

Certificates

In all states, veterinarians must be licensed in order to practice. Licensing requirements vary by state, but prospective veterinarians in all states must complete an accredited veterinary program and pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination.

In addition to passing the national exam, most states require that veterinarians pass a state licensing exam. However, veterinarians employed by state or federal government may not need a state license, because government agencies differ in what they require.

How to Become

Veterinarians are responsible for caring for the health of animals – from dogs to turtles to lions and elephants. Veterinarians can work with large farm animals, at a zoo, aquarium, in animal research facilities or in a veterinary clinic. They have great employment prospects as more and more people are getting pets, and thus creating a demand.

Immediate action

It is hard to do anything immediately, apart from to consider applying for relevant undergraduate degrees. In general, you should aim to complete a bachelor’s degree which includes classes in science, including biology, chemistry, and animal science.

Education and learning

FAQs

Ask a Question

Have a question about Veterinarian careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33905	Veterinary Cardiology Resident	Male	30	$26,600	Madison, WI	01/01/2010
32562	Associate Veterinarian	Female	27	$76,000	Forest Park, IL	01/01/2010

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