About Pre-Veterinary Medicine

(Excerpt from the following website: American Veterinary Medical Association)

"Doctors of Veterinary Medicine are medical professionals, whose primary responsibility is protecting the health and welfare of animals and people.  Veterinarians diagnose and control animal diseases, treat sick and injured animals, prevent the transmission of animal diseases ("zoonoses") to people, and advise owners on proper care of pets and livestock. They ensure a safe food supply by maintaining the health of food animals. Veterinarians are also involved in wildlife preservation and conservation and public health of the human population.

Today's veterinarians are members of an important health profession. In taking the veterinarian's oath, a doctor solemnly swears to use his or her scientific knowledge and skills "for the benefit of society, through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge."

Today more than 58,000 veterinarians are professionally active in the United States. They provide a wide variety of services in private clinical practice, teaching, research, government service, public health, military service, private industry, and other areas."

"The pluses and minuses of a veterinary career vary. They depend on the stage of a veterinarian's career, the type of practice, and the veterinarian's likes and dislikes. The primary reward for all veterinarians is the personal satisfaction in knowing that they are improving the quality of life for animals and people.  

Veterinarians who are employed by government agencies, laboratories, colleges, and commercial firms often have responsibility for large health programs and may manage large numbers of people.

Most veterinarians work in private clinical practice, which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Veterinarians in private clinical practice gain satisfaction from helping owners keep their animals well and from treating sick and injured animals.

Veterinarians in private practice serve a variety of animals. This is especially true in companion animal practice because of the increased popularity of pet birds, small mammals (hamsters & gerbils), and fish. Today, a veterinarian may be treating llamas, catfish, or ostriches as well as cats, dogs, horses, cows, hogs, sheep, and goats.

Veterinarians usually treat companion and food animals in hospitals and clinics. Those in large animal practice also work out of well-equipped trucks or cars, and may drive considerable distances to farms and ranches. They may work outdoors in all kinds of weather. The chief risk for veterinarians is injury by animals; however, modern tranquilizers and technology have made it much easier for men and women to work on all types of animals.

Most veterinarians work 50 or more hours a week; however, about a fifth work 40 hours a week. Although those in private practice may work nights and weekends, the increased number of emergency clinics has reduced the amount of time private practitioners must be on call. Large animal practitioners tend to work more irregular hours than do those in small animal practice, industry, or government. Veterinarians who are just starting a practice tend to work longer hours.

Private clinical practitioners who own their own practice determine the nature of their practice and set their working hours. Because they are self-employed, most private clinical practitioners choose to work beyond normal retirement age."

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