Veterinarian Near Lapeer diagnoses, treats and cares for sick or injured animals. They perform surgeries and operate medical equipment, such as X-ray machines. They also advise animal owners on general care, feeding and sanitary measures, as well as medical conditions and treatment options.
Some veterinarians work in the public sector, advising on animal welfare issues and working with governments to shape legislation that protects people from diseases transmitted by animals. Others focus on research and development.
The first step for aspiring veterinarians is to attend college for a four-year degree. Once they’ve obtained an undergraduate degree in a field like animal science, biology or biochemistry, they can apply to veterinary school for specialized education and training in the vet profession.
During the first year of their veterinary studies, students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with animals through internships and externships. These opportunities are especially important to help a student determine what type of veterinarian they wish to become in the future. Many veterinary schools also host a white coat ceremony for their first-year students to mark their official entry into the profession.
Most veterinary students enter their second year with greater emphasis on clinical training and practice. During this time, students learn more about the types of patients they will encounter and work up a case to practice diagnostic skills. They also start to look for opportunities outside of classes to further their practical knowledge, such as assisting in surgeries, interacting with clients and working with laboratory animals.
After graduating from vet school, a new veterinarian will need to obtain the necessary licenses to practice in their state or region. The licensing process can take up to two years and may include a number of clinical rotations with different clinics and specialists. This is a critical time to make connections and build a network of support for the future.
It’s a good idea for veterinarians to keep records of all of their professional and volunteer experiences and to create profiles on social media such as LinkedIn to highlight their talents and achievements. This will make it easier for prospective employers to find them and match their skills with vacancies. It’s also a good idea for any career path to have a back-up plan, and it’s no different for a veterinarian.
Clinical Practice
For many people who choose to become veterinarians, clinical practice is the ultimate goal. This is where the full range of veterinary skills are put to use, treating and caring for domestic and wild animals from dogs and cats to pigs and horses. Clinical practice can be a very rewarding career path, but it is also one of the most stressful and demanding.
The work is often fast-paced, and clinics are typically understaffed. This can lead to frustration and burnout for vets, especially those who are juggling the demands of a family and other jobs. For these reasons, a recent survey found that 35% of veterinarians planned to decrease their clinical hours, and 7% plan to stop working entirely.
Another option for veterinarians is to focus on research and development, which allows them to make important contributions to human health as well as animal welfare. Veterinarians in this field often work at universities, colleges or government agencies and are responsible for finding new ways to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries. Some examples of significant discoveries made by researchers include vaccines for malaria and yellow fever, an anticoagulant used to prevent blood clots after surgery, and treatment for West Nile virus infection.
Veterinarians who choose to be consultants can help general practitioners solve complex problems, such as how to treat an animal poisoned by a toxic plant or how to manage an epidemic of dog flu. This can be an excellent career choice for forward-thinking veterinarians who enjoy the challenge of identifying and filling gaps in existing services and business models.
Veterinarians who are interested in government-related careers may work for regulatory agencies at local, state or national levels. They are responsible for inspecting and quarantining international or domestic shipments of animals, testing for zoonotic diseases that could affect humans, managing campaigns to control pet overpopulation, and advising public health officials on issues related to the transmission of animal-borne illnesses. These are essential roles that keep the veterinary profession safe and healthy for both animals and people.
Public Health and Regulatory Compliance
Veterinarians often play a critical role in the public health sector, monitoring and controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases (diseases that are transmitted between animals and humans) and enforcing animal welfare laws. They may serve as epidemiologists in city, county and state or federal agencies investigating animal and human disease outbreaks, such as rabies, food-borne illnesses, and influenza.
In addition to preventing disease transmission between humans and animals, veterinarians also enforce meat, poultry and egg inspection procedures and animal welfare laws. These roles require significant travel to livestock and egg farms across the country, which can be challenging for family life. The government pays veterinary service members a competitive salary, including overtime.
Some veterinarians work in research and development, where they use their knowledge of biology, chemistry, immunology and other sciences to advance animal health care, develop vaccines and treat new diseases or conditions. This may be done at university, government or commercial laboratories, or independently in private practice.
Other responsibilities of a veterinarian include providing education to the general public, for example, about the dangers of walking dogs off-leash or allowing pets to sleep outside where they might be exposed to mosquitoes that can carry heartworm. In addition, they help control pet overpopulation by promoting spay/neuter programs and educating people about the importance of vaccination against dangerous diseases.
In the uniformed services, veterinarians are responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of government-owned animals, food safety, and medical research in underdeveloped or war-damaged countries. They are also a vital part of rebuilding and improving livestock and animal husbandry systems in these societies, which are heavily dependent upon animal agriculture for their food supply.
The majority of veterinary service members are employed by the federal government, at a variety of different agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency. Focus group participants reported that there are challenges to hiring veterinarians in federal positions not requiring direct patient care, such as those listed under the General Schedule 600 series (human medical). Incentives for veterinarians, including recruitment payments and time-and-a-half pay for overtime worked, can be helpful in attracting qualified applicants for these positions.
Research and Development
Many of the diseases and disorders that affect people also occur in animals, making veterinary research critical to the health of both humans and animals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recognized this need and established several programs to encourage veterinarians to pursue careers in biomedical research. These include training opportunities and loan repayment programs.
Many vets work for government agencies that focus on animal agriculture and food safety. These jobs often involve inspecting farms and slaughterhouses to ensure that animal welfare and food safety standards are being met. Governmental veterinary roles also often involve performing research to safeguard human and animal public health, especially by tracking and studying the spread of disease.
The interdisciplinary nature of the field of veterinary medicine makes it ideally suited for research aimed at One Health, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human and animal health. For example, a study of the physiology and pathology of a dog can yield insights that benefit the human patient with osteoarthritis or diabetes. In the same way, a study of the pharmacology and physiology of livestock can provide insights that improve the human food supply or combat new emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza and bovine spongiform encephalopathies.
Veterinary researchers use advanced diagnostic tools such as magnetic resonance imaging to better understand what is causing an animal’s illness. R&D into these technologies can lead to ways of improving the accuracy and speed of diagnosis. It can also help veterinarians to find less invasive, more cost effective ways of treating patients.
In a world full of unexpected risks, it is vital that veterinarians continue to do what they do best: help people and their pets live longer, healthier lives. This is possible only through continued investment in veterinary science. The inextricable link between humans and their animal companions makes it even more important that we protect both species from preventable illnesses. Thanks to veterinary research, many diseases that were once fatal have become treatable. However, there is still much work to be done.