Types Of Veterinary Careers
A career in veterinary is a lucrative one and there are different types of veterinary careers. While most people think the job of a veterinarian is only to take care of pets, their jobs also include taking care of farm livestock and zoo animals. There are several types of veterinary careers such as veterinarians, animal care workers, technologists or veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants.
Veterinarians
This is one of the most sought after types of veterinary careers. If you are trying to become a licensed veterinarian, then you have to be prepared for rigorous studies. There is a strong competition for entrance into the study to become a veterinarian. The duration o courses are equally lengthy as candidates are required to have completed about 90 semester hours during the undergraduate study. There are some veterinary schools that will accept only holders of bachelor’s degree into their program. The salary package of these types of veterinary careers is also great as practitioners are expected to earn between $42,000 and $132,000 yearly depending on the level of experience. There are equally other veterinarians that work exclusively on inspection, food safety or research.
Veterinary Assistant
These ones work in zoos, animal shelters, research laboratories, and animal clinics. To be able work as a veterinary assistant, you need to have at least a high school diploma. These types of veterinary careers can equally be obtained online where you can obtain a degree. Veterinary assistants can earn from $19,000 to $36, 000 a year depending on the level of experience. Some of the major duties of a veterinary assistant include giving medications to sick animals, performing x-rays on animals, cleaning veterinarian’s instruments, cleaning exam rooms and offices, and record keeping.
You will also be required to care for the sick animal, including the ones that were recently operated upon.
Veterinary Technologist or Technician
The functions of a veterinary technician are quite similar to the functions of a veterinarian. They share the same relationships as physicians and nurses. As a veterinary technician, your duty will be to perform procedures and routine laboratory work, such as conducting test for blood samples. The veterinary technician equally helps the veterinarian to diagnose and treat animal diseases. The career is one of the most demanded types of veterinary careers and is equally lucrative. Other duties of a veterinary technologist are to vaccinate animals and euthanize severely injured or ill animals. With this career, you can also be able to work in wildlife management, pharmaceutical sales, or biomedical research. The average salary of a veterinary technician in the US is $26,000.
Animal Care Workers
These groups of people have the responsibility of taking proper care of animals including exercising animals, disinfecting and cleaning cages, feeding, bathing, and training animals. It is equally one of the most lucrative types of veterinary careers. There are several places an animal care worker can work including zoos, aquariums, stables, kennels, clinics, veterinary hospitals, and pet stores. The average salary of animal care workers is $26,000 according to the 2006 U.S. Bureau of labor.
