How to Become a Veterinarian

A veterinarian diagnoses and administers medical care to animals. These may be pets, farm animals, or wild animals. Generally, a veterinarian will specialise in a particular kind of animal, although they will have the knowledge to administer basic treatments on all of them.

Veterinarians work with animals to diagnose illnesses and treat them. They are generally involved in all aspects of animal welfare, although many specialise into a particular area.

Some veterinary specialisms are: dental, emergency care, surgical, cardiac, and orthopaedic. While any veterinarian will be able to administer basic treatment in these areas, some conditions will need an expert.

The duties of a veterinarian include: 

• Working in a surgery to diagnose animals with illnesses and injuries at scheduled appointments. They may do this in the initial appointment, or conduct further tests such as blood samples and x-rays.
• Prescribing medicine.
• Arranging and performing operations on animals. 
• Doing routine health checks on animals and giving them vaccinations to stop contagious diseases. 
• Putting animals to sleep when necessary – this includes animals who are terminally ill or have had a significant injury.
• Administrative duties, including recording appointments. 
• Visiting farms, where they will examine animals and perform medical treatment.

To become a veterinarian, candidates must have a degree in veterinary medicine. This generally takes around five years, although some candidates may be able to fast track if they have a related educational or vocational background. They will then need to register with the relevant board for their country before applying for positions.

To achieve specialist status in a certain area, a candidate will generally need to take a postgraduate course. 

Work experience is crucial for anyone wanting to become a vet. Candidates can find vacancies in veterinary practices, potentially first working as a receptionist while training. They could also consider volunteering in local kennels, or with animal welfare charities. 

As well as a solid grounding of biology and animal medicine, which will be taught throughout the veterinary medicine degree, veterinarians should demonstrate a range of other skills. As they will be performing complicated procedures at times, they need to have thorough accuracy and attention to detail. They should also be independent, as they will have the authority to make quick decisions in regards to the animal’s welfare.

This is a customer-facing role; customers will either be paying upfront for their services or paying for pet insurance. Therefore, customer satisfaction is a priority for veterinarians. They may sometimes need to explain difficult situations to a customer, such as why their pet should be put down, so they should be able to express empathy and have a calm persona.

Veterinarians will generally work at a veterinary practice, although specialists may also work in a laboratory. Some veterinarians will progress to managing their own practice and may be in charge of a small team of other veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and receptionists. 

Working hours can be irregular, particularly for accident and emergency veterinarians, who will often work on-call. Other veterinarians may be expected to work evenings and at weekends.

Veterinarians can specialise in different illnesses and injuries throughout their career, or move to a focus on big animals or wild animals. Some veterinarians move into wildlife conservation. It is also possible to shift into a research or teaching role.