The field of veterinary medicine is very diverse. Although a good number of Veterinary Medicine graduates tend to work every day with animals; howbeit, there are several other kinds of veterinarians too. Whether you’re a detail-oriented person or would rather concentrate on “the big picture;” a veterinary career is highly probable to fulfill your perfect professional life as well as work-life balance requirements.

This rundown below offers an outline of the main career options in this field. Ensure to enlighten yourself with the prospects, their role and responsibilities, their pay scale, and the prerequisites for gaining entrance into the field.

Different Types of Veterinarians and Their Salary Scale

1. Companion-Animal Veterinarians

This is, undoubtedly, among the most popular types of veterinarians. These will be the veterinarians who care for our cherished domestic pets. Pet veterinarians can also care for rabbits, smaller animals, birds, as well as reptiles.

Job Descriptions

Their daily duties are comparable with those of a human general practitioner or nurse. Companion-animal veterinarians provide overall treatment of animals, including illness diagnosis, vaccine administration, treatment of minor injuries as well as bone fractures, and drugs prescription.

They could also provide basic dental services, traditional invasive procedures, and tranquilize pets fast approaching the close of their lifespan.

Salary

A pet veterinarian’s annual salary is estimated to be approximately $90,000 on average. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 75% of veterinarians tend to be companion-animal veterinarians. However, becoming one requires a significant level of education.

Educational Requirements

Pet veterinarians (and all veterinarians) would earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) post-graduate degree. State rules differ, however, all eligible veterinarians will always obtain a NAVLE license before practicing.

2. Food-Animal Veterinarians

Food-animal veterinarians deal with farm livestock reared for milk and meat. Some are normally cattle, pigs, fowl, as well as sheep.

Job Descriptions

Their main duty is to guarantee the well-being of farm animals as a whole. This implies offering vaccines, performing examinations, as well as treating ailments. Interactions with farm owners will include discussions about their animals’ dwellings, feeding, hygiene, and overall health.

Food-animal veterinarians devote the bulk of their period to land-based farms and ranches, and they frequently journey across the country. They might also be hired as resident veterinarians on farms, by food producers, or by government departments to guarantee that welfare guidelines are adhered to.

Salary

The expected salary for this type of specialist varies depending on if they are board-certified or not. For example, board-certified food-animal veterinarians take home approximately $187,000 per year, while those without board certification collect approximately $103,000 per year.

Educational Requirements

A basic DVM and veterinary license are needed before you can be recognized as a food-animal vet. In addition, a year-long work experience or residency in an ideal location for at least three years is required. Typically, no extra education is necessary.

3. Veterinary Specialists

Sometimes an animal’s healthcare problems are just too sophisticated for a companion-animal vet and necessitate specially trained skills and experience. Here is where veterinary specialists enter the picture. Veterinarians, the same as human doctors, can concentrate on areas including dental care, anesthesiology, as well as surgery.

Job Descriptions

A surgery specialist is needed to accomplish more complicated procedures including cardiac surgeries and biopsies. They can also offer expertise in terms of species. Where veterinary specialists work will be determined by their specialty.

They would probably operate in a hospital that caters to a particular species or practice. A medical facility may indeed employ specialists as veterinary technicians. It’s more of an academic than just a practical position.

Salary

Salaries for various specialties differ, however since they are so precise, they tend to be on the upper end of the scale. Specialized veterinarians frequently earn more than $100,000 per year.

Education Requirements

Following completion of the DVM and acquiring a license, aspiring specialists should obtain practical experience in the profession in which they wish to focus. They would either fulfill a year-long traineeship or a threshold of three years of residency at a highly specialized practice to be able to qualify for certification in a specialized area.

Specialist veterinarians could also pursue board certification via extra training and internships/residency programs with top veterinarians. This implies a much better income, but it takes a while to attain.

4. Research Veterinarians

Each type of veterinarian is indispensable; however, research veterinarians are extremely crucial to the well-being of all living creatures.

Job Descriptions

They undertake exploratory reviews, as well as strive to improve methods of diagnostic testing, treating, and limiting animal ailment. They typically operate in laboratories for government agencies, biomedical research organizations, or academic institutions. They might even operate for pharmaceutical companies, where they assess as well as find cures.

Salary

A research veterinarian’s salary is on the better side of the spectrum due to the enormous training needed as well as their importance in the future of animal care. A research veterinarian’s annual salary is $122,500.

Educational Requirements

Becoming a research veterinarian traditionally necessitates academic credentials in addition to a basic DVM degree as well as a veterinary license. Research veterinarians typically require an extra MSc or Ph.D. in a relevant area.

5. Food Safety & Inspection Veterinarians

Food safety and inspection veterinarians, like food-animal veterinarians, devote significant amounts of time to ranches and regularly travel. They are crucial in guaranteeing that rules are followed. Nevertheless, instead of putting emphasis on the life quality and well-being of the animals, these veterinarians are focused on human safety.

Job Descriptions

They examine farms’ hygienic standards to ensure that meat and dairy are safe for consumption by humans. They afterward submit a report to their respective institutions, which react appropriately. If an animal becomes ill, these veterinarians can enforce containment to prevent the disease from continuing to spread further. They are also engaged in the screening of prescription drugs as well as substances provided to livestock.

Salary

To guarantee that guidelines are followed, safety inspection veterinarians generally operate with the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps even the US Food and Drug Administration. The average annual earnings for safety inspection veterinarians working for these agencies are $90,000.

Educational Requirements

A basic DVM and veterinary license are required to work as a food safety and inspection veterinarian. The organization that hires them can establish its own set of rules and guidelines that veterinarians will be required to follow.