Table of Contents
Job description
Veterinarians diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.
- Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
- Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
- Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
- Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
Become
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Veterinarians with little to no experience tend to make between $56540 and $73580 while the more experienced ones can earn over $122180 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| VA | $60 | $125,360 |
| TX | $60 | $124,060 |
| CA | $59 | $121,750 |
| AK | $58 | $121,010 |
| NJ | $58 | $120,700 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Veterinarian is to move to a higher paying state like VA. Right now, the highest paying states for Veterinarians are VA, TX, CA, AK and NJ.
However, a higher pay at VA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at VA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Veterinarian is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Veterinarians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a PhD followed by a First Professional Degree.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
| Veterinary Medicine |
| Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sciences, General |
| Veterinary Anatomy |
| Veterinary Physiology |
| Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Veterinarian.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally |
| Suitable for people who values achievements and are results-oriented |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
| Demand for this career is growing fast |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes to start and carry out projects |
| It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience is required for this career. |
| Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week) |
What is the job like
70% of Veterinarians said they were satisfied with their job and 85% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..
They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Learn more about Veterinarians
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| Is This Right For Me |
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Related career information
Veterinarians job description, Veterinarians salary, Veterinarians information, what is the job of a Veterinarian like, pros and cons about Veterinarians, colleges and universities for Veterinarians, is Veterinarians the right career for me, careers in Healthcare and Medical
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Additional resources
Last updated: April 28, 2020
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Veterinarians
diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.
