Kelsey Ewell

BUS 1010
April 17, 2015

Assessing the Veterinary Career and its

Relation to Business
General Overview
Veterinarians are health care providers who tend to the needs of animals, this includes
companion animals, exotics (reptiles, birds, etc.), livestock (i.e. equine or large animal
veterinarians), zoo, laboratory animals, meat inspection, and government institutions. The
majority of veterinarians work with house pets (dogs, cats, etc.) in private clinic. Very few work
as equine veterinarians who treat horses and other farm animals, these veterinarians specialize in
food safety and inspection (health conditions), and check for illnesses that can be transmitted to
humans. Veterinarians must also have compassion with the animals and their owners, they have
to have good decision-making skills, good interpersonal skills or communication skill, and strong
problem-solving skills (McKay, 2015). Veterinary science is a competitive career so many
veterinarians use word of mouth to gain new clients, they may also utilize social media, and
the yellow pages (Kirkland, 2015).

Job Description
A typical day consists of examinations to diagnose the animals health problems, vaccinations
against diseases such as distemper and rabies, medicating animals, treating and dressing wounds,
surgeries (such as dentals, orthopedic, and soft tissue surgeries), advising owners about their
animals needs, and euthanasia of animals when required (McKay, 2015). Some veterinarians
aid in research to prevent or treat various human health problems, some examples are conquering
yellow fever and malaria. They are involved with defining and developing surgical techniques
for humans, like limb and organ transplants and joint replacement. Some are involved in

regulating sanitation and food purity as well as safe guarding the countrys food supplies by
examining imports as well as exports in order to prevent the spread of disease (Wadhwa, 2012).
Once a veterinarian climbs higher in their career they have to become more involved with the
business policies, pricing, decision making, conflicts, and a lot of human resources (HR). This
could include making sure that the prices are fair, scheduling employees, what to continue to
practice, or what to bring into the practice to ensure the practice of high quality of medicine
(Kirkland, 2015). When managing the staff, many believe that you should lead by example
(entrain), give your employees structure, but also the freedom to speak freely, and the ability to
do what is right for the animals. To allow them to have the motivation and creativity to do their
jobs and give them the ability to help solve problems keeps employees positive and increases the
level of pet care (Huston, 2015).

General Career Path

It is better to start early if you wish to become a veterinarian and many will start as early as
middle school or high school. When you are in college, chose a degree that will provide you
with the best match in biological and physical sciences. You are required to have a high grade
point average (3.5 or higher), letters of recommendation, graduate record examinations (GRE or
MCAT), and some require clinical experiences or volunteer work at a veterinary hospital
(Sciences, Steps to Becoming a Veterinarian, 2015). If accepted in to an accredited veterinary
school you then begin the intense study of veterinary science for approximately four years. After
veterinary school, there are a few fields that you could go into, 1) private practice, 2) public
practice (working for the government), 3) military veterinarians, 4) teaching and research, and 4)
wildlife (zoos, aquariums, wildlife conservations, etc.). In the private practice you could chose

to work for someone or work for yourself by owning your own practice (Sciences, Potential
Career Paths, 2015).

General Education Experience

In order to become a veterinarian you are required to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
(D.V.M or V.M.D) degree from an accredited college or university of veterinary medicine. You
are not required to have a bachelors degree; however, having one improves your chances of
getting accepted into your college of choice (McKay, 2015). If the student wishes to obtain a
bachelors degree which in its self is a four year degree they would likely take microbiology,
animal management, anatomy and physiology, animal nutrition, and equine care (Study.com,
2013-2015). This is a four year program that must be taken at a school that is accredited by the
Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). This can be
from one of the 28 colleges, reported in 2012, which reside in 26 states (Wadhwa, 2012). To be
able to practice in the United States you must have a license in addition to graduating from a
veterinary program. To become licensed you have to pass the North American Veterinary
Licensing Exam (NAVLE) administered by the state you wish to practice in (McKay, 2015). In
some cases it is required for new graduates to enter an internship for one year or a three to four
year residency program if they wish to seek board certification (Wadhwa, 2012). It is also
possible to become certified in an area of specialization and the requirements vary by which
specialty you chose. This includes acquiring experience in that specific area, passing an exam,
spending extra time in school, by completing a three to four year residency program under direct
supervision of a veterinarian qualified to train residents (McKay, 2015). Courses that are
required for graduating in the veterinary field include anatomy, physiology, pharmacology,
microbiology, immunology, pathology, toxicology, biochemistry, surgical techniques, math,

animal science, etc. for a number of animal species (Association, 2015). After college and
veterinary school and once you have a job veterinarians are subjected to continuing education.
This is required by the state so they are able to keep up with new techniques and treatments of
various types of animals. Continuing education is usually in the form of a conference where they
are required to go yearly or every other year (Huston, 2015). If ownership is desired, then many
will look for opportunities to increase their business knowledge by attending some business
classes or getting a separate degree in business (Kirkland, 2015).

Average Salary
The salary for a veterinary depends on experience, location, and the types of patients, but on
average veterinarians make around $84,460 a year or $40.61 per hour estimated in 2012
(Statistics, 2014). However, since the career is growing fast so too is the average salary, in 2013
it was estimated at $96,140. The higher more experienced can earn more than $149,530 per
year, while the less experienced could earn up to $53,270 (Study.com, 2013-2015). The other
way that some veterinarians are paid is though commission which is determined by the place of
employment for a percentage of services that the veterinarian completed; however, if you own
the clinic then you are able to choose your own salary based on your profitability (Kirkland,
2015).

Career Outlook
Between the years 2012 to 2022 employment for veterinarians is anticipated to grow 12 percent
and is predicted to grow faster than most other occupations that require no less than a masters
degree (Statistics, 2014). This increase is mainly due to pet owners view of pets related to the
family unit; more and more pet owners are also purchasing pet insurance, which is an indicator

of increased amount spent on veterinary care. Because pet owners are more likely to peruse
cancer treatments and preventive dental care and many other procedures, they are more likely to
pay more for their animals. This increase will in turn increase the need for veterinarians within
the United States (Careerplanner.com, 1997-2015). Since the field is growing, it has become
more competitive, which is because of price variations. Price is mainly determined by how
qualified the veterinarians are and the quality of medical practice; in reality people get what
they pay for (Huston, 2015).

Bio of Dr. Tim Kirkland D.V.M

Dr. Kirkland decided that he wanted to become a veterinarian in junior high at the young age of
13. This is because of his desire to have the opportunity to do something different every day and
the ability to use the skills he has learned along with his deep desire to be like a detective. He
graduated high school from Seward High and college from University of Nebraska Lincoln. The
next four years were spent at Iowa State for his degree in veterinary science and specializing in
orthopedics. Because he had no help from his parents to pay for school be went into the National
Guard. Once he graduated from Iowa State he made his way west into Arizona where he worked
in a clinic for a few years, and then ultimately he moved to Utah. Where he is currently working
at Mountain View Animal Hospital in Sandy UT as the chief of staff and doctor of veterinary
medicine for approximately twelve years (Kirkland, 2015).

Advantages of the Career

Many believe that a main advantage to working as a veterinarian is that you are doing what you
feel passionate about. Many veterinarians boast the rewarding feeling of saving an animals life
or making it feel better and you have a versatile degree. There is the opportunity of owning your

own practice and you can become specialized in many different specialties and not just one (Pen,
2014). Another advantage is that you can chose the quality of medicine that you practice and the
level that you want to practice at (Huston, 2015).

Disadvantages of the Career

A major disadvantage is that the job takes a lot out of you so you can become easily burned out
or emotionally fatigued this is called compassion fatigue. If there is no possibility to save an
animal, then you will most likely have to perform a euthanasia or putting the animal down so
there is no more suffering. Many veterinarians are on call during weekends if they work at
emergency hospitals and are required to have long office hours (Pen, 2014). Even though there
is a lot of work that is required you are not always paid that well and it is less then what people
generally think (Kirkland, 2015).

My Fit in the Field

I have always enjoyed the company of animals and have always been good at taking care of
them. However, I have found that I am not cut out for veterinary science. Yet that hasnt
stopped me from getting involved. I want to help owners of veterinary clinics with their finances
so they can spend more time on the animals. I want to be an accountant for a veterinary hospital
and even help clients who dont have the finances to treat their animals. I feel that if I could
help, then there would be less suffering of animals due to finances. Even though I am not going
into the field I am still connected because I want to go into the business, financial side of
veterinary science.

References
Association, A. V. (2015). Veterinary Training. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from American Veterinary
Medical Association: https://www.avma.org/public/YourVet/Pages/training.aspx
Careerplanner.com. (1997-2015). Job Outlook for: Veterinarians. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from Career
Planner.com: http://job-outlook.careerplanner.com/Veterinarians.cfm
Huston, D. K. (2015, April 12). Associate Veterinarian, D.V.M. (K. Ewell, Interviewer)
Kirkland, D. T. (2015, April 13). Chief of Staff, D.V.M. (K. Ewell, Interviewer)
McKay, D. R. (2015). Veterinarian Career Information. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from About Careers:
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/veterinarian.htm
Pen, T. (2014). The Life of a Veterinarian. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from Value Penguin:
http://www.valuepenguin.com/life-of-veterinarian
Sciences, C. o. (2015). Potential Career Paths. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from Penn State:
http://vbs.psu.edu/majors/vbs/careers
Sciences, C. o. (2015). Steps to Becoming a Veterinarian. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from Penn State:
http://vbs.psu.edu/majors/vbs/steps-to-becoming-a-veterinarian
Statistics, B. o. (2014, January 8). Veterinarians. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from U.S. Department of
Labor: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm
Study.com. (2013-2015). Veterinarian Education Requirements and Career Info. Retrieved April 16, 2015,
from Study.com: http://study.com/veterinarian_education.html
Wadhwa, D. (2012). Veterinarians Job Description, Education and Salary Potential. Retrieved April 16,
2015, from U.S. News University Directory:
http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com/careers/veterinarians_12212.aspx#.VTAtpZPaNmx