Career as a Veterinarian

Veterinarians are professionals who care for pets, birds, livestock, sporting and laboratory animals, and protect humans against diseases carried by animals. Veterinary sciences also include breeding and scientific handling of livestock. Veterinarians diagnose medical problems, dress wounds, set broken bones, perform surgery, prescribe and administer medicines, and vaccinate animals against diseases.

Job Prospects
The profession has emerged from its various metamorphoses as a field which requires a combination of advanced practical, adaptable professional skills and an expanding potential to contribute scientifically and politically.

Veterinary science offers a large number of avenues of work and the demand for Veterinary doctors has increased tremendously. Veterinarians can choose to work with the government animal husbandry departments, poultry farms, dairy farms, sheep and rabbit farms, race clubs, stud farms, private and government veterinary hospitals and clinics.

Wildlife sanctuaries, National Parks and zoological parks as well as aviaries need veterinarians. The Army and the Border Security Forces also employ veterinarians for the care and treatment of their mounted regiments, which have horses, mules, camels and dogs.
Private practice is another option they can consider. Teaching is another option as experienced professionals are recruited in various institutions to train the new entrants to the field.

Besides regular practice, vets can also take up research work, either on their own or in association with the government such as ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research).

Pharmaceutical industries appoint veterinary scientists in their research and development divisions for the research and development of drugs, chemicals and bio-products particularly antibiotics and vaccines both for human and animal use. They can also work in technical sales, agribusiness, marketing, pet food manufacturing industries and in management of industries dealing with animal feed, animal products, milk and meat products processing industries etc.

The Job

The job includes -

• Investigation, diagnosis and treatment of injuries and ailments in animals.
• Advising for management of livestock.
• Determining the course of treatment and attending to all cases including surgical cases.
• Prevention and control of disease in animals, inoculating and vaccinating reared animals/poultry periodically against epidemics, implementation of livestock breeding and nurturance programmes.

• They advise owners in correct methods of feeding, rearing and disease control.
• Veterinarians advise owners on care management and breeding of companion and farm animals.
• Veterinary surgeons specialise in operating on animals in need of surgical treatment. They are trained for conducting castration, artificial insemination and treatment of infertility for better and controlled breed.
• Veterinary surgeons conduct post-mortem of dead animals to determine the cause of death.
• In slaughter houses, vets examine animals before and after slaughter to declare them fit for human consumption and free of disease.
• In research, veterinarians work in laboratories on subjects such as pathology, bacteriology, genetics, physiology, anatomy etc. They conduct innovative research of biological products, food, pharmaceutical products and also work in animal genetics and breeding.

They are also employed in colleges for teaching purposes.

Animal Geneticists:

• Conduct research in animal genetics
• Deal with problems concerning evolution of new breeds
• Are involved in rearing of livestock, genetic control of disease, artificial insemination, sterilisation etc.
• Trace the genesis of these in environment, food, colour, growth, maturity, sterility, disease etc.
• Conduct experiments for improvement in variety and strain of animals which have more resistance to disease, better yield in products such as milk, meat, eggs, even silk, wool etc.
• Select animals for cross breeding to improve the quality of the race.
• A number of veterinarians are engaged in research, food safety inspection or education. Some work with physicians and scientists on research to prevent and treat diseases in humans.

Veterinarians are also in regulatory medicine or public health. Those who are livestock inspectors check animals for disease, advise owners on treatment, and may quarantine animals.
Veterinarians who are meat inspectors examine slaughtering, processing plants, check live animals and carcasses for disease and enforce government food purity as well as sanitation regulations.
Some Veterinarians care for zoo or aquarium animals or for Laboratory animals.
Veterinarians help prevent the outbreak and spread of animal diseases, some of which like rabies can be transmitted to humans, and perform autopsies on deceased animals.
Some specialize in epidemiology or animal pathology to control diseases transmitted through food animals and to deal with problems of residues from herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics in animals used for food.
Personality Traits

• A genuine love for animals
• Physical stamina and quick body reflexes to tackle the animal’s moody behavior
• Ability to inspire confidence in animals
• Powers of observation and self-reliance
• Adaptability and indifference to the occasionally disagreeable conditions of work
• Ability for teamwork.

Salary

The amount of remuneration of a veterinarian depends upon the kind of practice and the animals that are treated.

• An average vet can earn between Rs.5, 000 to Rs.50, 000 per month.
• A private practitioner may get lucrative monetary returns depending on his popularity and the number of years of experience. He may be able to earn Rs.40 - Rs.500 per patient, depending on the type of medical treatment the animal needs.
• As an Assistant Professor, a vet can earn a salary over Rs.4,000.
• The government also has job openings in this field, as livestock development officers, and the pay is Rs.8,000 depending on position and experience.

Study Route

Class XII: A candidate should have passed the class 12 examination with science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology to pursue veterinary studies.

After Class XII: To practice as a veterinarian it is essential to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science (B.V.Sc.).
Selection:

Admission to most veterinary colleges is on the basis of results obtained in the entrance examination conducted by the concerned universities. Veterinary Council of India conducts an ‘All India Common Entrance examination’ (AICEE) for admission to first year Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) & Animal Husbandry (AH) degree course for filling up 15% of the total number of seats of each veterinary college of all states; about 36 colleges where Indian Veterinary council Act, 1984 extends. This Entrance exam is usually held in the month of May each year. For admission to master’s degree program, the Indian Council conducts an All India Entrance Examination for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Duration:

The duration of the BVSc & AH varies from four and a half years to five years, including the period of internship.
The first four years of the training program are devoted to imparting skills through theoretical and practical training in various disciplines, like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, livestock management and production, production technology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, genetics and breeding, gynecology, surgery, medicine and animal husbandry extension, among others and the fifth year is devoted to hands-on training, of which six months is through internship.

The internship includes three months’ training at the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Service Complex (TVCSC) under the supervision of a senior clinician and in field veterinary hospitals on a rotation basis. Veterinary students undergo a one-month practical training in livestock production and management at animal farms, then one-month training in poultry production and management and one-month training in livestock products’ technology and other services. Apart from learning to treat animals, training is also provided in dairying and poultry sciences.

Post- graduation: Generally after doing B.VSc, most candidates go on to do a post graduation, namely a Master in Veterinary Science.
The Postgraduate course in Veterinary Science (M.V.Sc.) is a 2 year course and the candidate has the option to specialize in areas like medicine, surgery, anatomy, bacteriology, biochemistry, cardiology, dermatology, microbiology, molecular biology, anesthesia, gynecology, pathology, toxicology, virology pharmacology, etc.

For jobs in the research and teaching areas, a post-graduate degree in veterinary science and animal husbandry is a minimum qualification, while a Ph.D. is preferred.

Places of study for Graduate /Postgraduate courses

• Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur - 795001
• College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Bhubaneshwar - 751003
• Faculty of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Kanke, Ranchi – 834007
• Rajendra Agricultural Univ. , Bihar Veterinary College, Patna
• College of Vet. Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur - 482001
• Nagpur Vet. College, Seminary Hills, Nagpur - 440006
• Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur - 492012
• Chandra Shekar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur – 208002
• Agriculture University, College of Vet. Science Ludhiana – 141004
• Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth Bombay Vet. Science College, Parel, Mumbai - 400012
• College of Veterinary Sc., Udgir
• Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth, PG Institute. Akola - 444001, M.P.
• Nagpur Veterinary College, Nagpur
• NG Ranga Agricultural Univ. College of Vet. Science
• College of Veterinary Science, Tirupati - 517502
• Madras Veterinary College, Vepery, Chennai - 600007
• Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University, Vepery High Road, Chennai – 600007
• Univ. Agricultural Sc. & Vet. College, Hibbal, Bangalore - 560006
• University of Agricultural Sciences , Bangalore - 560065
• Kerala Agricultural Univ., Thrissur - 680654
• College of Vet. Science and Animal Science, Manuthy, Trichur – 680651
• College of Veterinary Science, Hissar, Haryana
• Veterinary College, Bidar, Karnataka
• Veterinary College, Hebbal, Karnataka
• College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Mhow, MP
• College of Veterinary Science, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad
• Gujarat College of Veterinary Science and Animal  Husbandry, Anand, Gujarat
• College of Veterinary Science, Pantnagar, Nainital, UP

Overseas:

America/Canada

Prospective veterinarians must graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a 4-year program at an accredited college of veterinary medicine and must obtain a license to practice. There are 28 colleges in 26 States that meet accreditation standards set by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The prerequisites for admission vary. Many of these colleges do not require a bachelor’s degree for entrance, but all require a significant number of credit hours—ranging from 45 to 90 semester hours—at the undergraduate level. However, most of the students admitted have completed an undergraduate program. Applicants without a bachelor’s degree face a difficult task gaining admittance. Preveterinary courses emphasize the sciences. Veterinary medical colleges typically require classes in organic and inorganic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, general biology, animal biology, animal nutrition, genetics, vertebrate embryology, cellular biology, microbiology, zoology, and systemic physiology.

In addition to satisfying preveterinary course requirements, applicants must submit test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT), or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), depending on the preference of the college to which they are applying. Currently, 22 schools require the GRE, 4 require the VCAT, and 2 accept the MCAT.
Some foreign universities offering courses in veterinary education are –
USA:

• University of Georgia
• University of Florida
• Purdue University
• Tuskegee University
• University of Maryland
• Michigan State University
• Drexel University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Wisconsin
• Cornell University

U.K.:

• University of Bristol
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Reading
• University of Liverpool

Others:

• Massey University, New Zealand
• Adelaide University, Australia
• James Cook University, Australia
• Murdoch University, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• University of Melbourne, Australia
• University of Saskatchewan, Canada

For additional information you can write or check the site for -

• American Veterinary Medical Association, 1931 N. Meacham Rd., Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360. Internet: http://www.avma.org
• Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, 1101 Vermont Ave. N.W., Suite 710, Washington, DC 20005. Internet: http://www.aavmc.org

Source: Compass One

Date: 31st Oct., 2009

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