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Veterinary Scrubs
Being a Veterinarian Today
A veterinarian (from Latin veterinae, "draught animals") is an animal doctor, a practitioner of veterinary medicine. Although veterinarians hold doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine, not all veterinarians enter clinical practice. Those that work in clinical settings practice medicine in specific fields, such as companion animal or "pet" medicine, reptile medicine, ratite medicine, livestock medicine, equine medicine (e.g. sports, race track, show, rodeo), or laboratory animal medicine. Other veterinarians research areas of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and pharmacology. Research veterinarians were the first to isolate oncoviruses, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and various other pathogenic agents. They also helped conquer malaria and yellow fever; solved the mystery of botulism; produced an anticoagulant used to treat human heart disease; and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip-joint replacement, and limb and organ transplants.
Like all physicians, veterinarians must make serious ethical decisions about their patients' care. There is ongoing debate over the ethics of performing certain controversial procedures, like declawing cats and docking tails, cropping ears, and debarking dogs. In some countries, these procedures are illegal, and therefore their practice is contentious. The Veterinarian's Oath was adopted by the American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates July 1969, and amended by the AVMA Executive Board, November 1999. It goes as follows:
"Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.”
Some veterinarians work in a field called regulatory medicine — ensuring the nation's food safety by working with the USDA FSIS, or work by protecting us from imported exotic animal diseases by working for the USDA APHIS. The emerging field of conservation medicine involves veterinarians even more directly with human health care, providing a multidisciplinary approach to medical research that also involves environmental scientists.
More than 3,800 veterinarians in the USA currently work at veterinary schools where they teach student vets what they need to know to graduate — teaching is another career path for a veterinarian.
Veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of future veterinary practitioners (veterinarians). The entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of veterinary programs offered at veterinary schools vary considerably around the world. In the U.S., a doctorate of veterinary medicine degree (D.V.M.) (Or in the Veterinary Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania, a degree of veterinary medical doctor (V.M.D.) is awarded) is a four-year program. The program generally consists of 21⁄2 to 3 years of mostly traditional classroom coursework followed by the clinical rotations. Currently, unlike human medical school, a subsequent internship and/or residency are not required, but are optional to those who choose to seek further education and possible accreditation. Unsurprisingly, the number of veterinarians pursuing internships and/or residencies will continue to increase as the understanding of veterinary medicine continues to grow greater. A good veterinarian enjoys working with animals and their owners. Admission into veterinary medical school is so competitive that in the United States it is far easier to gain acceptance into either a medical school or a top Law School than to meet the GPA requirements for most veterinary schools. This situation occurs mostly because there are far fewer schools, allowing the schools to be much more selective. According to the US Department of Labor, only 1 in 3 applicants were accepted into a veterinary program in 2002. Prerequisites for admission include the undergraduate studies listed under veterinary medicine and extensive veterinary experience (typically about 500 or more hours) in private practice or other veterinary environment. The average veterinary medical student has an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a GRE score of approximately 1800. US graduates are awarded either a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or the less common Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree, depending upon the traditions of the veterinary school.
Public health medicine is another option for veterinarians. Veterinarians in government and private laboratories provide diagnostic and testing services. Some veterinarians serve as state epidemiologists, directors of environmental health, and directors of state or city public health departments. Veterinarians are also employed by the US Agriculture Research Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Library of Medicine, and National Institutes of Health. The military also employs veterinarians in a number of capacities — caring for pets on military bases, caring for military working animals, and controlling various arthropod-borne diseases or other such things.
Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. Veterinary Science is concerned with the scientific basis of animal production, health and disease. It requires the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge in several disciplines and uses technical skills towards the solution of animal production, health, management and welfare problems.
Veterinary medicine is informally as old as the human/animal bond but in recent years has expanded exponentially because of the availability of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for most species. Animals nowadays often receive advanced medical, dental, and surgical care including insulin injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract extractions, and pacemakers.
Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, quantity, and security of food supplies by working to maintain the health of livestock and inspecting the meat itself. Veterinary scientists are very important in chemical, biological, and pharmacological research.
In many countries, equine veterinary medicine is also a specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves mainly locomotor and orthopaedic problems, digestive tract conditions (including equine colic, which is a major cause of death among domesticated horses), and respiratory tract infections and disorders.
As in the human medical field, veterinary medicine (in practice) requires a diverse group of individuals to meet the need of patients. In addition to veterinarians, many veterinary hospitals utilize a team of veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants to completely care for healing, critical and well animals. Veterinary nurses are generally registered as "veterinary technicians" in most states and are legally qualified to assist veterinarians in many medical procedures. Veterinary assistants, who are not licensed by most states, but can be well-trained at facilities such as The School for Veterinary Assistants, are also becoming increasingly in-demand in the veterinary industry due to a wide range of treatments and services being offered to meet the higher expectations of pet owners in the United States.
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Veterinary Career
Employment opportunities for veterinarians are expected to grow fast. Single adults have come to appreciate animal companionship. Pet owners may be willing to pay for more elective and intensive pet care than they have in the past.
In addition, new scientific methods of breeding and raising livestock, poultry, and fish as long as the continued support for public health and disease control programs will also contribute to the demand for veterinarians. Demand for specialists in many areas including toxicology, laboratory animal medicine, and pathology is expected to increase. Most of these jobs for specialists will be in metropolitan areas.
Veterinarians have an inquiring mind and good powers of observation. They generally have aptitude and interest in the biological sciences.
Veterinarians also need an understanding of animals. Veterinarians should be able to meet, talk, and work well with a variety of people.
The primary reward for all veterinarians is the personal satisfaction in knowing that they are improving the quality of life for animals and people.
Depending on the stage of a veterinarian's career, the type of practice, and the veterinarian's likes and dislikes, the pluses and minuses of a veterinary career may vary.
Veterinarians who are employed by government agencies, laboratories, colleges, and commercial firms often have responsibility for large health programs and may manage large numbers of people.
Veterinarians who work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and for state and municipal food inspection services protect the public from diseased livestock and unsafe meat and poultry. They ensure that food products are safe and wholesome.
To prevent the introduction of foreign diseases, veterinarians employed by state and federal regulatory agencies quarantine and inspect animals brought into the United States from other countries.
Veterinarians in research seek better ways to prevent and solve animal and human health problems. Many problems, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, are studied through the use of laboratory animals, which are carefully bred, raised, and maintained under the supervision of veterinarians. Laboratory animal veterinarians help select the best animal models for particular research projects and ensure that the animals receive proper care.
In addition to developing ways to reduce or eliminate the threat of animal diseases, veterinarians involved in research have made many direct contributions to human health. Veterinarians were the first to isolate filterable viruses, slow viruses, the first tumor-causing virus and other pathogenic agents. They also helped conquer malaria and yellow fever, produced an anticoagulant used to treat some people with heart disease, and defined and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip-joint replacement and limb and organ transplants.
Veterinarians working in pharmaceutical and biomedical research firms develop, test, and supervise the production of drugs, chemicals, and biological products, such as antibiotics and vaccines for human and animal use. These veterinarians usually have specialized training in pharmacology, virology, bacteriology, pathology, parasitology, toxicology, nutrition, endocrinology, or laboratory animal medicine.
However, most veterinarians work in private clinical practice, which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Veterinarians in private clinical practice gain satisfaction from helping owners keep their animals well and from treating sick and injured animals. Private clinical practitioners who own their own practices determine the nature of their practice and set their working hours. Because they are self-employed, most private clinical practitioners choose to work beyond normal retirement age.
Veterinarians in private practice serve a variety of animals. This is especially true in companion animal practice because of the increased popularity of pet birds, small mammals (like hamsters and gerbils), and fish. Today, a veterinarian may be treating llamas, catfish, or ostriches as well as cats, dogs, horses, cows, hogs, sheep, and goats.
The chief risk for veterinarians is injury by animals; however, modern tranquilizers and technology have made it much easier for veterinarians to work on all types of animals.
Large animal practitioners tend to work more irregular hours than do those in small animal practice, industry, or government.
Students interested in a career in veterinary medicine need to take a strong science, math, and biology program in high school.
To be considered for admission to a college of veterinary medicine, a student must complete undergraduate preveterinary medical coursework, which usually includes three to four years of college study, with specific course requirements. General requirements include basic language and communication skills, social sciences, humanities, mathematics, chemistry, and the biological and physical sciences.
Preveterinary coursework can be completed at many colleges and universities, including those at which the veterinary medical schools are located.
Admission to veterinary school is highly competitive. Applicants usually have grades of "B" or better, especially in the sciences. Applicants must take the Veterinary Aptitude Test, Medical College Admission Test, or the Graduate Record Examination. Most colleges give preference to candidates with animal or veterinary related experience.
In most veterinary colleges the professional program comprises two phases. In the first phase, preclinical sciences, such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and microbiology are emphasized. Most of the students' time is spent in classroom and laboratory study.
The second phase of professional study is principally clinical. Students learn the principles of medicine and surgery in the classroom and through hands-on clinical experience. Students learn to apply their knowledge in a clinical setting under the supervision of graduate veterinarians on the faculty. Students treat animals, perform surgery, and deal with owners who use the school's clinical services.
In conclusion, students learn about many different animals and diseases, and become skilled in surgical techniques and many laboratory and diagnostic procedures.
After studies, veterinarians must acquire a license issued by the state they wont to work in. In research and teaching, a master's or Ph.D. degree is usually required. Veterinarians who seek specialty board certification in one of the 20 specialty fields, such as ophthalmology, pathology, surgery, radiology, or laboratory animal medicine, must complete 2- to 5-year residency programs and must pass an examination.
Approximately half the states require veterinarians to attend continuing education courses to maintain their licenses. New scientific knowledge and techniques are constantly being developed, and veterinarians must keep up to date by reading scientific journals and attending professional meetings and seminars.
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All Rights Reserved.
The names, logos, taglines and icons identifying Best Buy Uniforms Online products and services are proprietary marks of BEST BUY UNIFORMS. All other trademarks and servicemarks are property of their respective owners
*e-mail steve@bestbuyuniforms.com for permission to use this article. |
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Choose The Right Vet, Your Pet's Life Rests In His Hands by Paul Wilson
One of the most crucial and important of decisions a pet-parent makes it that of choosing a vet. It is the vet who will understand your pet when he gets ill and care enough to practice what is now popular as preventive health care.
Never choose a vet because he has a nice smile or a beautiful office or is cheap. Choose a vet who thinks about your pet the same as you do and always keeps the best interest of the pet ahead of all other considerations. The vet must love the breed that your pet is and:
* Be kind and gentle when handling the dog. He must not leave diagnosis or check ups to assistants.
* He must always stay ahead of developments in medicine and update his skills and knowledge constantly.
* The vet must be able to stand by you through thick and thin and proffer timely advice.
* The clinic must be spik and spank and have space for overnight stay with clean kennels, space to run, and staff who love animals.
* It is ideal if the clinic is located close to your home and if it offers health care plans for your pet.
* Ask the clinic if they have emergency contact numbers so that you can call if an unforeseen problem occurs in the middle of the night or on a public holiday.
* Check if the clinic has specialists consulting with them like orthopedic doctors and eye specialists.
As a concerned pet parent you must make a list of questions you need answers to. And spend a little time on finding out whether you would be more comfortable with an allopathic vet represented by the American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA or a holistic vet represented by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, AHVMA.
While allopathic vets practice conventional medicine, a holistic vet will use medicinal herbs, nutritional changes or supplements, vitamins, and enzymes, chiropractic manipulations, homeopathy, Bach flower remedies, as well as massages for treatment. And, if need be they will prescribe allopathic medicines. They try and treat the cause not just the symptoms of any ailment.
It is essential for you to choose a vet who will work along your side in caring for the pet. He must be patient, love the animal, and make time to explain things to you as well as take your opinion of things. After all, no one can know your pet better than you. A vet must care for the pet for at least 10-15 years. He must be organized and maintain health records in great detail from the day the pet is born to the day it dies.
A pet will lead a complete existence only if you, the vet, and trainer work in harmony and side by side. So, choosing a suitable vet is an important decision that must be done after weighing all the pros and cons.
About the Author
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for Pet Discussion, the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum for Pet Forum including topics on pet health, pet care and nutrition, grooming pet at home, dog, cat's health issues and more. He also freelances for the premier Search site. |
So You Want to be a Groomer by Carol Koepping
Pet grooming can be a rewarding career. Your artistic abilities, creativity and nurturing nature find an outlet. Many types of grooming are available for you to explore- grooming instructor, show dog groomer, elite stylist, mobile groomer and veterinary or boarding kennel groomer to mention a few. There are even contests for those groomers with a competitive nature and the skills to excel. As an example, GroomTeam U.S.A. sponsors national competitions, sending their top point earners as a team to compete abroad!
Make no mistake about it- grooming is hard work! You must learn pet anatomy, well over 100 breed patterns, pet body language, pesticides and complex product structures. Also the mechanics of your equipment such as clippers and blades and the proper use of the many types of shears. Pets are not always happy or easy to deal with- you'll clean up their mess and often come home tired and sore at times. Yet the pride of accomplishing well done work can make all these intricacies seem trivial.
Your income, just like any other job can depend on your skill, location and the groom shops pay structure. I believe a person must be crazy about pets or they may find that grooming is not what they expected it to be. In my opinion this is a career, not simply a job.
A person can become a groomer through different avenues. Classroom schooling is not required but if you can afford it, there are many good schools throughout the country. A local groomer may take on an apprentice, starting you as a receptionist or bather. Some larger pet supply businesses have their own school and will trade time (1 or 2 years contracted work). You can even take correspondence courses. No matter how you learn, it's how you apply this knowledge that will make you stand out in this field.
Becoming proficient in this field takes time. There are many things such as scissoring and developing an eye for balance that can only be developed with time. Just like the pets you will work on, everyone is an individual with different capabilities, styles and personalities that will be expressed in their work.
I've had a wonderful time and met many wonderful pets and their owners. Some of my favorites have been the difficult pets. I've cried with the owners when their beloved pet passes away. I grab the puppies to coo over on their first visit. I worry when a client moves away, that their precious baby won't be happy with another groomer. I marvel at the things I still learn after all these years. It may be silly, but that's what grooming is to me. Perhaps it will be for you too.
About the Author
Carol is a Nationally Certified Master Groomer, certified by the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. A pet groomer since 1993, she attained National Certification in 2002. Here you will find her selection of dog bows, dog collar charms and more articles on care for your pet. |
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