A Veterinarian, colloquially called a vet, or veterinary surgeon (British English, Australian English) or veterinary physician (American English), is a professional who practices veterinary medicine by treating disease, disorder, and injury in animals, birds, reptiles and fish.
In many countries, the local form of "veterinarian" is a regulated and protected term, meaning that members of the public without the prerequisite qualifications and/or registration are not able to use the title. In many cases, the activities that may be undertaken by a veterinarian (such as animal treatment or surgery) are restricted only to those professionals who are registered as vet. For instance, in Australia, as in other jurisdictions, animal treatment may only be performed by registered vets, and it is illegal for any person who is not registered to call themselves a vet or perform any treatment.
Most vets work in clinical settings, treating animals directly. These vets may be involved in a general practice, treating animals of all types; may be specialised in a specific group of animals such as companion animals, livestock, zoo animals orhorses; or may specialise in a narrow medical discipline such as surgery, dermatology or internal medicine.
As with healthcare professionals, vets face ethical decisions about the care of their patients. Current debates within the profession include the ethics of purely cosmetic procedures on animals, such as declawing of cats, docking of tails, cropping of ears and debarking on dogs.
Etymology and nomenclature
The word veterinary comes from the Latin veterinae meaning "working animals". "Veterinarian" was first used in print by Thomas Browne in 1646.
In Australia the terms veterinarian and veterinary surgeon are used interchangeably. The term veterinarian is used in North America and many other countries using predominantly American English, whereas in the United Kingdom, and many countries which are formerly part of the British Empire or are part of the Commonwealth of Nations tend to use the term veterinary surgeon.
Roles and responsibilities
Vets are primarily required to treat disease, disorder or injury in animals, which includes diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. The scope of practice, speciality and experience of the individual vets will dictate exactly what interventions they perform, but most will perform surgery (of differing complexity).
Unlike in adult human medicine, vets must rely on clinical signs, as animals are unable to vocalise symptoms as a human would (and in that respect is similar to medicine on human children). In some cases, owners may be able to provide amedical history and the vet can combine this information along with observations, and the results of pertinent diagnostic tests such as x-rays, CT scans, blood tests, urinalysis or other diagnostics.
As with human medicine, much veterinary work is concerned with prophylactic treatment, in order to prevent problems occurring in the future. Common interventions include vaccination against common animal illnesses, such as distemper or rabies. This may also involve being involved in owner education so as to avoid future medical or behavioural issues.
Unlike in most human medicine, vets will often consider the appropriateness of euthanasia ("putting to sleep") if a condition is likely to leave the animal in pain or with a poor quality of life.
Employment
The majority of vets are employed in private practice treating animals.
Small animal vets typically work in veterinary clinics or veterinary hospitals, or both. Large animal vets often spend more time travelling to see their patients at the primary facilities which house them, such as zoos or farms.
Other employers include charities treating animals, colleges of veterinary medicine, research laboratories, animal food companies, and pharmaceutical companies. In many countries, the government may also be a major employer of vets, . State and some local governments also employ veterinarians.
Focus of practice
Vets and their practices may be specialised in certain areas of veterinary medicine. Areas of focus include:
- Exotic animal veterinarian - Generally considered to include reptiles, exotic birds such as parrots and cockatoos, and small mammals such as ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, and degus.
- Conservation medicine - The study of the relationship between animal and human health and environmental conditions.
- Small animal practice - Usually dogs, cats, and other companion animals/household pets such as hamsters and gerbils. Some practices are canine-only or feline-only practices.
- Laboratory animal practice - Some veterinarians work in a university or industrial laboratory and are responsible for the care and treatment of laboratory animals of any species (often involving bovines, porcine species, felines, canines, rodents, and even exotic animals). Their responsibility is not only for the health and well being of the animals, but also for enforcing humane and ethical treatment of the animals in the facility.
- Large animal practice - Usually referring to veterinarians that work with, variously, livestock and other large farm animals, as well as equine species and large reptiles.
- Equine medicine - Some veterinarians are specialists in equine medicine. Horses are different in anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and husbandry to other domestic species. Specialization in equine veterinary practice is something that is normally developed after qualification, even if students do have some interest before graduation.
- Food animal medicine - Some veterinarians deal exclusively or primary with animals raised for food (such as meat, milk, and eggs). Livestock practitioners may deal with ovine (sheep), bovine (cattle) and porcine (swine) species; such veterinarians deal with management of herds,nutrition, reproduction, and minor field surgery. Dairy medicine practice focuses on dairy animals. Poultry medicine practice focuses on the health of flocks of poultry; the field often involves extensive training in pathology, epidemiology, and nutrition of birds. The veterinarian treats the flock and not the individual animals.
- Food safety practice - Veterinarians are employed by both the food industry and government agencies to advise on and monitor the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness.
- Wildlife medicine - A relatively recent branch of veterinary medicine, focusing on wildlife. Wildlife medicine veterinarians may work with zoologists and conservation medicine practitioners and may also be called out to treat marine species such as sea otters, dolphins, or whales after a natural disaster or oil spill.
Veterinary specialities
Veterinary specialists are in the minority compared to general practice vets, and tend to be based at points of referral, such as veterinary schools or larger animal hospitals. Unlike human medicine, veterinary specialities often combine both the surgical and medical aspects of a biological system.
Veterinary specialities are accredited in Australasia by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council. While some vets may have areas of interest outside of recognized specialities, they are not legally specialists.
Specialities can cover from general topics such as anaesthesiology, dentistry, and surgery to organ system focus such as cardiology or dermatology. A full list can be seen at veterinary specialties
Salary
In Australia the profession wide average income was $67,000 in 2011 and this has declined compared to other professions for the past 30 years whilst graduate unemployment has doubled between 2006 and 2011.
Education and regulation
In order to practice, vets must complete both an appropriate degree in veterinary medicine, and in most cases must be registered with the relevant governing body for their jurisdiction.
Veterinary science degrees
Degrees in veterinary medicine culminate in the award of a veterinary science degree, although the title varies by region. In Australia, the degree is a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc). In North America, graduates will receive a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) whereas in the United Kingdom or India they would be awarded a Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Science, Surgery or Medicine (BVS, BVSc, BVetMed or BVMS), and in Ireland graduates receive a Medicina Veterinaria Baccalaureate (MVB).
Comparatively few universities have veterinary schools that offer degrees which are accredited to qualify the graduates as registered vets. In Australis there are 4 vet schools. In the United States, only 28 universities offer a degree meeting American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) standards, in Canada, only 5 veterinary schools offer a vet qualifying course and in the United Kingdom only 7 universities offer a suitable degree.
Due to this scarcity of places for veterinary degrees, admission to veterinary school is highly competitive and requires extensive preparation. The likelihood of acceptance is not in favour of the applicant.
With high levels of competition, many schools may place heavy emphasis and consideration on a candidate's veterinary and animal experience. Formal experience is a particular advantage to the applicant, often consisting of work with veterinarians or scientists in clinics, agribusiness, research, or some area of health science. Less formal experience is also helpful for the applicant to have, and this includes working with animals on a farm or ranch or at a stable or animal shelter and basic overall animal exposure.
Vets in popular culture
Well-known depictions of a veterinarian at work are in James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, made into a BBC series.
Doctor Dolittle is a series of children's books, one of which was turned into a 1967 movie. The movie was remade in 1998 with Eddie Murphy as Dr. Dolittle.
Dr Harry and Bondi Vet are popular Australian TV shows about vets.
Cable network Animal Planet, with animal-based programming, frequently features veterinarians. Two notable shows are Emergency Vets and E-Vet Interns.
The song Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, performed by the husband and wife duo "Elmo & Patsy", is a song performed by a veterinarian, Elmo Shropshire, DVM.
Fictional character veterinarians in TV series include Steve Parker in Neighbours; Jim Hansen in Providence, and Vincent Ventresca in the horror film Larva
The Garfield comic has a vet named Liz.
Source: Wikipedia
