A veterinarian is one who is qualified and authorized to treat diseases and injuries of

animals. Veterinarians are employed by wildlife preserves, animal parks, zoos, and aquatic

installations. Federal, state, and city governments also yse veterinarians in the research

and treatment of animal diseases which may be spread to humans. Veterinary Training

includes two to four years of college, plus four years at an approved college of veterinary

medicine. A licensing examination must be passed before practicing veterinary medicine.

There are about twenty-one veterinary colleges in the United States. About 1,400 people

graduate from these colleges every year. These people are skilled in in the prevention,

diagnosis, and treatment of animal health problems.

There are many different forms of veterinary practice, though 70% limit their

practice to small animals or household pets (dogs, cats, birds, etc.. Some veterinarians

specialize in farm animals (horses, cows, etc.) and are said to have a large animal

practice. A veterinarian in a general practice treats all animals. There are also many fields

of employment available to veterinary practitioners. These include:

research-experimentation with new drugs, therapies, and procedures that will be later

be used on animals and/or humans

industry-development of medications, vaccines, and feeds and studying the effect of

animal nutrition on health

Armed Forces-inspection of meat, food, and facilities, the study of the effects of space

travel on animals, the study of nuclear effects on animals

public health-study and prevention of the transmission of diseases from animal to

animal or from animal to human, inspection of restaurant food

governmental agencies-safeguarding ports of entry into the United States, reporting

incidence of disease, epidemic prevention

teaching-teaching at colleges and universities

zoos and wildlife management-maintenance and reproduction of species in appropriate

surroundings

agriculture-prevention and treatment of disease in work/food-producing animals,

raising and caring for animals for profit (breeding, etc.)

pets-safeguarding animal and human health through detection and prevention of

disease

specialty disease-restriction to a certain species (veterinarians who work at racetracks,

etc.)

A veterinary assitant is anyone working for a veterinarian. They may be called

veterinary assitants, animal technicians, or animal hospital technicians but all assist

veterinarians, scientists, and research workers. Technicians need patience, tact,

compassion, and the ability to work and interact well with animals as well as people. As

the number of veterinarians increases and the practice grows more and more complex, the

need for skilled animal technicians increases greatly.

An assitants duties vary with his or her job. In a general private practice,

veterinary assitants prepare patients and equipment for surgery, take X-rays, collect

specimens, dress wounds, perform lab tests, clean cages and pens, communicate with pet

owners, feed patients, answer telephones, schedule appointments, perform clerical duties,

and assist in diagnostic and medical procedures.

Veterinary assitants may be employed in the same work settings as veterinarians.

Other employment opportunities are veterinary clinics, humane societies, zoos, meat

packing companies, pharmeceutical companies, feed manufacturers, research facilities, and

governmental agencies.

A veterinary assitant may recieve on-the-job training or have an associate degree

from a junior college. Training for an Animal Technician, Registered (A.T.R.), requires

two years. An Associate Degree of Applied Science is issued when the work is

completed. For certification, the technician must pass an examination given by the

Laboratory Animal Techinician Certification Board, sponsored by the American

Association of Laboratory Animal Science (A.A.L.A.S.).