Question: How many years in school does it take to become a veterinarian? Besides working with animals, what exactly do vets do and what are the working conditions like?
— Rebecca

Response: Duties and working conditions for veterinarians vary. As medical professionals, most diagnose and prescribe treatment for animals.

To become a veterinarian, you will need to engage in approximately eight years of schooling: four years of pre-veterinarian undergraduate coursework, and four years of graduate training in a professional veterinarian program. Details are provided below.

Training Options and Costs
In order to be a competitive candidate for a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree program, you will need to complete at least three years of Pre-Vet studies. Coursework includes sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physiology, and Genetics, as well as English, and Statistics.

Pre-veterinary programs are available at a number of California State Universities as well as University of California, Davis.

To practice veterinary medicine, you must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree. University of California, Davis is the only school that offers the DVM degree in California. Admission into DVM programs is very competitive.
University of California, Davis
School of Veterinary Medicine
Office of the Dean - Student Programs
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-1383
Fax: (530) 752-2801
admissions@vmdean.ucdavis.edu
www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu
UC Davis offers a four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program. Admission requirements include 72 semester units of undergraduate coursework with a GPA of 2.5. You will need to take the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). You will also need a personal statement, letters of evaluation, an interview and veterinary and animal experience.

Tuition is currently $22,233 for the first three years and $24,478 for the fourth year. This includes clinical rotations and externships.

Licensing in California
The Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine is responsible for regulating the practice of veterinary medicine in California. This includes the issuing licenses to practice. To be eligible for licensure in California, candidates must have passing scores on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), and the California State Board (CSB) examination.

For more information, contact:
National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
P.O. Box 1356
Bismarck, ND 58502
701-224-0332
mail@nbvme.org
www.nbvme.org

California Veterinary Medical Board
1420 Howe Avenue, #6
Sacramento, CA 95825-3228
(916) 263-2610
Fax (916) 263-2621
vmb@dca.ca.gov
www.vmb.ca.gov
Job Description
Veterinarians attempt to prevent, control, and cure animal diseases. They administer tests, observe the animal's condition, perform surgery and prescribe medicine and therapy.

A vet may deal with production animals such as cows or pigs, or specialize in working with horses. They may also specialize in small animal medicine, treating dogs and cats, birds or exotic animals.

Vets who only deal with small animals work primarily in an office or clinic setting. Other types of vets may visit farms or equestrian centers.

Vets often work long hours and may need to respond to emergencies at odd hours. In government, veterinarians try to control and eliminate disease, protect wildlife, and examine livestock in slaughterhouses. They may be involved in monitoring diseases such as rabies or avian flu. Some veterinarians do research and teach.

Employment Outlook
A growing animal population is expected to increase opportunities for veterinarians, as will progress raising animals and treating and preventing disease. However, most openings occur to meet replacement needs. An oversupply of workers is expected as schools graduate more and more veterinarians.

Competition is keen, but those who specialize in toxicology and pathology will have the best opportunities. There is usually a demand for college and university faculty.

Salary
The base salary of a doctor of veterinary medicine in the first year of practice is approximately $53,000 to $62,000. According the American Veterinary Medical Association, the median earnings of veterinarians in all types of practices and public and corporate employment ranges from $77,500 to $98,500. Veterinarians in Los Angeles with one year of experience earn from $57,000 to $82,000 per year.

Professional Association
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 925-8070
Fax: (847) 925-1329
avmainfo@avma.org
www.avma.org
Established in 1863, this not-for-profit association represents more than 75,000 veterinarians. They work in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia and uniformed services.

Member benefits include listing in the association's online membership directory, free subscription to a publication such as the Journal of the AVMA (JAVMA) or the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR), continuing education opportunities, publications, and discounts on personal and professional products, programs and services.

The 2007 AVMA Annual Convention (July 14-18) will be held in Washington, D.C. and will offer educational opportunities. Active membership dues are $250

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Susan W. Miller, M.A., is a National Certified Career Counselor, a Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist and holds diplomate status on the American Board of Vocational Experts. She heads California Career Services, a private practice career counseling firm in Los Angeles.

E-mail career questions you'd like answered in this column to info@californiacareerservices.com or visit California Career Services at www.californiacareerservices.com.