Choosing a career

You can work as a practitioner, in your own practice, or as part of a larger group.

You can also choose to work with specific species (e.g. only cats and dogs), or to have a mixed practice (e.g. farm/pet). You can also work with wildlife and exotic species, but it usually means extra formations!

A veterinarian can practice as generalist or as a specialist, after following specialized programme such as programmes proposed by European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (see After the DVM programme here + link). The branches here are endless: Internal Medicine, Neurology, Emergency & Critical Care, Physiotherapy, Behaviourist, Diagnostic Imaging, Aesthesia, Surgery, Cardiology, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist.

For those who find they thrive in an academic setting, serving as a professor in a university could be a great fit. If you love teaching but are not ready for an academic career, just know that veterinarians could also teach in secondary school or in vet nurse’s school! And it’s worth noting that formal classroom teaching isn’t the only option; there are also opportunities for qualified vets to pass along their expertise by speaking at conferences, educating clients, and developing tests and assessments. Usually, a career into academia or research at the university start with a PhD, after that, the fields for research in veterinary medicine are endless, any you could fathom.

Working in veterinary public health can mean many work possibilities!

A veterinarian can be implicated with vaccine development as well as work in the field epidemiology. Their role is overriding in response to various disease outbreaks, many of which are zoonotic.

You can also find public health veterinarian roles within the Public Health Service, state governments, and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These range from official veterinarians to Ecology and Environment Protection Officer, Animal Welfare Specialist & Officer or Livestock Welfare Auditor. For no better place to it, we also have vets in the legal system as forensic veterinarians, who are often overlooked.

Vet Pharmaceuticals, Human & Pet Nutrition Company, Food Business, Technology and Software Providers, Scientific Services Veterinarian (SSV)

Involves protecting certain animals and the people who consume animal products by inspecting animals and facilities, engaging in disease surveillance, and enforcing humane treatment laws. Many veterinarians in these roles work for EFSA and as national authorities.

Who better to represent the needs of animals and veterinary professionals than DVMs? Rather than pursuing clinical practice, some veterinarians opt to work to advance advocacy efforts at the federal and local levels. Vets who focus on public policy and regulatory affairs may work to ensure animal welfare and food safety, guarantee wellbeing for the profession, secure research and education funding, and more.

Focusing on the preservation of wildlife and exotic species, usually in zoos or aquariums

Any vet with a specialized area of expertise can become a consultant. A veterinarian with advanced toxicology training, for example, may help general practitioners determine how to treat a poisoned pet.

Histopathologist, Veterinary Biochemist, Gynaecologist, Toxicologist

Business-minded vets can make for great practice managers. Some take on this type of leadership role early in their careers, perhaps by obtaining an MBA in addition to their DVM degree. Others transition into management after gaining experience as a practicing veterinarian.

Army veterinarians may treat soldiers’ pets, go on missions to combat diseases, develop vaccines, or care for government-owned animals. They serve as public health officers who work to prevent and control the spread of disease.