Career Path Forecast
 According
to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment is expected to increase much
faster than average. Excellent job opportunities are expected.
Employment of
veterinarians is expected to increase 35 percent over the 2006-16
decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. Veterinarians
usually practice in animal hospitals or clinics and care primarily for
companion animals. Recent trends indicate particularly strong interest
in cats as pets. Faster growth of the cat population is expected to
increase the demand for feline medicine and veterinary services, while
demand for veterinary care for dogs should continue to grow at a more
modest pace.
Many pet owners are
relatively affluent and consider their pets a member of the family.
These owners are becoming more aware of the availability of advanced
care and are more willing to pay for intensive veterinary care than
owners in the past. Furthermore, the number of pet owners purchasing pet
insurance is rising, increasing the likelihood that considerable money
will be spent on veterinary care.
 More
pet owners also will take advantage of nontraditional veterinary
services, such as cancer treatment and preventive dental care. Modern
veterinary services have caught up to human medicine; certain
procedures, such as hip replacement, kidney transplants, and blood
transfusions, which were once only available for humans, are now
available for animals.
Continued support for
public health and food and animal safety, national disease control
programs, and biomedical research on human health problems will
contribute to the demand for veterinarians, although the number of
positions in these areas is limited. Homeland security also may provide
opportunities for veterinarians involved in efforts to maintain abundant
food supplies and minimize animal diseases in the U.S. and in foreign
countries.
Excellent job
opportunities are expected because there are only 28 accredited schools
of veterinary medicine in the United States, resulting in a limited
number of graduates--about 2,700--each year. However, applicants face keen
competition for admission to veterinary school.
 New
graduates continue to be attracted to companion-animal medicine because
they prefer to deal with pets and to live and work near heavily
populated areas, where most pet owners live. Employment opportunities
are good in cities and suburbs, but even better in rural areas because
fewer veterinarians compete to work there.
Beginning
veterinarians may take positions requiring evening or weekend work to
accommodate the extended hours of operation that many practices are
offering. Some veterinarians take salaried positions in retail stores
offering veterinary services. Self-employed veterinarians usually have
to work hard and long to build a sufficient client base.
The number of jobs for large-animal veterinarians is likely to grow more
slowly than jobs for companion-animal veterinarians. Nevertheless, job
prospects should be better for veterinarians who specialize in farm
animals because of lower earnings in the farm-animal specialty and
because many veterinarians do not want to work in rural or isolated
areas.
Veterinarians with
training in food safety and security, animal health and welfare, and
public health and epidemiology should have the best opportunities for a
career in the Federal Government.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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