 Preparation
Prospective veterinarians must graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a 4-year program at an
accredited college of veterinary medicine and must obtain a license to
practice. The prerequisites for admission vary. Many of these
colleges do not require a bachelor's degree for entrance, but all
require a significant number of credit hours -- ranging from 45 to 90
semester hours -- at the undergraduate level. However, most of the
students admitted have completed an undergraduate program. Applicants
without a bachelor's degree face a difficult task gaining admittance.
Preveterinary courses
emphasize the sciences. Veterinary medical colleges typically require
classes in organic and inorganic chemistry, physics, biochemistry,
general biology, animal biology, animal nutrition, genetics, vertebrate
embryology, cellular biology, microbiology, zoology, and systemic
physiology. Some programs require calculus; some require only
statistics, college algebra and trigonometry, or precalculus. Most
veterinary medical colleges also require core courses, including some in
English or literature, the social sciences, and the humanities.
Increasingly, courses in practice management and career development are
becoming a standard part of the curriculum, to provide a foundation of
general business knowledge for new graduates.
 In
addition to satisfying preveterinary course requirements, applicants
must submit test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the
Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT), or the Medical College
Admission Test (MCAT), depending on the preference of the college to
which they are applying. Currently, 22 schools require the GRE, 4
require the VCAT, and 2 accept the MCAT.
In admittance
decisions, some veterinary medical colleges place heavy consideration on
a candidate's veterinary and animal experience. Formal experience, such
as work with veterinarians or scientists in clinics, agribusiness,
research, or some area of health science, is particularly advantageous.
Less formal experience, such as working with animals on a farm or ranch
or at a stable or animal shelter, also is helpful. Students must
demonstrate ambition and an eagerness to work with animals.
 There
is keen competition for admission to veterinary school. The number of
accredited veterinary colleges has remained largely the same since 1983,
whereas the number of applicants has risen significantly. Only about 1
in 3 applicants was accepted in 2004.
AVMA-recognized
veterinary specialties -- such as pathology, internal medicine,
dentistry, nutrition, ophthalmology, surgery, radiology, preventive
medicine, and laboratory animal medicine -- are usually in the form of a
2-year internship. Interns receive a small salary but usually find that
their internship experience leads to a higher beginning salary, relative
to those of other starting veterinarians. Veterinarians who seek board
certification in a specialty also must complete a 3- to 4-year residency
program that provides intensive training in specialties such as internal
medicine, oncology, radiology, surgery, dermatology, anesthesiology,
neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and exotic small-animal medicine.
All States and the
District of Columbia require that veterinarians be licensed before they
can practice. The only exemptions are for veterinarians working for some
Federal agencies and some State governments. Licensing is controlled by
the States and is not strictly uniform, although all States require the
successful completion of the D.V.M. degree -- or equivalent education --
and a passing grade on a national board examination. The Educational
Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) grants certification
to individuals trained outside the United States who demonstrate that
they meet specified requirements for the English language and for
clinical proficiency. ECFVG certification fulfills the educational
requirement for licensure in all States. Applicants for licensure
satisfy the examination requirement by passing the North American
Veterinary Licensing Exam (NAVLE), an 8-hour computer-based examination
consisting of 360 multiple-choice questions covering all aspects of
veterinary medicine. Administered by the National Board of Veterinary
Medical Examiners (NBVME), the NAVLE includes visual materials designed
to test diagnostic skills and constituting 10 percent of the total
examination.
 The
majority of States also require candidates to pass a State jurisprudence
examination covering State laws and regulations. Some States do
additional testing on clinical competency as well. There are few
reciprocal agreements between States, making it difficult for a
veterinarian to practice in a different State without first taking that
State's examination.
Nearly all States have
continuing education requirements for licensed veterinarians.
Requirements differ by State and may involve attending a class or
otherwise demonstrating knowledge of recent medical and veterinary
advances.
Most veterinarians
begin as employees in established practices. Despite the substantial
financial investment in equipment, office space, and staff, many
veterinarians with experience set up their own practice or purchase an
established one.
Newly trained
veterinarians can become U.S. Government meat and poultry inspectors,
disease-control workers, animal welfare and safety workers,
epidemiologists, research assistants, or commissioned officers in the
U.S. Public Health Service or various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
A State license may be required.
 Prospective
veterinarians must have good manual dexterity. They should have an
affinity for animals and the ability to get along with their owners,
especially pet owners, who tend to form a strong bond with their pet.
Veterinarians who intend to go into private practice should possess
excellent communication and business skills, because they will need to
manage their practice and employees successfully and promote, market,
and sell their services.
 Accredited
Programs
Accreditation
represents the highest standard of achievement for veterinary medical
education in the United States. Institutions that earn accreditation
confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a
rigorous and comprehensive peer review. There are 28 colleges
in 26 States that meet accreditation standards set by the
Council on
Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association of the American
Veterinary Medical Association.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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