Career Outlook for Vets
Veterinarian Shortage Experienced Now
In February 2009, the Executive Director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, and University of California, Davis alumna Marguerite Pappaioanou gave an important testimony to the Senate. She reported about the shortage of veterinarians in federal government agencies. Specifically, the shortage of vets that safeguard the public from diseases caused by animals, and vets that protect food safety.
The diseases caused by animals that can affect humans are called zoonoses. They include Salmonellosis, Campylobacteriosis, E.col, leptospirosis, shigellosis, tularemia, anthrax, brucellosis, plague, rabies, Q-fever, and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). BSE is a type of neurological disease that can lead to death.
There are viral agents that can be harbored in animals, birds, and other forms of wildlife as well. Hemorrhagic fever, ebola, rift valley fever, and avian flu are some of the viruses that can attack both wildlife and humans.
Parasites such as hookworms and tapeworms can also be problematic. Toxoplasmosis can be a parasite spread to pregnant women that can harm the unborn.
Emerging zoonoses are the ones that the government is most concerned about. These are diseases caused by environmental changes, pathogen changes, and changes in farming practice. The changing status of animal demography and human demography may also play a role. Some of the emerging zoonoses are dog rabies, brucellosis, cysticercosis, taeniasis, and echinococcosis.
Vets hired by the federal government who would work on prevention of zoonoses must graduate from one of the accredited vet schools. Their average salary is $84,000 annually or about $7,000 each month.
And that's just the federal government.
What about Private Practice? Is That a Good Choice for Students at Vet Schools Now?
Then there's private practice. The veterinary field is expected to grow at the rate of about 35%, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, which is a rate faster than all other occupations.
Veterinary medicine is on the upswing because it is catching up to human medicine in its surgical and diagnostic techniques. Pet owners are now given options for their pets that they never had before, procedures such as hip replacements, kidney transplants, and blood transfusions.
Pets are accepted as family members and in the event of illness, their owners will do anything to help the pet return to health, or at least make the last days of their life as comfortable as possible.
Also, pet owners are now more apt to have pet insurance that covers more expensive procedures. Pet owners now realize that their pet's teeth are as important to the pet's health just as their human teeth are important to human health. If the teeth are neglected, gingivitis and periodontal disease can set in, and before long, it's possible that the pet will lose its teeth. Thus pet owners decide more often than before to have routine teeth cleansing.
The rising population means an increased demand for veterinary services. However, each year only about 2,700 vet students graduate from vet schools. Vet clinical practices and vet hospitals are expected to stay busy for a long time!
If you're currently enrolled in one of the vet schools, or considering applying at one of the vet schools, now is the time for you!
