Careers with Dogs. Kim Campbell Thornton

      People who want to become veterinarians must earn a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) or veterinary medical doctor (VMD, which the University of Pennsylvania grants) degree from one of the twenty-eight accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. Competition for entry into any of these four-year programs is keen. There are sometimes four or five applicants for every opening at a veterinary school. Statistically, it’s estimated that one in three applicants to veterinary schools nationwide is accepted. Expect the application process to take approximately six months.

       Undergraduate School

      Surprisingly, a bachelor’s degree isn’t necessarily a requirement, but depending on the school, applicants must have forty-five to ninety semester hours at the undergraduate level, and a bachelor’s degree does increase the likelihood of acceptance by a veterinary school. Many undergraduates start applying during junior year and reapply the following year if necessary. Good grades and a strong foundation in science are advantageous. The higher your grade-point average, the better your chances, but relevant work experience also counts.

      What’s the best undergraduate degree for a pre-veterinary program? There aren’t any specific requirements, but most pre-veterinary students focus on 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. As for math, some programs require calculus, while others require only statistics, college algebra and trigonometry, or precalculus.

      Most veterinary medical colleges look for well-rounded students who have taken core courses in English or literature, the social sciences, and the humanities. It’s also a good idea to take classes in accounting, finance, and marketing. Veterinary practices are small businesses, and those business skills will help you succeed if you choose to set up your own practice. See the resources in the back of the book for a listing of colleges and universities with animal science or pre-veterinary programs.

      Jill Richardson majored in chemistry during college and was admitted to veterinary school after her junior year. She obtained her bachelor’s degree after entering vet school. “I transferred my credits from my first year in vet school back to obtain an animal science degree,” she explains. She recommends that students “pick a degree that can be used for other careers. There’s not much that you can really do with an animal science degree. With a degree in chemistry, I could have considered many other opportunities. You have to take a certain number of credits in various subjects, but you could have almost any major. I would recommend taking business classes and communication classes in addition.”

       Sally Perea, DVM, relaxes with Lupin, whom she saved from a shoe box left outside a dog grooming shop.

      Sally Perea, who attended the University of California at Davis, majored in animal science, with a minor in nutrition. She says that the major has its pros and cons. “At UC Davis, most of the animal science majors were pre-vet. I think that this major does help prepare and train you for the things that you need to know for veterinary school; however, it doesn’t necessarily put you at an advantage over other applicants. The application committees like to see uniqueness in the applicants. However, there are specific courses that are required to apply to veterinary school, so it is a good idea to select a major that includes these needed courses.”

      Before you invest years of hard work and thousands of dollars in tuition and fees, make sure that you really want to be a veterinarian. Volunteering or otherwise getting experience in the field to truly find out if veterinary medicine is the right career for you is important. “I’ve heard many veterinarians say that being a veterinarian is the greatest profession in the world, but I don’t necessarily think it is the greatest profession for everyone,” Perea says. “You really need to get exposure and find out if it is for you.”

      If you decide that it is, start doing everything you can to prepare yourself. Because her father was a veterinarian, Perea had a head start in this area. In addition to helping out at her father’s clinic, she started building her experience for admission to veterinary school while in college.

      “At this stage, it is important for students to gain breadth of experience in both research and clinical settings,” Perea says. “I volunteered at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital to gain more experience in a clinical setting. I also tried some new things, such as volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation center over the summer. Finally, I got involved with a research project, which led me to run my own research project during my final year of undergrad. The tough thing at this stage is that pre-vet students have to distinguish themselves from other applicants. Grades and test scores are very important, but experience and well-roundedness are just as important. So you definitely have to start preparing early.”

       Veterinary School

      Not every state has its own veterinary school to which you can apply as a resident. States without veterinary colleges generally have agreements with veterinary schools in neighboring states to accept a certain percentage of the other states’ residents as students.

      In addition to satisfying pre-veterinary 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). The test you take depends on the preference of the colleges to which you are applying. Be prepared to provide letters of recommendation, including at least one from a veterinarian.

       Portrait of Two Veterinarians

      Some people grow up knowing that they want to be veterinarians. Other people come to the profession later in life. Veterinarian Sally Perea (pictured) is one who was exposed to and became interested in a veterinary career at a very early age.

      “My father is a veterinarian, so I grew up with a good exposure to the profession,” Perea says. “I spent a lot of time in his clinic, helping out around the office and with the animals. My favorite thing was watching him do surgery and helping out with emergencies, such as emergency cesarean sections when they would need lots of hands with the new puppies.

      “The thing that interested me the most about the profession was the investigative aspect of seeing a patient, running tests, and trying to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan. It seemed to me like a career that would never be boring and would always require learning about new developments and advancements.”

      Perea didn’t rule out other career options, and she spent her high-school years ensuring that she would have as many opportunities as possible for college so that she would be able to choose any field of interest. To that end, she maintained good grades and acquired experience in sports, clubs, and student government.

      Jill Richardson also wanted to be a veterinarian from the time she was very young. “I was always interested in animals more than dolls or toys,” she says. “I think most veterinarians will say something similar to that.”

      Richardson began preparing for her career even before high school. Her first “job” in the field was as a volunteer at a veterinary clinic.

      “I was thirteen. The veterinarian I worked for was a recent graduate, and working in his clinic gave me firsthand experience with this career. I would work all day on Saturdays, mainly cleaning up diarrhea and vomit, but I also had the opportunity to monitor surgery. The first time I watched a spay, I got very queasy and had to sit down for a few minutes to regain my composure. Fortunately, I got over it.”

      By the time she entered veterinary school, Richardson had worked part-time at several veterinary clinics. Her duties ranged from cleaning up to working behind the reception desk to assisting in