Requirements to Become...
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What are the Requirements to Become a Veternarian?

Veterinarians provide health care to a range of different animals, including house pets, lab specimens, livestock, and performance animals. In a typical day, you can expect to:
  • Treat and properly dress wounds
  • Perform surgery
  • Set fractures
  • Inoculate animals from diseases
  • Treat infections
  • Advise owners about proper feeding, breeding, and hygiene
However, whereas traditional doctors only need to become expert in the human body, veterinarians often must become well versed in a broad spectrum of different animals from elephants to salamanders. Not surprisingly, the requirements to become a veterinarian can be quite challenging, requiring numerous years of formal training and professional experience.

Requirements to Become a Veterinarian

Although not always mandatory, most aspiring veterinarians begin with a bachelor's degree in some aspect of science or medicine. Thereafter, they must take one of three graduate exams, the GRE, MCAT, or VCAT, in order to qualify for acceptance into one of twenty-eight different programs that offer doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degrees. Different schools accept different exams, so you need to make sure that whatever tests you take are recognized by the program of your choice.

After completing your four-year degree, you must become licensed as a veterinarian before you can begin practicing professionally. However, most veterinarians decide to complete an internship before officially launching their careers. This extra hands-on experience can go a long way in securing potential business and job opportunities down the road. Veterinarians who decide to become board certified typically have to complete three to four years of residency with a larger outfit before they can specialize professionally in disciplines like dentistry, exotic animals, brain surgery, or cardiology.

Although not an official requirement, many would agree that a genuine love of animals is a prerequisite for the job. The most successful veterinarians tend to be exceptionally patient, understanding, and enthusiastic about helping animals and their owners.

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