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M$3 Answers
Becoming a veterinarian is a lot of school and hard work... it's in many ways like medical school. But if it's what you love, enjoy, and have an interest in, then it's well worth it. Not much is easy nowadays.
I do have a suggestion for you. In 11th grade, I took a half-day course through BOCES called animal science. I got a pre-vet tech (pre-veterinary technician) certificate from it. We had a huge classroom with many animals that we studied and then learned to take care of... each week our assigned animal rotated and we had to feed, water, and otherwise care for it. Offhand I can remember a few dogs, gecko, iguana, bearded dragon, fish, snake, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, parrots... you get the point. We built a few saltwater habitats, then went down to the beach. They suited us up in those waist-high rubber things, gave us nets, and sent us out to catch stuff. I never knew we had starfish right at our local beaches. We brought it back, and loaded the tanks up. So we got experience taking care of both fresh and saltwater tanks. We learned how to groom, and had an in-house grooming salon where people brought their cats and dogs in once a week to be professionally groomed by us. We learned how to take fecal samples and analyze them, what the different shaped parasite eggs look like, etc. We took trips to a local farm, learned how to herd llamas, restrain sheep, and more. We took a few horseback riding lessons, learned how to massage horses (after first practicing on ourselves and each other!), learned how to care for their hooves, clean their stalls, etc.
It wasn't all hands-on, we had to learn our book-smarts too. We had to memorize every AKC recognized dog breed, and also some breeds of cats, pigs, and cows. We had a new one to study each week, and quizzes on a regular basis. One other thing I remember learning about was alternative medicine, we studied veterinary acupuncture. That was a weird lesson! Usually our first 2 hours of class was in desks learning, the last 2 hours was hands-on around the classroom with the animals. I also went off to a state-wide competition, doing a presentation on how to muzzle a dog using only gauze or a man's tie. I placed third in New York state. It was a lot of fun!
I mean, it was an intensive course. With my pre-vet tech certificate, I had an easy time getting jobs as a groomer and veterinary assistant to give me a more inside view into the field before I paid for and committed to college. It turned out that it saved me a lot of time and money... I decided not to pursue the veterinary field after that.
I would suggest a program like this to anyone who's interested in becoming a vet. If you're in high school, you might be able to do what I did... I took 4 or 5 (I don't remember) classes at school, then a bus came and whisked me away to BOCES for another 4 classes worth of animal science. I'd arrive back at my high school in time to take the after-school bus home.
If you're past high school, I'd say take a look around and see what certificate programs are available near you. It might be called animal science or pre-vet tech. I took it back in 2001-2002 so I'm not sure if they might call it something different now.
Good luck! :)
I do have a suggestion for you. In 11th grade, I took a half-day course through BOCES called animal science. I got a pre-vet tech (pre-veterinary technician) certificate from it. We had a huge classroom with many animals that we studied and then learned to take care of... each week our assigned animal rotated and we had to feed, water, and otherwise care for it. Offhand I can remember a few dogs, gecko, iguana, bearded dragon, fish, snake, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, parrots... you get the point. We built a few saltwater habitats, then went down to the beach. They suited us up in those waist-high rubber things, gave us nets, and sent us out to catch stuff. I never knew we had starfish right at our local beaches. We brought it back, and loaded the tanks up. So we got experience taking care of both fresh and saltwater tanks. We learned how to groom, and had an in-house grooming salon where people brought their cats and dogs in once a week to be professionally groomed by us. We learned how to take fecal samples and analyze them, what the different shaped parasite eggs look like, etc. We took trips to a local farm, learned how to herd llamas, restrain sheep, and more. We took a few horseback riding lessons, learned how to massage horses (after first practicing on ourselves and each other!), learned how to care for their hooves, clean their stalls, etc.
It wasn't all hands-on, we had to learn our book-smarts too. We had to memorize every AKC recognized dog breed, and also some breeds of cats, pigs, and cows. We had a new one to study each week, and quizzes on a regular basis. One other thing I remember learning about was alternative medicine, we studied veterinary acupuncture. That was a weird lesson! Usually our first 2 hours of class was in desks learning, the last 2 hours was hands-on around the classroom with the animals. I also went off to a state-wide competition, doing a presentation on how to muzzle a dog using only gauze or a man's tie. I placed third in New York state. It was a lot of fun!
I mean, it was an intensive course. With my pre-vet tech certificate, I had an easy time getting jobs as a groomer and veterinary assistant to give me a more inside view into the field before I paid for and committed to college. It turned out that it saved me a lot of time and money... I decided not to pursue the veterinary field after that.
I would suggest a program like this to anyone who's interested in becoming a vet. If you're in high school, you might be able to do what I did... I took 4 or 5 (I don't remember) classes at school, then a bus came and whisked me away to BOCES for another 4 classes worth of animal science. I'd arrive back at my high school in time to take the after-school bus home.
If you're past high school, I'd say take a look around and see what certificate programs are available near you. It might be called animal science or pre-vet tech. I took it back in 2001-2002 so I'm not sure if they might call it something different now.
Good luck! :)
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M$
It is not easy is that is the question.
In order to become a vet you need a college degree and you have to specialize and practice. Veterinarians are actually medics (or as many like to call them "doctors" although not every medic is an actual PhD. However they could be PhD candidates), they just treat animals instead of humans.
According to the American Veterinay Medical Association these are the carees:
# Veterinarians (formerly "Today's Veterinarian")
# Veterinary Technicians
# Veterinary Specialists
The specialization could be in a certain medical area (surgery, dermatology, nutrition, immunology etc) or in types of animals (farm, pets, exotic; big or small; birds, mammals or reptiles)
http://www.avma.org/
In order to become a vet you need a college degree and you have to specialize and practice. Veterinarians are actually medics (or as many like to call them "doctors" although not every medic is an actual PhD. However they could be PhD candidates), they just treat animals instead of humans.
According to the American Veterinay Medical Association these are the carees:
# Veterinarians (formerly "Today's Veterinarian")
# Veterinary Technicians
# Veterinary Specialists
The specialization could be in a certain medical area (surgery, dermatology, nutrition, immunology etc) or in types of animals (farm, pets, exotic; big or small; birds, mammals or reptiles)
http://www.avma.org/
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
To become a veterinarian you may have to go to college for four years (Bachelors Degree) at an accredited college and acheive a State license to practice. Check this site out.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos076.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos076.htm
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M$
i'm in 10th.I would like to pursue my higher studies as a vet.Could u advice me on what i should and should not do and if the choice i have taken is the right one.