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Veterinary Medicine

Overview

Veterinary medicine encompasses a very diverse professional field. Although traditionally associated with treating and preventing animal disease, veterinarians are also directly involved in protecting public health. The veterinary field has become very specialized, with most modern veterinarians choosing to concentrate in areas such as small animal, large animal, food animal, or exotic animal species.

Veterinary medical specialties exist in areas such as internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, dentistry, dermatology, genology (reproduction), radiology, toxicology, emergency/critical care, and zoological medicine, to name a few. Specialty boards grant board certification to candidates who successfully complete residencies and pass specialty board examinations.

Opportunities also exist to enter private industry (especially nutrition and pharmaceuticals), food safety, public health/epidemiology, disaster preparedness, government, and military service. (Taken from UNCC website)

Schooling

Veterinarians complete a four-year graduate level program leading to the award of one of the following, equivalent degrees:

  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
  • Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD)

After receiving his or her degree, the graduate veterinarian is eligible to take national and state board exams, and apply for a license to practice.

Getting Information

Come into the office and look through our copy of the Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR). It provides an overview of the application and enrollment processes along with specific information on each US veterinary college. Additional information is on the AAVMC website.

Applying

  • Preliminary Information (required coursework, standardized tests, and extracurriculars)
  • Applying to School (where, when, how, and what happens next)
  • Reapplying (strengthening your application)

Resources