Veterinarians diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock or care for pets and companion animals.

  • Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
  • Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
  • Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
  • Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
  • Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
  • Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
  • Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
  • Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
  • Euthanize animals.
  • Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.
  • Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.
  • Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.
  • Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.
  • Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths.
  • Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.
  • Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.
  • Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.
  • Establish or conduct quarantine or testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans and that comply with applicable government regulations.
  • Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.
  • Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds.
  • Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.
  • Inspect animal housing facilities to determine their cleanliness and adequacy.
  • Drive mobile clinic vans to farms so that health problems can be treated or prevented.
Work Context
  • Face-to-Face Discussions — 100% responded "Every day".
  • Telephone — 97% responded "Every day".
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 96% responded "Every day".
  • Contact With Others — 86% responded "Constant contact with others".
  • Work With Work Group or Team — 83% responded "Extremely important".
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 91% responded "Every day".
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 76% responded "A lot of freedom".
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Work Activities
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Provide health and wellness advice to patients, program participants, or caregivers.
  • Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
  • Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
  • Maintain medical facility records.
  • Perform clerical work in medical settings.
  • Counsel family members of clients or patients.
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Knowledge

Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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Skills

Reading Comprehension
  • Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening
  • Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Active Learning
  • Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving
  • Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
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Abilities

Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension
  • The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression
  • The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning
  • The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Document management software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat Hot Technology
Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology
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Education

Get started on your career:

Job Outlook

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
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