Animals have been playing an important role in human life for thousands of years, and ensuring the health and happiness of our furry (or not furry) friends has developed into a stable professional field. Veterinary medicine studies the health and welfare of animals. Like a medical degree, this includes everything from preventive health care to psychoanalysis and complex surgery.
I. Curriculum structure &; Admission requirements
What does a veterinary degree include?
Veterinary science officially became a discipline in the18th century, when many specialized colleges were established all over Europe. Since then, veterinary medicine has developed into a complex and advanced field, and it needs a relatively long and harsh study before becoming a qualified veterinarian. Just like human health care, veterinary science is highly competitive and demanding, but it is also highly respected; This degree promises the reward of social status, attractive employability and salary prospects-and of course the satisfaction of contributing to the quality of life of animals.
If you study veterinary science, you will learn many of the same topics as a medical degree, but the emphasis is on animals rather than humans. The course modules include anatomy, animal behavior, animal husbandry, cell biology, nutrition, physiology, genetics, epidemiology, pharmacology, epidemiology, pathology, parasitology and public health. You may also have the opportunity to study some non-scientific modules of veterinary science, but the study of these modules is also a part of veterinary career preparation, including communication skills, law and ethics, business management and so on.
Entry requirements for veterinary degree
As far as studying veterinary science is concerned, applicants are usually expected to show good academic performance in scientific subjects, especially chemistry and biology. You need to get excellent grades in these two courses and graduate with good grades as a whole. Good grades in math and physics are usually not necessary, but they may help your application. Because the competition for veterinary degrees is usually fierce, applicants also need to prove their long-term interest in this field, and may need to gain some relevant work experience or participate in some voluntary work.
Curriculum structure and evaluation method
Like medicine, veterinary science education and training will follow different systems according to different countries. In some countries, you can study veterinary science at the undergraduate level, while in other countries, you can only enter this course after completing relevant undergraduate courses (such as biology or animal science). In either case, you need to be prepared for at least five years or more.
In the early stage of veterinary degree study, I will mainly study the main background knowledge and theory needed to become a veterinarian. In the next stage, you will have the opportunity to choose the field that interests you most. At the end of the project, you usually accept a job arrangement, such as working in a clinic, a farm, a zoo or other institutions that check and take care of animals.
At the end of the course, you are usually asked to do a research on your chosen major. The evaluation methods include classroom examination, thesis writing, small topics and practical examination.
Second, the development trend of veterinary specialty
Veterinarians or surgeons (often referred to as "vet" for short) usually assume wider responsibilities than doctors; This means that the scope of training is usually quite extensive. Some veterinary practitioners will specialize in animal care, such as oncology, dermatology or surgery, while others will conduct all-round research. You can also choose to take care of a specific animal group-such as domestic animals (kept as pets), domestic animals (kept by agricultural departments), or exotic animals (kept in zoos, aquariums and nature reserves).
Other veterinary science majors you may want to specialize in include:
1, animal behavior, nutrition and welfare
Have you ever wondered why animals behave in one way or another? If yes, you can consider specializing in animal behavior, nutrition and welfare. You will have the opportunity to understand the behavior patterns of animals, explore their psychology and ensure their welfare. The most important thing is that you will play a positive role in their improvement. You can also study animal nutrition, understand the dietary requirements of different animals, and study various ethical and legal frameworks to regulate the interaction between humans and various animals.
2. Infectious diseases and human and animal diseases.
Another important major is infectious diseases and zoonosis. Human and animal diseases are diseases that can spread between species (including from animals to humans). This major can help you prepare for the study of new and emerging diseases, and also help you improve the prevention and treatment measures for known virus and bacterial infections. You may know about vaccination, biosafety emergency management and human and animal disease prevention plans, or you may be a consultant to government departments, agricultural organizations, non-profit organizations or academic research institutions.
3. Reproductive biology
Another major direction is reproductive biology. If you choose to specialize in this subject of veterinary medicine, you will learn all about animal reproduction, development and life cycle. You will learn all kinds of physical and environmental factors that affect animal reproduction, and how to intervene with methods aimed at increasing or limiting reproduction. Your goal may be to keep the number of animals in a sustainable range, increase the number of endangered species, or just give advice to farmers, breeders, city zoos and others who supervise animal reproduction.
4. Veterinary epidemiology and public health
If you choose to study veterinary epidemiology and public health, focus on analyzing the trend and mode of disease transmission, including epidemiological investigation and disease modeling. You need to master all kinds of statistical methods and understand the relevant knowledge in food safety and other fields. The main goal of this field is to learn how to protect the public from dangers, such as human and animal diseases and contaminated food supply, analyze the possible risks when problems occur through evaluation and take appropriate measures. Livestock will be the focus of your study.
Other professional fields include: anesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, intensive care, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, ophthalmology, oncology, parasitology, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, surgery and veterinary care. If you have a background in pharmacy or related disciplines, you can better develop your career in the field of veterinary drugs. If you are not so interested in practical operation, but more interested in knowledge creation, there are also many universities that offer veterinary courses and projects that focus on research rather than clinic.
Iii. Veterinary career development
Most people with veterinary degrees will continue to pursue veterinary careers and work in veterinary surgery, local clinics or zoos. However, this is not the only career path for graduates in this field; Veterinary careers you can consider include:
1. Veterinary occupation? (Veterinary)
The most common career choice is to become a veterinarian and take care of animals like doctors take care of humans. But there is a big difference between the types of animals you can be responsible for and the scope of related tasks. You may need surgery to take care of domestic animals such as cats, dogs and hamsters. You can go to the farm to help manage livestock, such as cattle, sheep, bison or camels-depending on where you are in the world. Or you may work in a zoo or a conservation center to supervise the health and reproduction of rare animals.
To become a practicing veterinarian, you usually need to be certified by an official national agency, which may require taking the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) and other examinations.
2. Occupation of animal nutritionist
Another feasible career path is to become an animal nutritionist. In this position, you will be responsible for designing special diets and providing suggestions for healthy animal nutrition. You can deal with livestock in agriculture, supervise the feeding of animals in zoos, or give advice to the owners and breeders of livestock. You will have the opportunity to specialize in certain kinds of animals or do general practice. In addition to providing nutritional advice, you can also provide special guidance on animal welfare and behavior.
3. Veterinary research career
Or, you can engage in veterinary scientific research to promote the progress of knowledge in this field, so as to improve the health and health care level of animals (including humans in some cases). Pharmaceutical companies, academic laboratories and universities, private research institutions, government agencies, charities, and even international organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations all have research roles. Your time may be spent designing experiments and clinical trials, collecting and analyzing data, writing reports and publishing papers, attending seminars and other activities, and providing guidance to official institutions and policy makers.
4. Veterinary education career
Another career choice is to pursue a career in the field of veterinary science education and work as a teacher or lecturer in a college or university. Your duty is to educate the next veterinary students and share your knowledge through lectures, seminars, laboratory meetings and practical demonstrations. Alternatively, you can be trained by a middle school teacher and specialize in biology or anatomy.
5. Science journalism profession
Another career area you can consider is science journalism. This may be working for academic journals or scientific magazines, making documentaries about animals, or even working for famous TV channels such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet Channel or National Geographic Channel. This career path is suitable for people who like to travel. You can meet many different people (and animals) and explore different places and species around the world.