Ide 1

Ive always wanted to help heal animals and work with a variety of animals. The career
field that I chose to research in is veterinary medicine. A veterinarian is a person who practices
veterinary medicine or surgery; veterinary medicine is the prevention of disabilities and injury in
animals, and diagnosis and treatment of diseases in animals. Veterinary medicine is for all kind
of animals, both domesticated and wild. I picked veterinary medicine because Ive always been
around animals and have enjoyed it. I desire to heal animals and can see myself in the career
later in life. Therefore, after researching about the career of veterinary medicine; my knowledge
about the history, people in the field, duties of the career, qualifications in the field, the education
planning, related fields, looking for a job and the earnings, and the nature of veterinary medicine
will help me in my future career aspirations.
Veterinary medicine is a an ancient field. It has dates as far back as 4000 to 3000 B.C.
According to Information Resources on Veterinary History at the National Agricultural Library,
in China there were records dating around 4000 to 3000 B.C. that talk about the use of herbs to
heal both people and animals. Egyptian hieroglyphics from some time during 3500 B.C. show a
number of domesticated animals. In Mesopotamia around 300 B.C. there was the first person
considered a veterinarian named Urlagaldinna, a scientist first known to dissect animals for
scientific reasons. In India there are records that animal hospitals were built in the Brahaman era
or time that King Ashoka was in charge, which was around 273 to 232 B.C. Aristotle has lots of
recorded knowledge regarding animals; how they were different compared to humans, but still
had some human characteristics.
Veterinary medicine became well known in Europe in the Middle Ages. According to
Information Resources on Veterinary History at the National Agricultural Library, in Europe
during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries there was an advancement in knowledge of human

Ide 2
and animal diseases because of microscopes and increased knowledge in the scientific method.
The very first veterinary school in the world was established in Lyon, France by Claude
Bourgelat in 1762. When the veterinary school was made in the 1700s other countries were
made and the first veterinary college was made in the United States until 1879. John Hunter
hugely improved veterinary medicine because of his research, writing and by whom he had
trained well.
There are approximately 59,700 people employed as veterinarians (How Many People
Are Currently Employed as a Veterinarians in the United States?). The demand for veterinary
medicine is expected to go up compared to many other occupations (Animal Health
Employment and Salary Trends). It is expected to go up because people have more money for
health care for their animals, and the number of people owning dogs and felines is going up at a
steady pace, and people that are relatively older in age are taking the pets to veterinarians. From
the interviewing Dr. David Manuelito, I learned the best places for veterinarian jobs in the
United States are rural areas because there isn't as much competition for a job and there is a
variety of animals to treat. Countries that have many jobs related to veterinary medicine are in
England, Great Britain, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, among others.
The general duties of a veterinarian are spaying and neutering, taking x-rays, taking care
of broken bones, and treating wounds (Veterinarian: Jobs Duties, Occupational Outlook and
Education Requirements). For small animal veterinarians a person needs to know how to spay
and neuter animals, treat broken bones, heal wounds, and take special care of elderly animals.
For large animal veterinarians, a person needs to know how to treat a herd of animals to keep
diseases from spreading, give advice on animal feeding, and inspect production facilities. On
average a veterinarian works around 50 hours a week (The Veterinary Profession). Manuelito,

Ide 3
he said that he works from 9 AM to 6 PM, five days a week.

A person wanting to be a veterinarian has to have good health and stamina. A person also
needs courage to be around animals that may harm them (Farnen, Karen). Working long hours,
working with bigger animals, and going through surgeries are other traits that veterinarians need
to have. Manuelito said that a person that wants to be a veterinarian has to be an extrovert
because much of the job is communicating with clients about what will be happening or what to
do to for their animals health. Veterinarians have to use their knowledge of science, biology,
chemistry, certain mathematical level, physics and communication (Farnen, Karen).
The education required to be a veterinarian is first a bachelors degree in animal science
followed by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DMV) (Veterinarian Education Requirements and
Career Info) . All of this education will take eight years, but it can be done in a minimum of
seven years. During a persons four years of getting their bachelors degree in animal science
they will have to take microbiology, animal management, anatomy and physiology, animal
nutrition, and equine care. Next the person will have to take another four years after they get
their bachelors degree to get their DMV. The courses are usually divided into two year
segments. The courses that they will take are things like animal behavior, veterinary
pharmacology, more animal nutrition, clinical pathology, large and small animal medicine,
diagnostic imaging, and anesthesia and surgery principles.
To prepare for veterinary medicine I am currently taking biology,which will help me get
prepared for my career field because in the class we learn about animals; like how to classify
them into kingdoms. For future classes I plan to take chemistry, anatomy or physiology, and for
my work study to go to a veterinary clinic. Taking these classes will help me prepare for courses
that I will need during college; and going to a veterinary clinic for my work study during my

Ide 4
senior year will give me the kind of atmosphere that I will be in if I go into veterinary medicine.
To become a veterinarian I will have to get my bachelors degree in animal science. That will
take four years, followed by getting a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, which will take an
additional four years, so together it is an eight year plan. A year of school will be around 40,000
to 85,000 dollars a year. The scholarships that I could apply for are AISES Google Scholarship,
American Indian College Fund Scholarships, Daughters of Indian Wars Scholarships, Navajo
Nation Scholarship, Daniels Scholarship, or the Gates Scholarship.
There are many careers related to veterinary medicine like veterinary technician,
biologist, ecologist, or wildlife rehabilitator. A veterinary technician draws blood, assisting
veterinarians in surgery, giving anesthesia, and so forth (Leifer, Michelle). According to Purdue
University, biologists are people who study the natural world and use scientific tools and
techniques to understand how living things work. Ecologists are similar to biologist and look at
patterns that a produced by groups of animals (What Do Ecologists Do? - Curiosity).
According to the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, a wildlife rehabilitator is someone
who gives medical attention to injured, sick or orphaned wild animals and lets them back into the
wild.
There are some job openings in New Mexico, but not as many job opening as in other
states with a high demand for veterinarians (Veterinarian Jobs in New Mexico). However,
there arent any job listings for veterinarians in Gallup or the McKinley County. The beginning
salary for a veterinarian is around $40,000 to $50,000 a year. The average salary is around
$85,000 a year, and the exceptional salary is over $100,000 a year if a person gets to the top of
the field. To be a certified veterinarian a person will have to get a veterinary inspection
certificate. According to Cherokee Trail Veterinary Hospital, the tools that veterinarians use are

Ide 5
digital x-ray machines, ultrasounds, stethoscopes, anesthetic monitors, rigid endoscopes, digital
dental radiograph machines, and microscopes.
According to Global Post, one of the benefits to being a veterinarian is having the ability
to choose which area that they want to go into because there are forty specialty areas and the
work schedule is on average forty hours a week. Some disadvantages of being a veterinarian are
that the career field is very hard to get into, it is an emotional job, and requires lots of education.
Being a veterinarian can be a hazardous job and can be dangerous (Stewart, David). The job is
hazardous because animals will let out their pain though kicking and biting, which mainly
happens in large, wild or farm animals and with being so close to animals veterinarians can be
exposed to infections. Also there is a high risk of getting asthma, which comes from close
contact with animals and can be fatal; veterinarians tend to have suicidal tendencies compared to
the ordinary public because of the suffering of animals and from long hours of work, which cuts
veterinarians from their social life.
After researching veterinary medicine for my career paper Ive that I have the right
personality and physical requirements for my career path. I have increased in my knowledge of
the history, have learned what people in the field have to do, researched, found the qualifications
in the field, done my education planning, looked at related fields, seen the job the opportunities
and pay, and have researched the nature of veterinary medicine. This is because my personality is
outgoing, which will be good when I am communicating with the clients; I am caring , which
makes me feel obligated to help heal animals and I believe that I will enjoy working with
animals. I am physically ready to be a veterinarian because will be able to last long day from
being at school from around eight in the morning to around five-thirty in the evening and will
keep myself in shape to handle larger animals. However, after researching veterinary medicine in

Ide 6
depth Ive learned that this isnt the career that I want for the rest of my life. I dont think that
this is the career for me because I am not looking at going to college for eight years, but at a
maximum I want to go to college for four years. Also as much as love being around animals, I
didnt like the smell of the veterinary clinic and dont think I can deal with those smells in the
future. Therefore, I love being around animals and have the desire to help heal them, but I dont
want to be a veterinarian because it is too much schooling and I dont like how veterinary clinics
smell.

Ide 7
Works Cited
"Animal Health Employment and Salary Trends." The Vet Recruiter. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Jan. 2014. <http://thevetrecruiter.com/animal-health-and-veterinarian-careerplanning-resources/animal-health-employment-and-salary-trends/>.
"Biological Sciences." Biological Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://webs.purduecal.edu/biology/welcome/what-do-biologis-do/>.
"Cherokee Trail Veterinary Hospital - Lexington Veterinarian :: Veterinary Tools."
Cherokee Trail Veterinary Hospital - Lexington Veterinarian :: Veterinary
Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://cherokeetrail.net/about-us/veterinarytools.html>.
Farnen, Karen. "Physical or Personality Traits to Become a Vet." Work. Demand Media,
n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. <http://work.chron.com/physical-personality-traitsbecome-vet-3027.html>.
Ho, Judith. "AWIC Resource Series No. 29." "Information Resources on Veterinary
History at the National Agricultural Library" U.S. Department of Agriculture,
n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/VetHistory/vethistory.htm>.
"How Many People Are Currently Employed as a Veterinarians in the United States?"
StudentScholarshops.org Career Questions RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.studentscholarships.org/professions/478/employed/veterinarians.php>.
Leifer, Michelle. "What Do Veterinary Technicians Do?" Vetstreet. N.p., 14 Oct. 2011.
Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://www.vetstreet.com/learn/what-do-veterinarytechnicians-do>.

Ide 8
Manuelito, David. Personal interview. 21 January 2014
Stewart, David. "Positive & Negative Features of Being a Veterinarian." Everyday Life.
EHow Contributor, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/positive-negative-features-being-veterinarian5848.html>.
"Veterinarian Education Requirements and Career Info." Education-Portal.com. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://education-portal.com/veterinarian_education.html>.
"Veterinarian: Job Duties, Occupational Outlook and Education Requirements."
Veterinarian: Job Duties, Occupational Outlook and Education Requirements.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Veterinarian_Job_Duties_Occupational_Outlook
_and_Education_Requirements.html>.
"Veterinarian Jobs in New Mexico." Veterinarian Jobs, Employment in New
Mexico|Indeed.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://www.indeed.com/qVeterinarian-l-New-Mexico-jobs.html>.
"The Veterinary Profession." The Veterinary Profession. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://netvet.wustl.edu/vetjob.htm>.
"What Do Ecologists Do? - Curiosity." Curiosity. Discovery Channel, n.d. Web. 29 Jan.
2014. <http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-do-ecologists-do>.
"What Is Wildlife Rehabilitation?" What Is Wildlife Rehabilitation? N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Jan. 2014. <http://www.nwrawildlife.org/content/what-wildlife-rehabilitation-0>.