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Hunter A. Naba
Daniel Alburger
English III Standard
January 26, 2016
Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine has grown extensively since its birth; with advances in technology,
the field has become more beneficial than ever, as a result of these advancements, becoming a
veterinarian demonstrates a challenge that requires years of schooling and a lifelong
commitment. The history of veterinary medicine dates back thousands of years ago. Crude
outlines of dogs, cats, and goats, carved into rock, set the foundation of veterinary medicine in
the Middle East, during 9000 B.C. The idea of veterinary medicine came about due to the rapid
spread of disease within cattle. Hundreds of years later, the first school of veterinary medicine
opened in the summer of 1761 in Lyons, France, known as the University of Lyons (Veterinary
Medicine). The founder of the University, a french man renowned for his horsemanship and
knowledge of horse medicine, Claude Bourgelat (Alfort). In 1879, the first veterinary college
in America opened as a part of Iowa State University (First). Some years later in 1903, the
colleges started offering their first four year program. Today, graduates from the University
employ veterinary practices in every state of the country and in over twelve different countries
worldwide (First). Veterinary medicine has grown extensively since its birth; with advances in
technology, the field has become more beneficial than ever, as a result of these advancements,
studying the practice of veterinary medicine demonstrates a challenge that requires years of
schooling and a lifelong commitment.

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Modern day veterinary colleges have become some of the hardest schools to get into in
the country, accepting roughly 2,700 out of 6,800 applicants as of 2013 (Steps). Only 30
veterinary schools present credibility by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
in the U.S. These colleges share similar admission requirements but the specific standard tend to
vary between schools (Steps). Students applying to schools get recommendation to use the
centralized application service, a program offered by the American Veterinary Medical
Association that takes student's application, as well as their letters of evaluation, then sends them
to a handful of colleges selected. Students who show interests in the field of veterinary medicine
must strive to prepare for their career by taking certain classes. Students should take classes like:
biology, chemistry, and physics in addition to math classes as early as they can in their high
school career. (Steps). Once the student have their undergraduate program, they need to take
Biology and Physics classes to create a strong grounding for their career choice. In order for a
veterinarian college to accept a student, certain criteria must meet the requirements of the school,
such and grade point average and letters of recommendation. Requiring a grade point average of
3.5 or lower, veterinarian schools can introduce a difficult variety of tasks. Other requirements
include: letters of recommendation, graduate record examinations, and although not required,
co-curricular activities and volunteer hours display a strong work ethic and a commitment to the
job . The letters of recommendation, depending on your other information, one of the most
important part of the application when applying to veterinary schools (Steps). The three letters,
written by the student's Academic Advisor, a veterinarian, and a person of the student's choice,
will provide the school with information about the individual, as well as allow the student to

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waive their right to view their letters of evaluation (steps). The classes and activities a student
participates in while in college sets them up for success and makes the transition into veterinary
school easier.
Once a student graduates from veterinary college, multiple types of veterinary career
choices become available. Food animal veterinarians have a job similar to standard veterinarians
but works on different subjects. These veterinarians work animals specifically raised for food,
such as pigs, cows, chickens, and goats (summary). Much of these Veterinarians spend their time
working with the animals on the farm, testing for disease and providing vaccines. Similar to the
specialty of Food Animal Vet, the Food Safety and Inspection field also demonstrates a common
specialty recent graduates pursue. In this specialty, vets inspect livestock and animal products for
major animal diseases, making sure government food safety regulations stay enforced. They also
provide vaccines, enhance animal welfare, and conduct research to improve animal health
(summary). Food Safety and Inspection veterinarians have the important job of designing and
administering animal and health programs, these programs keep diseases spreading within the
livestock (summary). Research veterinarians play a very important variation of the standard
veterinarian. Research vets conduct research on common animal and human health problems and
spend their time in laboratories studying and performing tests on animals.
Each type of veterinarian performs different daily duties that contribute substantially to
the success of the practice. These tasks include euthanizing animals, prescribing medication,
performing surgery on animals, treating and dressing wounds, examining and diagnosing health
problems, and operating medical equipment such as X-ray machines (summary). The daily duties
done by veterinarians, have much in common with those of a standard physician. Veterinarians

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and physicians possess far more similarities that one would expect. Veterinarians use the same
machines that physicians use on human patients, ultrasound technology and X-ray machines both
see use by both professions (summary). When it comes to different types of treatment,
veterinarians and physicians have a plethora or similarities, just as they do with medical
machines. Companion Animal Veterinarians have the most similarities with a physician than any
other type of veterinarian, they make up about 75% of all veterinarians. Companion vets treat all
household animals including: cats, dogs, ferrets, and other small rodents (Summary). Due to the
closeness in the two fields, both veterinary and standard physicians practices can gain useful
information and advancements from their respective fields.
Today, technology in the field of veterinary medicine makes the treatment more effective
than ever. Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) display one example of advancements in the field
of veterinary medicine, they collect scans of orthopedic and soft tissue structures prior to surgery
(Blanck). By having the ability to see the current condition of the animal before going in for
surgery, a vet may reduce the chance that anything will go wrong during the procedure.
Veterinarians use MRI machines to look at the brains of the animals (Blanck). Ultrasound
technology demonstrates another example of advancements in the field of veterinary medicine.
Ultrasound technology has a greater chance of becoming widely adopted because it financially
dominates MRI procedures. Ultrasound technology can create 3c or 4d images of the animal's
insides (blanck). MRI procedures require anesthetics while ultrasound, also offering internal
images, does not, making it a far more practical option and more likely to get adopted by
standard veterinary practices. This technology will commonly aid cardiovascular specialists in
creating images of the heart (Blanck). Laparoscopy, similar to Ultrasound and MRI procedures,

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have become quite popular within recent years. Laparoscopy, a procedure where a camera,
equipped with a flashlight, inserts itself through either the abdominal or thoracic cavity, also
demonstrates the advancement of medical technology. This procedure demonstrates another
example of human technology that has the animal kingdom adopted (Blanck). Because of the
advancement of veterinary medicine, animals can now expect the same quality of treatment as
humans.
Stem cell technology displays another one of veterinary medicine advancements . Teams
of human and vet medical scientists source many of these innovations (National Center). The
research done to provide further information in order to test out new theories, scientists utilize
animals for research. Embryonic stem cells add incredible value due to their ability to imitate any
type of tissue in the body, as well as self-renewal and thus have the inherent potential for
exceptionally prolonged culture (National Center).The results of the tests completed on
animals lead ways to predictions on how the human body would react to similar treatments.
Currently, the transfer of ES cells from one organism to another cannot take place due to their
vivo teratogenic degeneration, presenting a large problem for the scientists. The cells can only
exist in small animals such as mink, rat, rabbit, chicken, and pigs. stem cell development can
potentially help fight against various chronic diseases in animals and also possibly find cure for
ones that are untreatable, this kind of innovative development can also help vets fix injuries and
may help with transplant of failing organs in animals and eventually give life longevity (Roy)
says Laila Roy, this could help by contributing to the cure for cancer or could find a new, more
effective way of fighting it. With scientists studying topics as groundbreaking as stem cell
technology, a multitude of other exciting advancements could come about, making veterinary

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medicine more helpful than ever.

To become a vet, one must attend a lot of school, study hard, and invest a lot of money
into their education. However, the reward for completing years of schooling makes the journey
worth it. Vets experience a human to animal bond, creating a rewarding experience for the vet
while they help the animal to heal. (The Dog Doctors). The reward of returning an animal back
to its owner's, healthy and vibrant, will not have the same effects as any other feeling. While
these advantages give veterinarians the impression of having an easy and rewarding job, it does
come with its disadvantages. Lifelong schooling, testing, and work, can prove a serious
disadvantage of the career. A veterinarian, after completing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
(DVM) degree, they must take the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)
in order to practice in the United States (Steps). Euthanizing animals makes for a task that all
veterinarians dread, as well as having to deal with their unhappy owners . With euthanization,
comes a hard conversation a vet must have with the owner's of the patient. Although
euthanization makes for a conversation, hard on both the doctor and the owner, in some cases, no
option could save the animal from the condition previously in. Though medicine makes up a
majority of the career, interpersonal relationships bring the clients and even the animals, closer to
the veterinarians. The success from a good practice comes from a high standard of care for the
animals, along with how well the veterinarian can foster their relationships (The Dog Doctors).
In order to have a successful career, one studying to become a vet must have a passion for
helping animals and a dedication to deal with challenges that may come within the field.(The
Dog Doctors). In order to have a successful career, one studying to become a vet must have a
passion for helping animals and a dedication to deal with challenges that may come within the

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field.
People that enjoy animals commonly strive to become a veterinarian, however, not all
have the time, money, or work ethic to become one. At an entry level position, a vet can make an
annual salary of about $50,000. As a vet progresses in the field, average salaries increase to
about $77,000 to $100,000 annually, over time, their salary will increase, peaking at anywhere
from 77,000 to 100,000 dollars a year (Ribiero). While the salary of a vet can motivate people
into beginning a career in the field, some cannot become a vet due to the financial investment
into the education. Fortunately,other jobs, such as a dog trainer, work hands on with animals,
similar to what a vet would do. These trainers perform several duties including private training
lessons, preparing dogs for shows, and training service dogs to aid the disabled (Ribeiro). While
one does not need to earn a specific certification for this job, clients tend to prefer trainers with
higher education in the animal-field.
Kennel Technicians also work with animals and can do so without having to complete al
the necessary schooling or qualifications of becoming a vet. Daily duties of this job include
providing medication for the animals, exercise and feed the animals staying at the kennels, and
clean the cages (Ribeiro). Instead of going to a veterinary college, Kennel Technicians must
complete a course for certification, some dog trainers will take this course as well. Along with
these other careers, an Animal Cruelty Officer also allow people to work with animals,
commonly household animals such as dogs and cats. Animal Cruelty Officers must enforce the
rules and regulation regarding the safety of all animals. Certification varies based on where the
Officer lives. A degree in behavioral psychology or veterinary science can help, as well as
experience in law enforcement such as a Police Officer or Park ranger (Ribeiro). While many

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people want to work with animals, often times people do not have the means to do so. For an
individual who can not afford to become a veterinarian, they could take up one of many jobs that
also offer hands on experience with animals.
Veterinary medicine, with the help of its technological advancements and use of
machines such as ultrasound and MRI, has grown into one of today's biggest fields of medicine.
Veterinary technology has come a very long way since the beginning of the practice and with
fascinating discoveries such as stem cells, the technology in the field will only continue to
advance, the daily duties and treatment for the animals will continue to change as well, as long as
the medicine continues to become closer to human medicines used by physicians today. They
will learn how to use the new machines and will learn how to address certain types of wounds.
The schooling for a veterinarian has evolved into the hardest part of the career, requiring high
standards and forcing mass quantities of work upon the students to ensure that they understand
the material. Once out of schooling, the new veterinarian jumps right into the fast paced career of
addressing animals and their medical needs, as well as dealing with their owners and helping
them to understand how care for their animal. Veterinarians of all types including Research
Veterinarians, Food Safety and Inspection Veterinarians, and Food Veterinarians have all put in
the work to better society with their knowledge of animals and how to ensure their safety.

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work cited
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Roy, Leila Pride Paper Interview Email Interview February 23, 2016"Steps to Becoming a

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Veterinarian (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Major)." Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
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<http://vbs.psu.edu/majors/vbs/steps-to-becoming-a-veterinarian>.
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