Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 1

Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med

Alyssa M. Torres

Stockton University
Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 2

Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med

The health-related profession that I desire to pursue is the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

A career in veterinary medicine is an extremely rewarding career option for animal lovers, such

as myself. Being a veterinarian would ultimately lead to a lifetime of learning. My desire to work

with animals has been present from a young age, and I plan to accomplish this by becoming a

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Professional Responsibilities

Veterinarians focus on providing medical care for household pets, as well as large and

exotic animals. Some direct responsibilities of a veterinarian include examining patients, making

a diagnosis, treating, prescribing and administering medications, performing diagnostic testing

and conducting surgical procedures. I believe that another direct responsibility of a DVM

(Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), is to educate owners about the wellbeing and care of their

animals.

Settings of Employment

One possible setting of employment for a veterinarian is an animal hospital or clinic.

Some veterinarians also work in animal shelters, on farms or ranches and at zoos or aquariums.

There is also the option of working in education for a veterinarian.

Salary Range

The highest paid Veterinarians are located in Honolulu, Florida, Massachusetts and California

(Sokanu.edu). Factors that contribute to how much a DVM is paid include industry, experience,

and region. The average salary yearly salary for a veterinarian in New Jersey starts at $67,760

and can go all the way up to $204,000 (Sokanu.edu). The average hourly wage for a veterinarian
Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 3

is $61.63. In Hawaii, the average yearly and hourly earnings of a veterinarian are much higher.

The hourly wage for a veterinarian in Hawaii is $96.75, while the yearly salary is $201,250

(Sokanu.edu). The difference between hourly wage between New Jersey and Hawaii is $35.12,

in favor of Hawaii.

Accreditation

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is an American Veterinary Medicine

Association (AVMA) accredited program. In order to meet the AVMA requirements, the

program must be organized. Meaning, the college must develop and follow its mission statement

(AVMA.org). The next requirement is finances, which must be adequate to sustain the

educational programs and mission of the institution (AVMA.org). Physical facilities and

equipment are also a requirement for an AVMA accredited program. All aspects of equipment

and facilities must provide an appropriate learning environment (AVMA.org). Information and

resources is the next requirement, meaning that timely access to information must be available to

students and faculty at all core training sites (AVMA.org). Students may actually be the most

important requirement in my opinion, a number of professional degree students must be

consistent with the resources and mission of the institution (AVMA.org). The institution is also

required to have a well defined and officially stated admissions policy (AVMA.org). The next

requirement is faculty, the faculty members numbers and qualifications must be sufficient in

order to fulfill the delivery of the educational program and mission of the college (AVMA.org).

The curriculum at an AVMA accredited school must extend over a period of four academic

years, minimum (AVMA.org). Those four years must include one year of clinical, hands-on

education (AVMA.org). The college must also maintain substantial research activity which
Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 4

strengthens the professional program (AVMA.org). Finally, outcomes of AVMA accredited

programs must be analyzed, measured, and considered, making outcomes assessment another

important factor of AVMA accreditation (AVMA.org).

Discussion of Educational Requirements

Veterinarians are required to complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine four year degree, after

completing an undergraduate degree. Hopeful veterinary students tend to major in undergraduate

programs in the sciences, such as zoology, biology, chemistry and animal science. Coursework

in a four year DVM program typically covers animal behavior, veterinary pharmacology, animal

nutrition, clinical pathology, large and small animal medicine, diagnostic imaging and anesthesia

and surgery principles. After earning a DVM, aspiring veterinarians must obtain licensure.

Veterinary School Entry

Entry to veterinary school requires experience, which can include working with animals in any

way. Letters of recommendation are also a requirement. The Graduate Record Exam is also

required for most AVMA accredited programs. You can have a 4.0 GPA and not earn entry to

veterinary school due to lack of experience, leadership skills, and communication skills.

Cornell's program has an admissions formula which is comprised of 25% overall GPA, 25%

GRE, 5% quality of academic program, 20% animal experience, 10% non-cognitive skills, 10%

letters of evaluation and other achievements and 5% personal statement (Cornell University

College of Veterinary Medicine). Entry into Cornell Vet requires two semesters of english

composition, two semesters of biological science, two semesters of general chemistry, one

semester of organic chemistry, one advanced life sciences course, one semester of biochemistry

and two semesters of physics (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine). A letter
Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 5

grade of C- or better is required for all prerequisite courses listed (Cornell University College of

Veterinary Medicine). There is no specific GPA requirement for this program, as the admissions

formula is used to determine acceptance.

Licenses

Veterinarians require a state licensure. A veterinary knowledge exam is required for licensure in

veterinary medicine (Study.com). The current exam for veterinarians in North America is the

North American Veterinary Licensing Examination which is organized by the National Board of

Veterinary Medical Examiners (Study.com). Application for the NAVLE occurs typically for

veterinary school seniors, who also must apply for their licensure with the state veterinary board.

According to The State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, licenses are valid for two years

and renewals are done online for a fee of $250, every Veterinary license expires June of

odd-numbered years.

Plan of Action

I plan on graduating from Stockton University with a Health Sciences degree in the spring of

2020. The application process for an AVMA accredited Veterinary program typically begins in

the early months of your senior year. Therefor, I will be taking the GRE in November of 2018 so

that these scores are available for the application deadline. I hope to attend Cornell’s College of

Veterinary Medicine. The likelihood of getting into Veterinary school the first time you apply is

not very high, however if I need to take a year off and work until the next application period, I

am prepared to do so. If everything goes as planned, I will officially be a DVM by the age of

twenty-five.
Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 6

Reflection

My initial reaction to this assignment was actually excitement. I enjoy talking about the career I

wish to pursue, as I am very passionate about working with animals. However, the research in

this assignment provided an “eye-opener” as to how difficult achieving this goal will actually be.

My career choice did not change from the beginning to the end of this assignment. If anything,

the assignment gave me more motivation to achieve becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

In my opinion, the end result will be worth the work.

Earn Your Scrubs: Vet Med 7

References

American Veterinary Medicine Association (2017). COE Accreditation Policies and Procedures:

Requirements. Retrieved from

https://www.avma.org/ProfessionalDeveloment/Education/Accreditation/Colleges/Pages/

coe-pp-requirments-of-accredited-college.aspx

Veterinarian Education Requirements and Career Info (2003-2018). Retrieved from

https://study.com/veterinarian_education.html

Veterinary Salary in Hawaii (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.sokanu.com/careers/veterinarian/salary/hawaii

Veterinary Salary in New Jersey (2018) Retrieved from

https://www.sokanu.com/careers/veterinarian/salary/newjersey