Put your love of animals to work

Want a career working with animals but not sure you're up for eight years and hundreds of thousands of dollars for veterinary school? You're in luck! There are a wide variety of intriguing and fun ways you can carve out a rewarding career with animals. This is merely a short synopsis of some of the more common options out there.

The first person most people meet when calling or entering a veterinary practice is the Customer Service Representative. Successful CSRs must be calm, friendly and reassuring. These folks may actually deal more with the people than animals although often they are asked to assist with holding or walking a pet. 2019 mean salaries for veterinary receptionists were $28,982 in the US.

Vet assistants generally have a high school diploma or equivalent and receive much of their training on the job. These individuals sterilize equipment, help with restraint, administer medications, and assist with x-rays and sample collections. 2017 mean earnings were $26,140.

A veterinary technician may or may not have an actual degree or they can learn on the job. These team players help perform medical tests, take x-rays and bloodwork, anesthetize animals and even perform dental cleanings. They also may be required to work after-hours on call for emergency care. In the US, 2019 mean earnings were $50,010.

Practice managers are becoming more common in veterinary clinics. These individuals often have a college degree and many have training as an animal assistant or technician. They have to be business and finance savvy and have good communication skills as they are often in charge of hiring new employees. 2019 mean earnings were $47,000.

Veterinarians, themselves, are dedicated to maintaining and promoting animal health. They all understand the importance of animal welfare and celebrate the human-animal bond. This is a minimum 8-year undertaking just to be able to take the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam to practice in the US and/or Canada. (From experience, when I took my NAVLE that was the most I ever knew about roosters, snakes, meat rabbits and camelids!) Veterinary pay in the US was a mean of $90,420 in 2017.

Following the NAVLE, some veterinary doctors (DVMs or VMDs) pursue internships or residences for more specialized training, such as surgery, pharmacology, oncology and internal medicine. 80% of DVMs eventually enter clinical practice but there are other exciting career options as well. These include biomedical research, education, consultation, diagnostic laboratory work and even safeguarding the nation's food supply and our population's health.

The USDA is the single largest employer of DVMs. Their focus is the prevention and control of infectious and parasitic diseases. The US Public Health Service develops and administers programs focusing on the control of diseases that are transmissible to humans. DVMs can also work in the Army or Air Force, providing care for government-owned animals, inspecting food and providing biomedical research.

Some DVMs work with one species only, such as poultry, fish or swine while others work with a multitude of species. Whatever path you choose to follow when working with animals, you can be assured of a rewarding career where every single day is different!