How do you become a Veterinarian?

Question

--What are the educational requirements? Where do i go fafter H.S in order to become a vet.?
--Which schools/universities offer the training that you'd need?
--What are the projections for veterinarians 10 years from now?
--Will that service [veterinarian] still be in demand?
--What is the salary range?
--Are you happy/sad that you became a veterinarian [if you're a vet. now]?
--what kind's of grades do you have to have in high school in order to be exepted into a vet. school?



all help is GREATLY appreciated!! =]

Answer 1

What are the educational requirements?
Each vet school has their own requiements but basically you want a year each of college level biology, chemistry, physics and organic chemistry. There are others as well. Schools post their prerequistes. For a list of all schools check out the avma site:
http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/colleges_accredited/colleges_accredited.asp
For a nice summary check out the aavmc site (there are like 3 or 4 schools that are not listed here)
http://aavmc.org/vmcas/college_requirement.htm

Where do i go fafter H.S in order to become a vet.?
You have to do a 4 year undergrad degree before vet school.

--Which schools/universities offer the training that you'd need?
There are tons of undergrad institutions that would satisfiy the prereqs for vet school. Some majors that may give you a good prevet background include; animal science, zoology and molecular biology.

--What are the projections for veterinarians 10 years from now?
Veterinarians are always needed. People are spending more than ever on their pets. Also there is a huge need for vets to work with food animals and in public health. Plus there are only about 26 vet schools in the US, so there are not a ton of new vets each year.

--What is the salary range?
Depends who you work for and your field of practice,
check out the statistics from AVMA
http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/default.asp

--Are you happy/sad that you became a veterinarian [if you're a vet. now]?
I'm not a vet, just a vet student so I'm still happy about it. you have a ton of possibilities with a vet degree (small animal, equine, food animal, mixed, exotics, zoo animal, pathologist, researcher, government....so if you are not happy in one area, you can get training and go to a different area)

--what kind's of grades do you have to have in high school in order to be exepted into a vet. school?
Vet schools don't look at your highschool grades. Just do well enough in high school to get into the 4 year school. However once you are in college, grades are very very important. (out of state students usually need at least a 3.6 to be compentative)

Other advice:
some vet schools offer early admission programs where if accepted, you will do your bachelor's degree there. then if you have kept your grades up you are automatically accepted to the vet school (i know purdue and illinois have this, some others as well, check out the school's websites)

If you don't go for the early admission program the following is a list of things you can do during your undergraduate years to be a more competative applicant;
1. get good grades
2. joint prevet club and other animal related clubs
3. hold leadership positions
4. work for a vet (can be on a volunteer basis) and be exposed to as many species as possible-especially large animals
5. participate in undergraduate research
6. get involved with community activities

good luck

Answer 2

I'm not a vet, but just from what I know, the actual veterinarian is a doctor that works with animals as opposed to the vet technician who assists the doctor during examinations, surgery, and more. I'm sure that the veterinary school curriculum is quite rigorous and even before applying for vet school and hopefully getting accepted, that one would have to take pre-vet courses such as the sciences -- biology, chemistry, biochem, physics, and math and other prereq's such as with a pre-med program.

You can look at the site that I provided and search for the profession there. I'm sure that it can be quite sad and even heartbreaking if an animal dies or has to be put to sleep though vets most likely (hopefully) can separate themselves from that. I'm sure that it can very rewarding as well but at the same time, a lot of work, very demanding work. For vet technician, it's typically a 2 year program and can be offered thru community colleges, just fyi.

Answer 3

Degree from vet school is required
U.C. Davis offers a good vet program - check their web site for requirements.
Vet's will always be in demand, people will always have pets and they need care.
Salary range will vary depending on what part of the country you work for, and whether you start up your own office or go to work for someone else.
Not a vet but love the one I take my pets to.
Check the web site for colleges that have vet programs. Your library has a college guide to majors that will give you a list of schools that have the program and what each school requires.

Answer 4

I am assuming you are in the US, so this answer is for the US:
1. do very well in Math and Science
2. get into a good college
3. do well in a life science based degree
4. get some experience working with animals
5. get good scores on your Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)s, vet programs are very competitive (some are harder to get into than medicine).
6. most large universities have vet schools
7. you are talking about a graduate degree, a long educational road

You should think about all this and whether you could deal with putting sick animals down, before you worry about things like salary.

Answer 5

too many questions, ask your teacher if your still at HS if not go to a college or TAFE and ask them or better still look it up on the internet.