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Career and Guidance Counselors
We welcome your feedback and partnership
Our goal is to collaborate with you to provide the age-appropriate materials that you need to inform and encourage your students about careers in veterinary medicine. Please let us know what kinds of materials and information would best help you promote veterinary medicine at your school. We will do our best to work with you to provide this information or to develop new products that you can use. You can contact us at: svmengaged@purdue.edu
Careers in Veterinary Medicine
Job Outlook for Veterinary Medicine
The outlook for careers in veterinary medicine is extremely good. For veterinary technology, employment opportunities for Purdue graduates exceeded the number of program graduates by almost sixfold in 2005. The Veterinary Technology program has a 98% job placement rate. A placement service is available to graduating students and alumni through the Veterinary Technology Program Office.Follow this link for more information.
The demand for veterinarians is always high because there are only 28 accredited schools of veterinary medicine in the United States. This means that there are only about 2,700 graduates of veterinary school per year to fill all of the open jobs. The United States Department of Labor expects the employment of veterinarians to increase by 35% from 2006 to 2016. In particular, there are shortage areas of veterinary medicine. These are job opportunities that few graduates select such as rural practice, food animal practice, public health, research, academia, and government positions. Graduates interested in these areas should have no trouble finding jobs.
Salary Information
Starting salaries for Registered Veterinary Technicians average $28,600. The average starting salary for Registered Veterinary Technologists is $31,721. The average starting salary for a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine is $61,633. Salaries vary depending on the type of practice and the specialty area. Some specialties require further education and/or completion of internships, residencies, and a Board Certification examination. Average salaries for specific career areas:
How can grade school and middle school students prepare for careers in veterinary medicine?
Many students decide at an early age that they want to be a veterinarian. You can begin preparing for a career in veterinary medicine by taking opportunities to get experience working with veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technologists. Learn about all the career options so that you can be well-informed about what a career in veterinary medicine is all about. You can also prepare by getting experience with all different types of animals: dogs, cats, horses, pigs, poultry, cattle, exotic animals, etc. On your application to veterinary school, you will be asked to write down these experiences and what you learned from them. If you start keeping a journal of all of your experiences with animals and veterinary medical professionals you will have a jump start on the application process. For each experience, describe the experience, write down the dates of the experience and how many hours you spent on each activity. Another way to learn about careers in veterinary medicine is to attend Boiler Vet Camp. Boiler Vet Camp allows you to get first-hand experience in the world of veterinary medicine. For more information on Boiler Vet Camp follow this link.
How can high school students prepare for careers in veterinary medicine?
If you are planning a career in veterinary medicine, we encourage you to complete four years each of English composition/ Communication courses, Mathematics, and Laboratory Sciences such as Biology and Chemistry. Written and spoken communication skills are very important because you will be writing reports for clients and colleagues, and speaking to individuals or giving presentations regularly. Mathematics is important because you will be calculating doses of medication and or interpreting laboratory and research results. Laboratory sciences are important because you need to understand living systems and how they work. Your elective courses and extracurricular activities should fulfill your personal interests and be sufficient for you to gain admission to college. We are looking for well-rounded individuals to join our profession.
We also recommend that, if possible, you gain volunteer and work experience with the veterinary community so that you can be well-informed about career opportunities in veterinary medicine. Experience handling and working with all different types of animals (dogs, cats, horses, pigs, poultry, cattle, exotic animals, etc) is useful. On your veterinary school application you will be asked to document these experiences (description of experience, volunteer or paid position, dates of the experience, number of hours spent on each activity).
Veterinary Scholars Program
The Veterinary scholars program is an early provisional admissions program for high school seniors who have been admitted to Purdue University in one of the following degree programs: animal science or biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, or biological sciences in the College of Science. Students must be in the top 10% of their high school graduating class; have SAT scores of greater than or equal to 1950 or an ACT composite score greater than or equal to 28; possess a strong math and science background; and have demonstrated work experience with animals and veterinarians. This program requires completion of a 4- year B.S. degree in one of the three programs previously outlined. Students must submit an application and all supporting documentation by the May 1st deadline. Interviews are required and by invitation only.
For additional information regarding admissions to Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, please visit our admissions page.
References:
Shortage of veterinarians has "makings of a crisis"
SVM Veterinary Technology Program Placement Information
Salary Survey of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians