#9: Career Research Questions

The Career Path I would like to follow is, becoming a veterinarian.

1. Who hires entry level professionals for your career?   Small animal clinics, veterinary hospitals, colleges and universities, social advocacy programs, local state or federal government agencies, farms or zoos hire entry level professionals for veterinarians. 
2. What does one need to know and be able to do for this career? The skills I need are critical thinking, complex problem solving, decision making, speaking, active listening, reading skills, knowledge of software used to record information and communicate with others , knowledge of software specific to the veterinarian field, experience with x-ray,and experience with surgical and laboratory equipment.
   
3. What type of work does one do in this career? I prevent and and treat injuries and illnesses in animals. I might specialize in a field, like surgery, and I might specialize in a certain type of animal, like horses or wildlife or dogs. I diagnose patients, prescribe medication, perform surgery, give vaccinations, and recommend types of health care to pet owners. I might also conduct research in areas such as biomedical science.
4. What are typical starting salaries? A typical starting salaray for students accepting employment is $45,575.00, but for students going into advanced education it is $65,404.00.
5. What type of benefits package can one expect? Benefits for salaried veterinarians include paid holidays and vacations, health insurance, and pension plans. Self employed veterinarians mustprovide their own benefits.
6. How many entry level jobs are available each year? Over 51,000 vets. work in clinics and veterinary hospitals, local state and federal federal government agencies employ about 2,000 and college and university employ approximately 600 while social advocacy programs employ less than 600.
7. What is the projected outlook for job openings in this career for the next ten years? The growth projection over the next 10 years is 36%
8. Where are these jobs located? These jobs are in the government, universities, and in research.
9. What sort of advancements are available in this career? The only kind of advancement there is in this career is becoming a board member which validifies your knowledge of the trade and also your commitment and willingness to the trade. Also, becoming a member of the board can get you better pay, more benefits, the right to refer to yourself as a diplomate, and a few other things.
   
   
10. What is the average salary? The average wage of a veterinarian is $84,460.00
11. What is a high salary?  How many people make this salary? A high salary is over $144,100.00 and about %10 of veterinarians make this much.
12. What professional organizations will you need to join? I dont HAVE to join a professional organization, but the organization that most veterinarians are represented by is the American Veterinary Medical Association. 
13. Is additional education required?  If so, what is required?
    I need an average of 4 1/2 years of undergraduate education then I will go to a veterinary school for 4 years. After than I can choose to get one more year of "education" in the form of an internship . I can also choose to become board certified and that means a residency of approximately 2-3 years which could also be considered "additional education".
14. After 15 years, what second career(s) could you pursue with the same degree and/or other education? With a veterinary medicine degree I can pursue jobs in the fields of corporate veterinary medicine (animal testing or producing animal related products), the federal government (food and drug administration , CDC, United States Department of Agriculture, ect.) , research ( university setting or companies that produce animal related products), teaching; in academia or non-professional schools, public health, food supply medicine, public policy (working for government on animal and zoonotic diseases, animal welfare, public health issues, ect.), and shelter medicine ( working with communities and private or public agencies to ensure the health and wellbeing of animal populations housed in shelters)
15. What other relevant information did you find?.
    I dont know if this information is relevant but something that I found interesting is that a Nuclear Medicine Technologist is considered a job related to a veterinarian.