Veterinarian

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A veterinarian could...

Overview Listen to this section

Veterinarians help prevent, diagnose and treat health problems in a wide variety of animals. Regardless of whether the animal is a family pet, a prize-winning race horse, a dairy cow, a circus lion, or seal in a zoo, its healthcare depends on veterinarians.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Veterinarian?

1. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
2. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
3. Active Learning: ? Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
4. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
5. Complex Problem Solving: ? Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

6. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
7. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
8. Science: ? Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
9. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
10. Service Orientation: ? Actively looking for ways to help people.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Veterinarian might do:

• Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
• Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
• Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
• Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
• Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
• Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
• Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
• Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
• Euthanize animals.
• Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.
• Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.
• Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.
• Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.
• Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths.