Viluho Jakha
Zunheboto
Veterinarians play a major role in the health of our society by caring for animals and by using their expertise and education to protect and improve human health as well.
Every community needs veterinary professionals to provide animal health care, but veterinarians also do many other kinds of jobs. They make sure the nation’s food supply is safe. They work to control the spread of diseases. They conduct research that helps both animals and humans.
Protecting the health of animals and society
Employment opportunities for veterinarians include such diverse areas as clinical practice, teaching and research, regulatory medicine, public health, and the uniformed services.
Private or corporate clinical practice
Many treat only traditional or exotic pets such as dogs, cats, birds, small mammals (e.g., hamsters, guinea pigs), reptiles, and fish. Some veterinarians exclusively treat horses. Others treat a combination of species. Some veterinarians limit their practice to the care of farm/ranch animals and advise owners on production medicine and protecting our nation's food supply from farm to fork.
Teaching and research
Veterinarians in academia instruct veterinary students, veterinary technology students, other medical professionals, and scientists. Veterinary college faculty members conduct research, teach, provide care for animals in the veterinary teaching hospital, and develop continuing education programs to help practicing veterinarians acquire new knowledge and skills.
Research veterinarians employed at universities, colleges, governmental agencies, or in industry are finding new ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent animal and human health disorders. These veterinarians have made many important contributions to human health. For example, veterinarians made discoveries that helped control malaria and yellow fever, solved the mystery of botulism, produced an anticoagulant used to treat some people with heart disease, and identified the cause of West Nile virus infection. They also developed and refined techniques such as permanent artificial limbs and new treatments for joint disease and broken bones.
Veterinarians in pharmaceutical and biomedical research firms develop, test, and supervise the production of drugs and biological products for human and animal use. In addition to a veterinary degree, these veterinarians usually have specialized education in fields such as pharmacology, toxicology, virology, bacteriology, laboratory animal medicine, or pathology.
Veterinarians also work in management, regulatory affairs, technical sales and services, agribusinesses, pet food companies, and pharmaceutical companies. They are in demand in the agricultural chemical industry, private testing laboratories, and the feed, livestock, and poultry industries.
Regulatory medicine
To prevent the introduction of foreign diseases.Veterinarians are employed by state and federal regulatory agencies to quarantine and inspect animals brought into the country. They supervise international and interstate shipments of animals; test for diseases that could threaten animal and human health or our food supply; and manage campaigns to prevent and eradicate diseases, such as tuberculosis and rabies, that pose threats to animal and human health.
Public health
Veterinarians serve as epidemiologists in city, county, state, and federal agencies investigating animal and human disease outbreaks such as food-borne illnesses, influenza and rabies. They help ensure the safety of food processing plants, restaurants, and water supplies.
Uniformed services
In the uniformed services, veterinarians play a vital role rebuilding and improving animal care systems in underdeveloped and war-damaged countries. Many societies are heavily dependent upon animal agriculture, and improving the health of their animals improves the quality of life for the human community.
Other professional activities
Veterinarians are also employed in animal welfare, zoologic medicine, aquatic animal medicine, aerospace medicine (shuttle astronauts), animal shelter medicine, sports medicine, animal-assisted activity and therapy programs, and wildlife medicine. There are veterinarians involved in local, state and federal governments, working with legislators to shape laws that protect the health, welfare and well-being of animals and people.
