Career as Veterinarian
Veterinarians are animal doctors who diagnose and treat animals to improve their health. They are responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of medical conditions and diseases of pets, or injured animals. Their work sphere involves farm animals, livestock inspection, clinical research in animal and human health problems, and few even works with private clinics and hospitals. The recent development in this field involves Animal Stem Cell Engineering, Concepts of aquatic biotechnology, Animal Biochemistry, and Biotechnology, Animal cloning and Transgenic animals. This sector has huge job potential considering the advancement in the rural and agricultural economy. Increase in pet-related projects are expected to help growth in the veterinary services and the projected growth is expected to increase by 18 per cent until 2026. It goes by the fact that India alone accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s cattle population.
- About Veterinarian :
- Job Profile |
- How do I get there?
Job Profile
Most Veterinarians love to work in private clinics and
hospitals. However, your day at work can be emotionally stressful
and physically demanding most of the time. Vets who treat animals
on the farm and ranches have to work outdoors in all kinds of
weather. This can be the case even for vets working in livestock
inspection who often need to go to remote locations. The job
profile demands teamwork and working full time. They often work
nights and weekends out of scheduled work hours when they respond
to emergencies. There is a good chance of being injured (bitten or
kicked) or getting infected while working with sick animals. A
Veterinarian must take care of self while treating the illness of
animals. However, job roles differ, and many of them do not have to
face such adverse situations.
Veterinary services are growing and so are the job prospects.
Looking after large animals is better as few vets tend to work with
them. The list of popular career options includes Movie Animal
trainer, Pet insurance agent, Equine photographer, Marine
biologist, Racehorse trainer, K-9 Police officer, Animal control
officer, Animal health inspector among few. There are many more job
opportunities that can incite your interest in a career in
veterinary sciences. Few job profiles that are paid handsome
salaries are Zoologists and wildlife biologists, Livestock
insurance Agents, Equine insurance agents, Animal geneticists,
Biological technicians, and Animal scientists.
You can opt for a large number of specializations in Veterinary sciences involving Food safety & Inspection, Companion animal vets, Research vets, and Equine veterinarian. Many companies offer handsome salaries between Rs 30,000 to Rs 2,00,000. The roles of Equine insurance agent, Livestock insurance agent, Marine mammologist, Racehorse trainer, Wildlife forensic scientist, and Animal scientist have the best job prospects among others. Top companies like Aashirwad Exports, Animal Planet, Enrich solutions, Discovery, Oriental Insurance Company Ltd, Globion Global Biotech solutions, New India Assurance Co. Ltd, National Geographic Channel regularly recruit for these roles. Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai are major cities that offer enjoyable career growth as a Veterinarian.
Future Growth Prospects and How to get there faster
With Veterinary services on the rise, candidates can expect tough competition for Veterinarian job positions. With Veterinary sciences gaining importance, non-traditional jobs like agriculture and food scientists, Medical scientists, Microbiologists, corporate sales, pet and livestock insurance agents have very high demands. Work experience of around seven years is reasonable to expect a career rise in Veterinary sciences and other opportunities. A piece of vast knowledge and problem-solving attitude can excel one’s growth in a short time.
Pros and Cons of a Veterinarian
Pros:
- A wide area of dealing with animals.
- Veterinary medicine and insurance companies offer a hefty salary.
- You have the freedom of working as self-employed.
- Lifetime learning in new techniques and innovations.
Cons:
- Associated risks of infections in dealing with sick or injured animals.
- They have extended work hours.
- Stressful and physically demanding in treating animals.
- Working in remote places with extreme weather conditions.
How do I get there?
The primary requirement for a career in Veterinary science is 10+2 education in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. In case you opt for dairy technology and dairy engineering, a maths combination is a must. The next step is passing out the All India Pre Veterinary Test (AIPVT) to enter a three-year and six-year bachelor course, BVSc & AH (Bachelor of Veterinary science and animal husbandry) in the finest colleges across the country. There are multiple state tests like KEAM, KCET, WBJEE, and RPVT. The students who want to do a master’s degree can opt for the MVSc course. It offers specialization in medicine, surgery, poultry science, genetics and breeding, physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, immunology, etc. You can elect for research after MVSc in reputed centres in India.
How much does it cost?
The average fee for a six-year bachelor course usually varies from Rs 20,000 to 1 Lakh annually. The government colleges offer an economical fee while the private college fees can go up to Rs 7 Lakh. The diploma course costs much less with a fee of Rs 1 Lakh. For a two-year master course in Veterinary science, the fee is around Rs 2 Lakh. While the PG course, the price is about Rs 1 Lakh. There is a separate hostel service fee which needs to be paid during admission.
What are the Top colleges where one should be studying to become a Veterinary specialist?
There is a wide range of colleges that offer quality education and top-notch infrastructure with added facilities. This career has less competition being a new branch of study. So, prepare well to reserve your seat on the list of top colleges.
|
Rank of College |
Name of College, City |
Programme Fees (in Rs) |
|
1 |
NDRI - National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal |
BVSc - Rs 17,800 for 1st Year |
|
2 |
IVAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly |
BVSc – Rs 29,500 for 1stYear |
|
3 |
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ludhiana |
BVSc - Rs 22,780 for 1stYear |
|
4 |
Tamil Nadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Chennai |
BVSc - Rs 39,700 for 1stYear |
|
5 |
Maharashtra Animal & Fisheries Sciences University, Nagpur |
BVSc - Rs 35,900 for 1stYear |
|
6 |
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Hisar |
BVSc - Rs 29,500 for 1stYear |
|
7 |
West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkata |
BVSc - Rs 46,670 for 1stYear |
|
8 |
Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Pookode |
BVSc - Rs 67,500 for 1stYear |
|
9 |
Nanaji Deshmukh Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Visva Vidyalaya, Jabalpur |
BVSc - Rs 57,000 for 1stYear |
|
10 |
Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bikaner |
BVSc - Rs 16,500 for 1stYear |
Books & other Study Material
A list of books that can help gain knowledge in Veterinary sciences is listed below.
- Principles of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology by D.V. Reddy
- TextBook of Veterinary Internal Medicine by Abdel Khalek El - Sheikh, Hamed Attia, Hatem Selim
- Essentials of Veterinary Surgery by A Venugopalan
- Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology Textbook by Victoria Aspinall and Melanie Capello
- Veterinary Medicine: A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goats by Otto M. Radostits
What if this career does not work out for me? What are the other options for a person with these credentials?
Veterinarians are highly trained to work in non-traditional roles of public health, disease control, and population studies. Many graduate vets can have better options in these areas.
However, not all job roles demand a strenuous amount of work. The other options that professionals can take are Animal writer, Pet portrait artist, Beekeeper, pet store manager, Aquarist, Riding instructor and many more. These jobs offer decent wages with less stress.
For those of you who do not prefer a job can join as a teacher of the subject. There are numerous options of specialising in other subjects like Animal Welfare, Behaviour, Dentistry, Dermatology, and Anesthesia.
Other careers of your interests
 |
Content on this page is by Career Expert Mrs. Kum Kum Tandon MA (Psychology), M.Ed, Diploma in Educational Psychology, Vocational Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, Delhi) | View Complete Profile |