Veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is the branch of science that deals with the application of medical, surgical, public health, dental, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to non-human animals, including wildlife and domesticated animals, including livestock, working animals, and companion animals. Practitioners of veterinary medicine are known as veterinarians. In most developed countries, veterinarians are highly qualified professionals with advanced educations.

Veterinary science helps human health through the monitoring and control of zoonotic disease (infectious disease transmitted from non-human animals to humans) and veterinary scientists often collaborate with epidemiologists.

History
  File:Asokanpillar2.jpg|A pillar in Vaishali, India, displaying edicts of Emperor Asoka (272—231 BCE). File:USArmyVetHospitalWWIOperationTable.jpg|"The Simplicity Equine," a portable operating table for horses used by the field veterinarians of the US Army Signal Corps in World War I File:USArmyVetHospitalWWISurgeryPrep.jpg|An injured horse being secured to the vertically oriented table File:USArmyVetHospitalWWIOperationInProgress.jpg|With the table rotated to its horizontal orientation and supported by a drum on one side and folding cot-like legs on the other, a veterinarian operates on a horse.   The Egyptian Papyrus of Kahun (1900 BCE) and Vedic literature in ancient India offer one of the first written records of veterinary medicine. (See also Shalihotra) One of the edicts of Ashoka reads: "Everywhere King Piyadasi (Asoka) made two kinds of medicine (चिकित्सा) available, medicine for people and medicine for animals. Where there were no healing herbs for people and animals, he ordered that they be bought and planted." The Talmud does state that no mares were exported from Egypt in Roman times without being subjected to a hysterectomy, which tend to prove that successful surgery was implemented in such an early period.

Modern veterinary medicine
  File:AnimalHospitalWaitingRooms.jpg|Some animal hospitals have segregated waiting rooms for dogs and cats Image:Veterinary Surgeon.jpg|A veterinary surgeon in Cambridge, UK at work with a black cat File:AnimalHospital2009Patient&Bed.JPG|Patient, with clouded eyes, on day five of hospital stay as she recovers from second surgery

File:AnimalHospitalOneWeek.jpg|Same patient after one week of hospital stay and third surgery, eyes have cleared up. File:AnimalHospitalOneWeek2.jpg|Same patient, same day, in play, yellow bandage protects intravenous insertion sites File:AwaitingDischarge.jpg|Patient awaiting discharge after completing 11 days in the hospital File:PatientBackHome11thDay.jpg|Patient back home where she is protected against her (and others') better instincts in a cage until the sutures from her multiple surgeries are removed, the cage is provided with kitty litter, food, and water  

Modern veterinary medicine is aided by the availability of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for many species. Today animals may receive advanced medical, dental, and surgical care, including insulin injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract extractions, and pacemakers.

Veterinary specialization has become more common in recent years. Currently, 20 veterinary specialties are recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), including anesthesiology, behavior, dermatology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, ophthalmology, neurology, radiology and surgery. To become a specialist, a veterinarian must complete additional training after graduation from veterinary school in the form of an internship and residency, and then pass a rigorous examination.

Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, quantity, and security of food supplies by working to maintain the health of livestock and inspecting the meat itself. Veterinary scientists occupy important positions in biological, chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical research.

In many countries, equine veterinary medicine is also a specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves mainly locomotor and orthopedic problems, digestive tract disorders (including equine colic, which is a major cause of death among domesticated horses), and respiratory tract infections and disease.

Zoologic medicine, which encompasses the healthcare of zoo and wild animal populations, is another veterinary specialty that has grown in importance and sophistication in recent years as wildlife conservation has become more urgent.

Today's veterinarian
According to consumer surveys, the veterinarian ranks across the United States as one of the most respected career paths. Veterinarians are encouraged to take an oath in which they swear to use their knowledge and skills for the overall benefit of society through protecting the health needs of every species of animal and also environmental protection, food safety, and public health. Many of today's veterinarians are dedicated to working long difficult hours to live out this oath in their respective practices.

There are many personal attributes that contribute to a successful career in veterinary medicine, the most important being a scientific mind, good communication skills, and management experience. Having a scientific mind consists of having an inquiring mind and a keen sense of observation. A career in veterinary medicine means a lifelong pursuit in scientific learning, so an interest in the biological sciences is a must and a genuine love and understanding of animals is crucial. Good communication skills are vital because veterinarians should be able to meet, talk, and work well with a variety of personalities and characters. Compassion is essential for success in the career field because they will be working directly with their animal client's human owners, who most likely have strong bonds with their pets. Many of the fields within the career require the veterinarians to manage other employees and businesses as a whole. These positions are made more rewarding and simpler if one has a background in basic management or leadership positions.

A study was performed in attempts to discover professional identity and professionals' workplace learning based on a theoretical proposal. Veterinarians were found to approach workplace learning differently according to two key variables: perceived alignment with professional identity and perceived importance to professional practice. Differences were evident when comparing how veterinarians approached learning about the medical aspects of their profession in contrast to practice management that consisted of nonmedical disciplines that are a definite part of veterinary practice. It was common for these veterinarians to associate their professional identity with scientific, medical, clinical disciplines, but less common for these veterinarians to include the nonmedical disciplines.

This study by Hoskin and Anderson-Gough (2004) helped to explain the effects of disciplinary action on workplace learning. They found that educational systems that produce members of established disciplines tend to be highly specialized. This then resulted in significant influence on the type of content that is transmitted in the process of becoming qualified to practice a professional discipline. Furthermore, Lewis and Klausner (2003) found that veterinary schools in the United States recognize that it is their role to be gatekeepers of the profession. They are beginning to understand the full responsibility for selecting candidates who have the skills to capitalize on their education and build a successful career. It is their responsibility because it is their institution that has a significant amount of influence in the type or personality of the individual that will then graduate with a degree to practice animal medicine. This personality is then directly correlated to whether or not the graduate succeeds in their profession or does not succeed.

Overview
As in the human health field, veterinary medicine (in practice) requires a diverse group of professionals to meet the needs of patients. In the year 2006, veterinarians held about 62,000 jobs.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, about three-quarters of veterinarians were employed in either an individual or group practice. The remainder were employees in other settings, including colleges of veterinary medicine, medical schools, research laboratories, animal food companies, and pharmaceutical companies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that around 1,400 civilian veterinarians are employed by the United States federal government, mainly in the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Homeland Security. State and local governments also employ veterinarians.

Employment is expected to increase more than average and much faster in comparison to other career options, ensuring job opportunities in the field of veterinary medicine. It has been stated that this expected increase is near 35% over the next decade; it is a direct result of the increase of certain pet populations, such as cats, and the increased amount of pet owners willing to purchase pet insurance, which then increases the amount of treatment that the owner is willing to fund. Additionally, modern veterinary medicine has caught up to human medicine in many areas such as cancer treatment, preventative dental care, hip replacements, transplants, and blood transfusions. These medical advances have encouraged pet owners to take advantage of these new medical possibilities, likewise increasing the need for veterinary care because of the increased demand. One other area of increased demand for veterinarians in seen in the continued support for public health and food and animal safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national disease control programs, and biomedical research on human health problems.

These job opportunities can be expected because there are only 28 accredited Veterinary medicine schools in the United States and five in Canada, creating stiff competition for admittance into veterinary school. This small number of schools results in a limited number of graduates each year, averaging around 2,700 in the US each academic year.

There continues to be a steady trend in the different fields of veterinary medicine, which doctors go into these respective fields, and what hours they usually take on to work. New graduates continue to be attracted to companion-animal or small animal practice because they prefer to work with pets and live/work in metropolitan areas. Therefore, employment opportunities are good in cities and suburbs, but tend to be better in rural areas because fewer veterinarians compete for work in those areas. Beginning veterinarians may take positions requiring evening or weekends to accommodate the extended hours of practice that many places offer. Then there are some veterinarians that take salaried positions in retail stores offering veterinary services whereas others that are self-employed have to work long and hard to establish a good client base. The number for large animal veterinarians is much less than that of companion or small animal veterinarians. This is directly correlated to the simple fact that most people do not want to live/work in rural or isolated areas. Nevertheless job prospects are great in the large animal practice because of the previously stated tendencies. Finally, veterinarians with training or qualifications in food safety and security, animal health and welfare, and public health and epidemiology should have the best opportunities for a career within one of the departments of the Federal Government.

Is there a veterinary shortage?
The shortage of veterinarians who treat farm animals as well as small animal veterinarians has been challenged by the current economic scenario, and supply and demand for veterinarians, especially in rural areas. Even if the need is there, it doesn't seem like there are enough resources to create jobs in rural areas and veterinarians seem to be struggling too much with student loans to be able to open new rural practices

A shortage of veterinarians who treat farm animals is stressing the nation's food inspection system. This shortage is becoming so severe that it is prompting the Federal Government to offer bonuses and cover moving expenses to fill hundreds of empty employment opportunities. The shortage is mainly due to veterinarians choosing to live in metropolitan areas and pursue a practice specializing in pets or small animals. The main scarcity is seen in veterinarians who treat farm animals or work as government inspectors. The shortage is most severe in the USA's Farm Belt, which is in the rural areas of the Midwest that is responsible for much of the nation's meat production.

The American Veterinary Medical Association reported there are roughly 500 counties that have large populations of food animals, but no veterinarian to treat these animals. The common concern of a lesser salary in the farm animal field was disproven by the statistics showing that starting salaries for private practice veterinarians are generally higher than that of public practice veterinarians, but after about 10 years of practice they roughly even out. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that the number of veterinarians needed will just continue to increase to 22,000 by the year 2016. This would make it one of the fastest growing professions. The nation's 28 veterinary schools provide around 2,700 graduates a year, something that has not changed in three decades. However, something that has changed is the fact that the baby boomer generation, the generation that fills the employment for farm animals mostly, is retiring fast, and therefore hastening the shortage.

Gender distribution
Historically, veterinary medicine used to be a man's world. Nowadays, most students in veterinary school are women, and it was in 2005 that women become the majority. For instance, out of the 77 new doctors from Tufts University, 62 of them are women, 75 percent of 2002 graduates were women, and 81 percent of those from the University of California at Davis were women. According to the Employment Policy Foundation, the number of female veterinarians since 1991 has more than doubled to 24,356, while the number of male veterinarians has fallen 15 percent to 33,461. This trend will continue based on the statistics of the applicant pool and the gender distribution in the various veterinary schools.

Women have also made these increased strides in other professions, such as law and medicine, where the distribution is half and half, but the number of women in veterinary medicine is shocking. Many veterinary students have reported that the reason for this is because veterinary salaries are not as competitive as those of other medical professions. Veterinarians average $70–80,000 a year, whereas physicians can easily average $150,000 a year. This shift in gender distribution can also be attributed to the personality of this career and the qualities that would result in the most successful practice. Additionally, women are attracted to the flexible scheduling and part-time physicians are not very common, but part-time veterinarians are.

The shift of women becoming the majority in veterinary medicine have some negative effect in areas such as farm animal and food industry veterinarians, causing them to suffer. This is because women tend to not go into these fields and consequently the shortage that is produced has negative effects on the community as a whole.

Earnings
Veterinarians' incomes continued to increase during 2005–2007, but this increase is not expected to continue as much in the years of 2007-2009. Salaries in the field of veterinary medicine vary depending on the individuals' experience, responsibility, location geographically, and field of employment. In particular at the end of 2007, veterinarians who worked in private practice earned more in comparison to many other areas of public practice, and men still earned more than women.

Furthermore, according to the survey done by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average starting salaries of new graduates in 2006 depended upon their respective fields of practice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 Edition recorded the following

In addition in May 2006 the annual earnings of veterinarians was $71,990. These data range between fields, specialties, experience, and many other factors, but the middle 50 percent noted in the data provided earned $43,530 and $94,880. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $43,530 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $133,150. In particular, the average annual salary for veterinarians in the Federal Government was $84,335.

Veterinary incomes are up across the board, but some areas of employment are doing better than others, and the reasons for this were explored.




 * From AVMA Survey, Katie Burns

The average income for private practice rose from $105,510 in 2005 to $115,447 in 2007. These increased values exceed those of public practice including uniformed services and government.




 * From AVMA Survey, Katie Burns

On almost the same scale of income, disparities between specialists and nonspecialists are men and women.




 * From AVMA Survey, Katie Burns