Veterinary professionals often get into the profession because they love animals. A childhood attachment with cats and dogs could be a reason to choose this career. Some do it out of the curiosity they have for exploring the animal world. Yet others pick the option because it is a safe and lucrative career choice. Surprisingly, being a veterinarian opens you to more than one opportunity as you can work in different fields. You need not confine yourself to clinical settings but can work in zoos, farms, and research labs. Let us list the most popular fields to explore as a veterinary specialist.

Pet veterinarians

Most professionals in the industry work as pet vets who treat the day-to-day ailments of companion animals. If you pick this field, you work as a primary care physician. Your scope varies from treating wounds, administering vaccines, diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, and performing minor surgeries. You will also have to euthanize pets nearing the end of their lives. The branch requires you to work in clinical settings, but you may also treat animals in shelter homes.

Veterinary specialists

As a vet specialist, you pick a field of specialization. The options include fields such as anesthesiology, surgery, dentistry, radiology, rehabilitation, and pathology. You can even specialize in a particular species such as dogs, cats, poultry, or wildlife. Since a specialist has a high earning potential, disability insurance for practicing veterinarians in specialist fields is a must-have. It secures your income in the long run, even if you have to give up on your career due to a disability.

Research veterinarians

You can consider becoming a research vet if you want to do your bit to devise better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent health conditions in animals. The employment opportunities in this area are lucrative and diverse as you can work with universities, government organizations, or biomedical research firms. Working with educational institutions enables you to become a faculty member and teach students.

Behavioral medicine

Apart from physical diseases, animals often struggle with mental health issues. These conditions are a crucial concern for pet owners. It is not surprising that behavioral medicine is emerging as a popular field for veterinary professionals. As a veterinary behaviorist, you study the behavioral traits and problems like separation anxiety and obedience issues in animals. You suggest treatment plans that include support and medication protocols according to the severity of the condition.

Nutrition specialist

Like human beings, animals require a balanced diet to stay fit and healthy during their lifetime. It makes nutrition studies for animals an important career field. To get into this field, you have to pursue education and training in managing the diet of animals. The work scope includes advising pet owners with healthy animals and developing nutrition plans for sick animals. You may seek employment with veterinary hospitals and pet food companies as a nutrition specialist.

Working as a veterinary professional has many upsides, and versatility is one of them. You can pick a field of your interest and make money doing something you love.

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September 16, 20021