Veterinary medicine in the United States

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A vet examines a dog in New York. Katz1.jpg
A vet examines a dog in New York.

Veterinary medicine in the United States is the performance of veterinary medicine in the United States, normally performed by licensed medical professionals, and subject to provisions of statute law which vary by state. Veterinary medicine is normally led by veterinary physicians, termed veterinarians or vets, but also by paraveterinary workers, such as veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants. This can be augmented by other paraprofessionals with specific specialties, such as animal physiotherapy or dentistry, and species-relevant roles such as farriers.

Contents

Dependent on the jurisdiction, other professionals may be permitted to perform some animal treatment, through either specific exemptions in the law or through a lack of prohibitive legislation. This can include manipulation techniques such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy, or animal-specific professions such as horse and cattle hoof trimmers, equine dentists, and technicians who specialize in cattle artificial insemination.

Veterinarians

Veterinarian's Oath

The Veterinarian's Oath was adopted by the American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates July 1969, and amended by the AVMA Executive Board, November 1999 and December 2010.

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Qualification

In order to practice, veterinarians must obtain a degree in veterinary medicine, followed by gaining a license to practice. Previously, veterinary degrees were available as a bachelor's degree, but now all courses result in the award of a doctorate and are therefore awarded a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at most veterinary schools in the United States, or a Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris ("Veterinary Medical Doctor") (VMD) if the degree is earned at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

There is a high level of competition for admission to veterinary schools. As of 2021, there were only 33 veterinary schools in the United States and five in Canada which met the accreditation standards set by the AVMA Council on Education. Entrance requirements vary among veterinary schools, and various pre-professional degree programs have been developed to assist undergraduates in meeting these requirements. Such "pre-vet" programs are thus similar in concept to "pre-med" programs. [1] [2] [3]

Following qualification from the doctoral degree, the prospective veterinarian must receive a passing grade on the North America Veterinary Licensing Exam. [4] This exam is completed over the course of eight hours, and consists of 360 multiple-choice questions. This exam covers all aspects of veterinary medicine, as well as visual material designed to test diagnostic skills.

Salary

The median salary for starting veterinarians in 2018 was $104,690 in the United States according to U.S. Money News, while the lowest paid graduates earned approximately $87,000 annually. Montana had the lowest state average, while Michigan, Illinois and Hawaii had the highest.

The average income for private practice associates in the United States was $191,000 in 2017. According to DVM360 most practice owners paid themselves based on production, including a 3–4% management fee plus a 4.5% "return on investment" fee dependent on the value of their business. The average owner of a veterinary practice earned approximately $382,000 per year base salary in 2017. These increased values exceed those of public practice including uniformed services and government. In comparison, the profession-wide average income in Australia was $167,000 in 2015. [5]

Veterinary specialties

As opposed to human medicine, general practice veterinarians greatly outnumber veterinary specialists. Most veterinary specialists work at the veterinary schools, or at a referral center in large cities. As opposed to human medicine, where each organ system has its own medical and surgical specialties, veterinarians often combine both the surgical and medical aspect of an organ system into one field. The specialties in veterinary medicine often encompass several medical and surgical specialties that are found in human medicine.

Veterinary specialties are accredited in North America by the AVMA through the American Board of Veterinary Specialties. [6] While some veterinarians may have areas of interest outside of recognized specialties, they are not legally specialists.

According to a veterinary survey top paying specialties include veterinary anesthesiology ($389,105 median salary in 2008), veterinary ophthalmology ($215,120 median salary in 2009), veterinary nutrition ($202,368 average salary in 2008), and veterinary general surgery ($183,902 average salary in 2008). [7]

Veterinary technicians

Veterinary technician logo Veterinary technician logo.jpg
Veterinary technician logo

Veterinary technicians are the primary paraveterinary workers in the US in the role of a nurse (and in most other anglophone countries, the equivalent role is called a veterinary nurse), providing trained support. The requirements for technicians vary by state, but in most cases, technicians are graduates of two or four year college-level programs and are legally qualified to assist in many medical procedures.

Some states choose to license technicians, so that only people with appropriate qualifications are able to fulfill the role, but this is not the case in all jurisdictions.

History

Veterinary technology as an organized and credentialed career option is relatively young, only existing since the mid 20th century, although it began in 1908 when the Canine Nurses Institute was established in England, and as such is still struggling for recognition in many parts of the world. The first training program for technicians in the United States was established by the Air Force in 1951. The first civilian program was established ten years later in 1961 at the State University of New York (SUNY) Agricultural and Technical College at Delhi. In 1965 Walter Collins, a veterinarian, received federal funding to develop model curricula for training technicians. He produced several guides over the next seven years, and for this work he is considered the "father of veterinary technology" in the United States. [8]

Role and duties

Technical skills include: venipuncture; collecting urine; performing skin scrapings; taking and processing radiographs; and performing routine lab procedures and tests in: hematology, blood chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis, and microscopy. They assist the veterinarian with physical examinations that help determine the nature of the illness or injury. Veterinary technicians also induce and maintain anesthesia, and administer medications, fluids and blood products as prescribed by the veterinarian. Tasks in patient care include: recording temperature, pulse and respiration, dressing wounds, applying splints and other protective devices, and dental procedures. They perform catheterizations – urinary, arterial, and venous; ear flushes; intravenous feedings and tube feedings. Equipment use includes operating various types of patient monitors and imaging devices to include electrocardiographic, radiographic and ultrasonographic equipment. Larger referral practices and teaching hospitals may also find veterinary technicians operating computed tomography equipment, magnetic resonance imagers, gamma cameras and other advanced medical devices. Veterinary technicians commonly assist in surgery by providing correct equipment and instruments and by assuring that monitoring and support equipment are in good working condition. They may also maintain treatment records and inventory of all pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies, and help with other administrative tasks within a veterinary practice such as client education. Unlike their more specialized counterparts among medical paraprofessionals, the veterinary technician is usually the only paraprofessional found in a veterinary practice and is thus often called upon to be a jack-of-all-trades. However, veterinary technicians with more advanced knowledge and skill in a particular discipline can pursue specialization through the NAVTA Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties. [9]

Education and credentialing

To become a credentialed veterinary technician, one must complete a two- or three-year AVMA credentialed degree, most of which result in the awarding of an Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology degree. Those completing a four-year AVMA accredited school gain a bachelor's degree and are considered veterinary technologists, though the distinction is rarely made, with the term "technician" being used generally. [10]

The education a credentialed technician receives is in-depth and crucial for medical understanding and to give proper health care. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is responsible for accrediting schools with either associate's degrees or bachelor's degrees, though in some states or provinces this is not necessary. The AVMA also accredits schools that offer distance education. As a requirement of AVMA accreditation, all distance learning programs require a significant amount of practical clinical experience before the student will be allowed to graduate.

Specialty certification

Beyond credentialing as a veterinary technician specialty certification is also available to technicians with advanced skills. To date there are specialty recognitions in: emergency & critical care, anesthesiology, dentistry, small animal internal medicine, large animal internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, neurology, zoological medicine, equine veterinary nursing, surgery, behavior, nutrition, clinical practice (canine/feline, exotic companion animal, and production animal sub-specialties), and clinical pathology. Veterinary Technician Specialists carry the additional post-nominal letters "VTS" with their particular specialties indicated in parentheses. As veterinary technology evolves, more specialty academy recognitions are anticipated.

Veterinary assistants

Non-credentialed personnel who perform similar tasks to veterinary technicians are usually referred to as veterinary assistants, though the term technician is often applied generously. In many states, a veterinary assistant cannot legally perform as many procedures as a technician. Veterinary assistants often have no formal education related to veterinary medicine or veterinary technology; however, NAVTA recently approved the designation of Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) for those successfully completing approved educational programs. In larger facilities with tiered hierarchies, veterinary assistants typically assist other professionals in their duties.

Veterinary malpractice

Most states in the US allow for malpractice lawsuit in case of death or injury to an animal from professional negligence. Usually the penalty is not greater than the value of the animal. For that reason, malpractice insurance for veterinarians usually is well under $500 a year,[ citation needed ] compared to an average of over $18,400 (in 2000) for a human doctor. [11] Some states allow for punitive penalty, loss of companionship, and suffering into the award, likely increasing the cost of veterinary malpractice insurance and the cost of veterinary care. Most veterinarians carry much higher cost business insurance, worker's compensation, and facility insurance to protect their clients and workers from injuries inflicted by animals.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary medicine</span> Deals with the diseases of non-human animals

Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both domesticated and wild, with a wide range of conditions that can affect different species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinarian</span> Health professional who treats non-human animals

A veterinarian (vet) is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal reproduction, health management, conservation, husbandry and breeding and preventive medicine like nutrition, vaccination and parasitic control as well as biosecurity and zoonotic disease surveillance and prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Veterinary Medical Association</span> Organization

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US.

The Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine is the veterinary school Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, College Park - both of which are public research universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland, respectively.The college was created as a joint venture of the two universities and their respective state governments in order to fill the need for veterinary medicine education in both states. Students from both states are considered "in-state" students for admissions and tuition purposes.

A veterinary specialist is a veterinarian who specializes in a clinical field of veterinary medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Veterinary Corps</span> Verterinary service of the U.S. Army

The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned veterinary officers and Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) veterinary students. It was established by an Act of Congress on 3 June 1916. Recognition of the need for veterinary expertise had been evolving since 1776 when General Washington directed that a "regiment of horse with a farrier" be raised. It has evolved to include sanitary food inspectors and animal healthcare specialists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary dentistry</span> Branch of veterinary medicine

Veterinary dentistry is the field of dentistry applied to the care of animals. It is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions, diseases, and disorders of the oral cavity, the maxillofacial region, and its associated structures as it relates to animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary education</span> Field of study

Veterinary education is the tertiary education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian, one must first complete a degree in veterinary medicine Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

The Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) is a national association of student chapters of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) at schools and colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. SAVMA acts as a single national voice for veterinary students in accordance with the policies and goals of the AVMA, coordinates AVMA student chapter activities, facilitates the exchange of information, and represents the interests of student veterinarians within AVMA, the veterinary profession and in the political and legislative arenas nationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Animal Hospital Association</span> Nonprofit organization devoted to Animal health

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is a non-profit organization for companion animal veterinary hospitals. Established in 1933, the association is the only accrediting body for small animal hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The association develops standards for veterinary business practices, publications, and educational programs. Any veterinary hospital can join AAHA as a member, but must then pass an evaluation in order to receive AAHA accreditation.

Veterinary anesthesia is a specialization in the veterinary medicine field dedicated to the proper administration of anesthetic agents to non-human animals to control their consciousness during procedures. A veterinarian or a Registered Veterinary Technician administers these drugs to minimize stress, destructive behavior, and the threat of injury to both the patient and the doctor. The duration of the anesthesia process goes from the time before an animal leaves for the visit to the time after the animal reaches home after the visit, meaning it includes care from both the owner and the veterinary staff. Generally, anesthesia is used for a wider range of circumstances in animals than in people not only due to their inability to cooperate with certain diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, but also due to their species, breed, size, and corresponding anatomy. Veterinary anesthesia includes anesthesia of the major species: dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, as well as all other animals requiring veterinary care such as birds, pocket pets, and wildlife.

The Bachelor of Veterinary Science, "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" (BVetMed), or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" is a degree for studies in veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom, Australia, and several other countries outside the United States and Canada. These degrees qualify one to practice as a veterinarian in the US if the degree is conferred from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited school and the candidate passes the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), just as any other US and Canada graduate. They are equivalent to DVM/VMD degrees; the main equalizer being licensure in the US. On 5 March 2015, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Council made the decision to allow UK veterinarians to use the courtesy title "doctor", to align with international practices. The RCVS president said of the change: “Whether one regards the decision as correcting a historical anomaly or simply providing greater clarity at home and abroad, there is no doubt that the issue has generated huge interest".

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), founded in 1982, is a university offering the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. As of 2014, RUSVM began offering Master of Science and PhD degrees in public health, global animal health, conservation medicine, and other research areas supported by the school. The school is located in St. Kitts. Administrative offices are located in Downers Grove, IL. RUSVM is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary chiropractic</span>

Veterinary chiropractic, also known as animal chiropractic, is chiropractic for animals – a type of spinal manipulation. Veterinary chiropractors typically treat horses, racing greyhounds, and pets. Veterinary chiropractic is a controversial method due to a lack of evidence as to the efficacy of chiropractic methods. Contrary to traditional medicine, chiropractic therapies are alternative medicine. There is some degree of risk associated with even skilled manipulation in animals as the potential for injury exists with any technique used. The founder of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, used the method on animals, partly to challenge claims that the placebo effect was responsible for favorable results in humans. Chiropractic treatment of large animals dates back to the early 1900s. As of 2019, many states in the US provide statutory or regulatory guidelines for the practice of chiropractic and related treatments on animals, generally requiring some form of veterinary involvement.

Veterinary ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgements to the practice of veterinary medicine. As a scholarly discipline, veterinary ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology. Veterinary ethics combines veterinary professional ethics and the subject of animal ethics. The subject of veterinary ethics can be interpreted as an extension of critical thinking skills necessary to make the decisions in veterinary care in order to support the profession's responsibilities to animal kind and mankind. There are five main topics that construct the physical usage of Veterinary Ethics. The first being history which describes how these ethics came to be, and how they have changed in the modernization of the veterinary industry. The second is the relation veterinary ethics has with human medical ethics, which together share many values. Third, the principles of these ethics which are updated regularly by the AVMA. Fourth are the key topics of veterinary ethics, which describe what these ethics cover. Last, how these ethics are incorporated into everyday practice and also how they affect those employed in the industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraveterinary worker</span> Professional in veterinary medicine

A paraveterinary worker is a professional of veterinary medicine who performs procedures autonomously or semi-autonomously, as part of a veterinary assistance system. The job role varies throughout the world, and common titles include veterinary nurse, veterinary technician, and veterinary assistant, and variants with the prefix of "animal health".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American College of Veterinary Surgeons</span> Professional association

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) is the specialty board that defines the standards of surgical excellence for the field of veterinary medicine, promotes advancements in veterinary surgery, and provides the latest in veterinary surgical educational programs. The ACVS is responsible for overseeing the training, examination, and certification of board-certified veterinary surgeons.

Suzanne Saueressig was the first practicing female veterinarian in Missouri. She was the Humane Society of Missouri's chief of staff for 55 years. She was born in Nuremberg, Germany and graduated from the University of Munich Veterinary College, in 1953. She was the only woman in her class. She came to St. Louis, MO and was hired as a veterinarian for the Humane Society of Missouri. She insisted on raising the standards at her clinic, ensuring surgical instruments were sanitized properly, increasing cleanliness standards for the animals, and insisting on modern x-ray equipment. She was named their chief of staff ten years later in 1965. She is accredited with playing a major role in the Humane Society of Missouri's success. It is one of the largest operating practices in the Midwest today. She campaigned for spaying and neutering animals and had a column in the local newspaper to help educate and improve the local community. In 1972, she claimed the award of "Woman Veterinarian of the Year" by the national organization American Veterinary Medical Association.

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) represents colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It advocates for issues related to veterinary medical education, oversees the accreditation process for veterinary medical schools and colleges along with the American Veterinary Medical Association, and manages the Veterinary Medical College Application Service.

The American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) is one of 22 veterinary specialist organizations recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

References

  1. ↑ "NMSU: Animal and Range Sciences - Pre-Vet". New Mexico State University .
  2. ↑ "Science, Pre-Veterinary and Medical | Animal Sciences | UIUC". ansc.illinois.edu.
  3. ↑ "Pre-veterinary Medicine - Undergraduate Admissions". Purdue University .
  4. ↑ "General NAVLE Information". National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
  5. ↑ Opperman, Mark (January 5, 2015). "Use 4 factors to set veterinary practice owners' pay". dvm360.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Veterinary specialties". American Veterinary Medical Association . Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ Kramer, Mary Hope (February 1, 2017). "7 Top-Paying Animal Health Careers". The Balance. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ McCurnin, Dennis M.; Bassert, Joanna M. (2006). Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, Sixth Edition. St. Louis, Missouri: W.B. Saunders. p. inside front cover. ISBN   0-7216-0612-1.
  9. ↑ "Specialties". National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
  10. ↑ "AVMA Policy on Veterinary Technology". American Veterinary Medical Association . Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Malpractice Insurance Premium Increases Have Small Effect On Physicians, Study Finds". Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
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