Can a love of animals translate into a successful career as a veterinarian? If you are willing to complete years of schooling and have the desire to build your own business, the answer is yes. A day in the life of a vet certainly isn’t all kittens and puppies. Tasks like managing staff, marketing, and finding the best disability insurance for soon to be veterinarians are also part of working at a veterinarian practice.

Should I Be a Veterinarian?

Almost every animal lover has thought about being a veterinarian at some point in their life. What could be better than helping animals stay healthy and live longer? Vets are respected and valued in their community. On average, they make a salary that ranges between $70,000 and $90,000 per year. And vets who own their practice have the potential to earn much more.

While a career in veterinary medicine is fulfilling, it’s not everyone’s dream job. Before deciding to pursue a career, consider these challenges:

• Eight years of education (a Bachelor’s degree and four years of vet school)
• Taking state licensing exams
• Starting a new business or getting hired at an existing practice
• Covering additional expenses such as insurance, equipment, and monthly costs
• Working emergency hours – animals get sick and injured at all times of the day or night
• Dealing with the grief and stress of sick animals
• Physically demanding
• Working with a diverse group of Animals

If this list of the not-so-glamorous cons to being a vet doesn’t scare you away, then you may have all the traits needed to do the job.

Disability Insurance for Soon to Be Veterinarians and More:  Steps to Becoming a Vet

If you’ve made up your mind to turn your love for animals into a career, congratulations. The world needs more compassionate veterinarians to care for animals and educate people on the importance of treating animals. No matter where you are in life at this moment, you can take a step that brings you closer to your goal.

If you’re still in high school, start taking all the advanced science, math, and physics courses that you can.

Choose a college degree that will give you a strong background in physical and biological science. Start making a list of veterinary colleges you want to apply to.

While in veterinary school, consider whether or not you’d like to specialize in a particular type of veterinary medicine. Also, begin making plans for after you’ve completed school. Where will you work? Do you plan on starting your own practice or do you hope to be hired somewhere? During this transitional time, you can look into other responsibilities such as getting disability insurance, malpractice insurance, and the proper licensing.

What’s Next?

Making the best use of resources like Total Planning Veterinary Services will help you stay on track with your career goals. Becoming a vet requires many more skills than loving animals. But having compassion for all living things is certainly a great place to begin your career as a veterinarian.