There are different types of careers in the health and medical industry. The industry splits off into one for people and one for animals. Many people are not aware of the job titles and ways of the medical industry when it comes to the offshoot deals with animals. People know what veterinarians are, but many people do not know what the other job titles are or about various aspects of the industry.
First off, what veterinarians are must be clarified. Veterinarians are doctors for animals. They require the same amount of education as people-doctors. They must have extensive knowledge about a variety of animals. A lot of veterinarians refuse to work with a broader range of animals and only like to work with dogs and cats—or perhaps only have knowledge that is mostly limited to dogs and cats. There are veterinarians that are willing to work with a broader range of animals and have a lot of knowledge. The presence of such veterinarians should be highly appreciated.
There are people who serve as nurses to veterinarians. These types of professionals are equivalent to what Rns and BSNs are to people-doctors, and are referred to as veterinary technicians. A person must go through two to four years of schooling, and must earn certifications, in order to be qualified to do the job. They must know a lot of information, such as what an IV pump is. They are allowed to do injections—something that lower veterinary professionals without such degrees re not allowed to do.
Veterinary assistants are lower than veterinary technicians. They are on the same level as Certified Nurse Assistants in the people-medicine world. Veterinary assistants do not require any education. There are some schools that do provide education for people who want to be veterinary assistants, but there are no official requirements for the job. Veterinary assistants clean up, restrain animals and do paperwork. They cannot give animals injections like veterinarians and veterinary assistants.
Veterinary technicians and veterinarians can specialize in a variety of different areas. For example, professionals can specialize in zoological medicine, farm animals, food animal practice, dairy practice, behavior, pharmacology, sports and rehabilitation, medical research, animal welfare and other things. There are a variety of colleges that teach veterinary occupations, both inside and outside of the United States. It is wise to see if there are any specific accreditations you need in your education, and whether given schools have these accreditations.
The area of veterinary health and medicine can sometimes become very controversial. For example, the topic of putting down animals can be very controversial and emotionally impacting. Also, the raising of animals for food and fur is also controversial. The treatment of animals in these circumstances versus the meaning of life and the rights of farmers collide with each other. Also, there is a lot of controversy about how high the price of treatment should be for people’s pets. After all, pets are generally less valued than humans and are very disposable. However, if they are so important in people’s, then shouldn’t people have to shell out? Another argument is that veterinary facilities need to make money so that they can stay in operation.