Career As A Veterinarian: Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary 2023

What does a Veterinarian do?

It is common knowledge that the Veterinarian is concerned with the treatment of animals. Lets us delve a bit deeper into the their roles and responsibilities:

• Examination of the health and problem of the animals and provide the proper diagnosis so that the proper preventive measures can be taken by the pet owners.
• The job includes performing routine check ups and dressing of wounds. The Vet may have to perform emergency surgery on animals.
• Animals often consume foods or substances that may be harmful for them. In that case the Vets have to perform manual extractions.
• Apart from Vaccinating the animals against diseases the Vets have to schedule daily operations to spray or neuter cats and dogs.
• The Vets in the worst cases have to euthanize the pets.

Types of Veterinary Jobs

Career as a Veterinarian can lead to several veterinary job roles. The veterinary Jobs may depart from the field of medicine and other exciting options such as Business development or sales.

The following are the different veterinary jobs that can be pursued after the completion of the course and average salary according to Payscale.

Check: Jobs associated with Master of Veterinary Science

Types of Veterinarian

The veterinary field is vast with various roles based upon the complexity of the application of the medical procedure. There are different types of veterinarians in the industry.

Some of the most popular types are :

Veterinary Surgeon

• Veterinary Surgeons are uniquely prepared and affirmed to perform progressed general or muscular surgeries on an assortment of creatures.
• To become a Vet Surgeon, a degree in BV. Sc. in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology is a must. The candidates also need to have experience in surgical procedure for a period of 2 years.
• The key skill for a veterinary Surgeon is communication skill, mental dexterity, physical and emotional stamina, etc.
• A Vet surgeon can land a job in companies such as pet clinics,Local Municipal corporation and top food processing MNC such as Suguna Food Private Limited.

See: B.VSc (Veterinary Surgery and Radiology)

Veterinarian Officer

• A veterinarian officer is skilled with handling different diseases related to animals and maintaining necessary documents related to the treatment of the pets.
• In order to become a veterinary officer in India, the person has to have a bachelor degree in the related field.
• The key skills required for this position include decision making, management skills, etc.
• A veterinarian officer can land jobs in different government sectors as well as private animal hospitals, etc.

Animal Breeder

• Animal Breeders are persons responsible for the proper breeding of the different game or livestock so that the animals that are offspring have the desired characteristics needed.
• The breeder administers the required insecticides and medication required to protect the offspring.
• In order to be a breeder the individual needs to have a Bachelor’s degree in the respective fields. Sometimes they need to produce an authorised breeder certificate
• The top skills required by an animal breeder is calm demeanor, knowledge of animal genetics, compassion for animals etc.
• An animal breeder can land a job in an Animal Husbandry, food processing firms, etc.

Livestock Development Officer

• The role of Livestock development officers is to create the immunisation drive for the scheduled authorities.
• They are responsible for the promotion of different schemes related to the artificial insemination drive, development of awareness about cattle or pet first aid for the respective animal husbandry department.
• The Livestock development officers should have a degree in veterinary science related fields, with at least 4-5 years of experience.
• The top skills required for livestock officers are teamwork, communication, relationship building, etc.
• The Livestock development officers get mainly placed in the different state government’s board of livestock development

See: BVSc Syllabus

Apart from these there are also other types of veterinarian in India. They are:

Companion Animal Veterinary Doctors

• These types of vets treat pets and that generally add private clinics and hospitals.
• They mostly tend to the medical needs of cats, dogs but also treat pet birds, rabbits, etc.
• These veterinary doctors advise owners about preventive health care, and perform medical and surgical procedures.

Equine Veterinary Doctors

• These veterinary doctors treat horses.
• Equine veterinary doctors concentrate on the safety of the stable and prevent infection among horses.

Food Animal Veterinary Doctors

• Food animal vet doctors are trained to treat livestock like poultry, pigs, cattle, and sheep.
• They provide advice to farm owners, managers about feeding and general health issues.

Food safety & Inspection veterinary doctors

• Food Safety & Inspection Veterinary Doctors conduct inspections, perform tests on livestock and animal products for major animal diseases
• They vaccinate animals, for prevention and control of transmissible diseases.

Research Veterinarians

• Research Veterinarians are people that conduct clinical research on animal health problems in laboratories
• They perform tests on animals to spot the consequences of drugs or test new surgical techniques which enhance the standard of surgeries being performed.

Steps to become a Veterinarian

The Veterinary courses provide the candidates with a niche opportunity in the field of medicine and healthcare. Candidates can follow the different steps in becoming a veterinarian in India:

• First make up your mind about becoming a veterinarian. The course may not be as glamorous as the medical courses but you will have your own niche.
• Pass the class 10th exam and choose science stream. You can choose Biology in the 10+2 level in order to have a solid foundation.
• Pass class 12 with at least 50% marks
• Appear in the NEET UG exam and score well
• If qualified, appear in the counselling process and choose the best possible college.
• Pass the semester exams and try to maintain a healthy average.
• Take up the mandatory internship at reputed clinics and hospitals.
• After completion of degree, pursue practice at a good hospital or open up your own private practice.

How to become a Veterinarian in India?

In order to become a veterinarian in India the candidates should start taking their preparation from the 10+2 level itself. The following are the steps one can take at the various level while pursuing veterinarian course:

School Level preparation

• The preparation of the exam should start at the school level itself. The candidates must take science in the 10+2 level itself.
• They should take biology, and build their foundation.
• Take up courses to crack the NEET UG entrance exam. Take regular mock tests and revise the subjects to secure a good rank in the NEET exam.
• Take up tution in various training institutes for more focussed learning.

Undergraduate Level preparation

• After taking admission in the UG course one must look to score well in the college exams. Focus on every subject so that there is no knowledge gap.
• Candidates opting for a higher degree should focus more on the subject where they want to do their specialisation.
• Complete the internship at a reputed hospital and try to pursue practice at the place of internship.

Post Graduate Level preparation

• After completion of the UG program the candidates can appear for the NEET PG entrance exam for pursuing PG course.
• After clearing the entrance exam they can take part in the selected specialisation program. The duration of the program is 2 years
• Candidates after completion of the PG course can pursue PhD after appearing in the entrance exam.

See:

Courses to become a veterinarian in India

Candidates who aspire to be a veterinarian in India should pass the BVsc course. The candidates can also pursue alternate courses in its place.The average duration of the course is generally five and half years.

Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVsc)

• The BVSc course is a 5 years UG course focused on the imparting of knowledge about the treatment of various pets, animals and other lifestick.
• It provides ideas about the nourishment requirements of different animals.

Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVsc) Details

Check:

Related Course

Here are some of the related courses to be a veterinarian in India.

BVSc & AH

It is a 5 and a half years course about the medical diagnostics and treatment of diseased animals. The full form of the course is Bachelor of Veterinary Science and animal husbandry.

Check: Top BVSc & AH colleges in India

BVSc in Animal Genetics and Breeding

It is a five years course that focuses on the research of cells, cytogenetics, human genetics, and the breeding of various species of livestock and poultry.

BVSc Animal Genetics and Breeding courses can be pursued after 12th. The candidates need to appear for the NEET UG or other equivalent examinations.

Check: Top BVSc Animal Genetics and Breeding colleges in India

BVSc in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology

B.V. Sc. in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology is a 3 years undergraduate level course that focuses on the surgery and medical diagnostics of animals. The B.V. Sc. in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology course is spread across 10 semesters.

B.V.Sc in Livestock Production and Management

B.V.Sc. in Livestock Production and Management is a five years course that provides the candidates with the training about becoming Animal Care and Service Workers, Associate Scientific Manager, Biological Scientists and many more. Here are some details of the course

How to become a veterinarian abroad?

Candidates often pursue the courses from the foreign universities as they offer better research facilities, infrastructure as well as higher placement packages. 

However, in case of admission to the veterinary courses in the abroad colleges the candidates must keep the following things in mind applying to the abroad colleges. 

University Rankings

• The candidates are required to do a thorough research about the university by following up with the various university rankings released by different agencies such as QS World Ranking, US News Ranking.
• The candidates are required to do research on the tuition fees, cost of living and the return of Investment before they zero into a particular college.

Educational Requirement

• The educational criteria for the admission process changes from one university to another.
• The candidates are required to have biology, chemistry or other relevant subjects in their 12th or equivalent examination.
• The candidates are required to pass the english proficiency tests such as IELTS, PTE or TOEFL.
• Candidates may also need to submit the score of some entrance examination as needed by the colleges. 

Other requirements

• The candidates are required to submit their marks sheets, letter(s) of recommendation, bank statements, reference letters.
• The candidates are required to take certain Prerequisite classes in order to be accepted in some of the vet schools abroad.

USA

• For admission to the UG course the candidates are required to pass their 12th or equivalent examination with an over GPA score of 2.5 out of 4.0.
• The candidates should have English, chemistry, maths and biology as part of their compulsory subjects.
• For PG admission, it is preferred that the candidates should have a relevant UG degree from a recognized university with an average score of 3.0 GPA out of 4.0.
• The top recruiters for Veterinarians in the USA are VetCor, ShotVet, Mission Veterinary Partner,Thrive Affordable Healthcare etc.
• The average salary of vets in US is INR 4,576,370

Top Colleges

Also See:

UK

• Candidates should have completed their 12th or equivalent examination from a recognised board.
• The candidates need to pass their 12th with maths and biology as their compulsory subjects.
• Candidates must have passed their UG program in Veterinary science or clinical veterinary course from a recognised university.
• Although the minimum score is pegged at 60% some colleges prefer the candidates to pass their UG course with a minimum score of 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA (83% or more).
• The top recruiters for Veterinarian in the UK are Tamar Vets, Aeron Vets Ltd, Midshire Veterinary Group Ltd, Silsden Vets, etc.
• The average salary of vets in UK is INR 3,619,622

Top Colleges

Check: Veterinary courses at Royal Veterinary College

Canada

• In the case of admission to the undergraduate course the candidates are required to pass their 12th with relevant subjects from a recognized board.
• In the case of PG admission the candidates are required to score at least B grade (70% and above) in veterinary science or other relevant degree from a recognised university. 
• The top recruiters for Veterinarian in Canada are BlackwellKing, Clarke Caniff, Seven Animal Health, Pact & Partners, etc.
• The average salary of vets in Canada is INR 4,737,858

Top Colleges

See:

Australia

• Candidates are required to pass the 12th or equivalent examination from a recognised board with a minimum score of 60% or more.
• The candidates must have maths, chemistry, biology as their compulsory subjects.
• In some cases the average score can move beyond 70%.
• For PG admission the candidates must have Bachelor degree or Graduate Certificate in Animal Science. 
• The top recruiters of Veterinarian In Australia are Aicila Group, Seven Animal Health Australia, Vetlink Employment Service, Kookaburra Vets, etc.
• The average salary of vets in Canada is INR 3,625,923

Top Colleges

See: Medical Colleges in Australia

Benefits of being a Veterinarian

Following are some of the benefits of being a veterinarian,

Help Animals

• One of the foremost obvious benefits of being a veterinarian is that you simply are going to be ready to help animals live their best lives.
• Caring for animals is often a rewarding experience and may have a positive impact on the person

Good Salary

• A veterinarian in India has an average salary of INR 572,000 per year according to Payscale.
• With an experience above 10 years, a veterinarian can easily earn around INR 10,00,000 per year.
• Beside the high salary the veterinarian are often engaged by different government organisations

Positive Impact

• Being a veterinarian may be a social job that will assist you to interact with the community and grow relationships.
• You can teach the community about how to take care of the animals and in turn can save a lot of strays in the future

Job security

• As the occupation is extremely niche in India, the job security will always be high.
• The vets are generally hired in government departments which tend to have higher job securities.
• Also the vets can have their own clinics.

Higher Education

• Candidates after completion of the UG can pursue PG courses for specialization.
• Candidates can also pursue PhD after completion of the PG course.

Unique Experience

• You will learn new things from the day that you simply start as a vet until the day that you retire.
• You need to be at the top of your analytical acumen as the animals cannot express their ordeal.
• Becoming a veterinary doctor will open new opportunities and roles with organizations for you.
• You'll enter animal medicine, food production, and even wildlife associations.

Top Recruiters of Veterinary Doctors in India

Veterinarians are a necessity in animal clinics and hospitals. The top recruiters of Veterinarians in India are mentioned below:

Salaries of Veterinarians in India

Salaries of veterinarians may differ according to many aspects. Following tables contain the salary in terms of specialisation, gender, education qualification,etc.

Specialization Wise

Gender Wise

Education Level Wise