To become a veterinarian, one must complete pre-veterinary courses, attend an accredited veterinary school, and meet national certification and state licensing requirements. Graduate programs and real-world experience can further qualifications. A bachelor’s degree and standardized entrance exams may also be required. After graduation, fulfilling national board requirements and passing a licensing exam is necessary.
Veterinary qualifications include academic, certification, and licensing requirements. Undergraduate students who want to become veterinarians must take pre-veterinary courses and apply to an accredited veterinary school. Upon graduation, veterinarians must also meet national certification requirements. In addition, veterinary qualifications include meeting licensing requirements, which are determined by the state or territory in which the veterinarian chooses to practice.
Students who enroll in graduate programs can further their veterinary qualifications by gaining real-world experience working with animals. Experience may include working as an assistant at a veterinarian’s office or at an animal shelter, as a research assistant at a facility that uses animals, or even on a farm or ranch. Positions that require candidates to work with pet owners also prepare candidates for holding a private veterinary practice later on.
Applicants to graduate veterinary schools are not necessarily required to have a bachelor’s degree, depending on the schools from which an applicant applies for admission. Having a bachelor’s degree, however, makes the candidate more competitive, since most of the candidates who have applied have earned or are on the verge of earning a bachelor’s degree. Students must take pre-vet courses, which include various life science classes such as biology and zoology. Some veterinary schools also require applicants to take classes in business administration and the humanities.
Taking a standardized entrance exam is also another part of the veterinary qualifications, before a candidate can be considered for admission to a veterinary program. Most veterinary programs require students to take a general graduate admissions test, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Other veterinary programs require applicants to take an entrance test designed only for graduate veterinary applicants or a medical school admission test.
After a person graduates from veterinary school, he or she must fulfill veterinary qualifications as defined by the national board of veterinarians. Part of the requirements for certification may include successfully completing a residency that can last up to four years. Veterinary residency qualifications specialize in areas such as nutrition or dentistry, allowing veterinarians to become specialists. Meeting these requirements allows a new veterinarian to become certified, which can lead to better career opportunities.
Licensing veterinary qualifications are regulated by the state, territory or province where the veterinarian chooses to practice. In general, licensing rules require the candidate to graduate from an accredited veterinarian program and pass the national board licensing exam. Depending on the state, territory or province, veterinarians may also need to take a separate examination of local laws and regulations before obtaining a license.
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