Explore Veterinary Career Options
Explore the diverse field of veterinary medicine.
Communities need veterinary professionals to provide animal health care, but veterinarians can also do many other jobs. From ensuring food safety, conducting research that helps both animals and humans, and controlling the spread of diseases, veterinarians are on the front lines of protecting the public's health and welfare.
Explore Veterinary Career Options
Private Practice
General Practice or (with advanced training and experience) a specialty field, such as ophthalmology, orthopedics, aquatic animal medicine, marine biology, wildlife animal medicine, or emergency animal medicine.
Corporate Veterinary Medicine
Careers with corporations that provide veterinary care, test human drugs for safety, or produce animal-related products.
Federal Government
Employs veterinarians through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) working on biosecurity, environmental quality, public health, meat inspection, regulatory medicine, and agricultural animal health, or the investigation of disease outbreaks.
The U.S. Army Corps and the U.S. Air Force
Career opportunities in food safety and military working dog veterinary medicine. The military also provides advanced training in specialty areas for those who commit to service.
Research
Either in a university setting or with companies that produce animal-related products or pharmaceuticals.
Teaching (academia or non-professional schools)
With 40% of aging faculty in academia eligible for retirement over the next 10 years, projections indicate an increasing need for qualified academics to teach in all disciplines of veterinary medicine.
Food supply medicine
With either the government or a food animal company.
Public Health
Particularly with governmental agencies such as the United States Public Health Service, which works to control the transmission of animal-to-human (zoonotic) diseases.
Global Veterinary Medicine
In private practice or with international agencies working in food production and safety or emerging diseases.
Public Policy
Working for governments on animal and zoonotic diseases, animal welfare, and public health issues or as consultants with non-governmental agencies.
Shelter Medicine
Working with communities and private or public agencies to ensure the health and well-being of animal populations housed in shelters.
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