Career Opportunities in Veterinary Medicine

Overview

Veterinarians are dedicated women and men whose profession is caring for the health and well-being of animals and/or safeguarding food hygiene and safety. Their work is widely varied and may include such activities as clinical practice, biomedical research, diagnostic laboratories, consultation, food inspection. Whatever their specialty, veterinarians are dedicated to maintaining and promoting animal health and welfare and, by doing this, they play a critical role in the so called One Health.

Future employment opportunities will mirror society's involvement in issues of energy, quality of food, human health, and quality of life. Veterinary medicine is deeply involved in all these areas.

Private Practice

The majority of veterinarians choose to work in private practice, providing health care for companion animals. Private practitioners may work in a one-person practice or as part of a team in a larger clinic or hospitals. Private practitioners offer many services including health exams, vaccinations, treatment of ill animals, surgery, and emergency care. Private practitioners may also focus on large animals (e.g. horses and/or ruminants).
Many veterinarians acquire additional training to specialize in disciplines such as cardiology, dermatology, internal medicine, oncology (cancer), ophthalmology, and surgery.

Public Health and Regulatory Medicine

As public health officials, veterinarians can operate within the National Health System (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), and act as the competent authorities properly monitoring different aspects of animal husbandry and welfare (area C), preventive medicine (area A) and inspection and hygiene of foodstuffs of animal origin (area B).

Research

Veterinarians can be employed in pharmaceutical and private research laboratories, universities, and government and intergovernamental agencies. As such, they investigate basic and applied problems concerning food-producing animals, companion animals, laboratory animals, captive animals, wildlife, and various aquatic species.

Diagnostic Laboratories

Veterinarians interested in animal health diagnostics may focus their careers as employees in public and private diagnostic centres, e.g. the national network of Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali, and . privately owned and operated labs.

Consultation

Various organizations employ experienced veterinarians as full-time or part-time consultants. To be a successful consultant requires advanced skills developed through years of experience and advanced training and education. These veterinarians advise private businesses such as ranches, dairies, poultry farms, and meat processing facilities. They also work with public organizations.