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VETERINARIAN
(Research, Clinical, Laboratory Animal)
Research
veterinarians provide the daily veterinary care required for all
research animals. The primary roles of a research veterinarian include
managing animal resources, providing adequate veterinary care, consulting with researchers on animal models, assisting in regulatory compliance, performing
independent and collaborative research, teaching and training. The
wide range of job functions creates diverse opportunities and challenges
unique to this veterinary specialty.
Research veterinarians can perform
independent research and serve as consultants and collaborators to
research investigators in a variety of disciplines. Research in laboratory
animal medicine (also referred to as comparative medicine) includes
the study of animal diseases, animal models of human disease, computer
modeling, procedural and surgical techniques and animal nutrition.
Opportunities for collaboration with researchers in other disciplines
also exist and can involve advising on the selection, development
and refinement of animal models and animal biomethodology.
Additional
duties of a research veterinarian can include planning, conducting
and following up on research projects; developing, implementing and
controlling procedures related to the purchasing and overall health
of all research animals; and providing support to management and
other divisions regarding animal-health issues.
Research veterinarians
also are responsible for diagnosing, treating and controlling diseases
and injuries among research animals; performing surgery on sick and
injured animals; prescribing and administering drugs, medicines and
vaccines as appropriate; consulting with researchers and staff regarding
the type and number of research animals needed; and providing instruction
and assistance in the special care and treatment of animals.
Laboratory
animal veterinarians must be prepared to care for a large variety
of species, most of which are not common to traditional veterinary
practice. The unique biological qualities, nutritional and environmental
requirements and diseases of these animals provide interesting challenges
for their cultivation and clinical management. The animals used in
research investigations must be free of unwanted spontaneous disease,
and the laboratory animal veterinarian is trained to manage such
diseases in animal populations and advise researchers regarding implications
this might have for research.
Specific to clinical veterinarians is
the responsibility for implementing the clinical evaluation program.
These veterinarians are required to administer such care in compliance
with state and federal regulations. Clinical veterinarians can assist
in providing researchers and investigators guidelines and consultation
on the choice and use of certain medications and procedures and are
responsible for evaluating and processing protocols submitted by
investigators involving animal use in research, teaching and testing.
They also can participate in developing and teaching university courses
in animal resource programs.
Clinical veterinarians also must ensure
the facility is in compliance with federal agency regulations including
those set by the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of
Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
National Institutes of Health’s
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. Clinical veterinarians are actively
involved in veterinary support for research protocols, animal resource
management and prestudy evaluation procedures. They write, review
and update laboratory animal and veterinary care standard operating
procedures (SOPs), the sets of instructions and directives covering
operations.
In addition to caring for research animals, research veterinarians
also might be required to prepare grant applications relating to
laboratory animal care. They must stay abreast of new technological
advances so they can provide the best training and programs to staff
and research personnel. Veterinarians in this specialty sometimes
are called on to educate the community, which might be done through
classroom presentations, lectures to local and national organizations
and media appearances.
Education/Training
Prospective veterinarians must graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a four-year program at
an accredited college of veterinary medicine and must obtain a
license to practice. Before practicing, all veterinarians must
have two or more years of postdoctoral training, or one year of
postdoctoral training plus one year of experience in the practice
of institutional animal medicine.
Twenty-eight colleges in 26 states
meet accreditation standards set by the Council on Education of the
American Veterinary Medical Association, and the prerequisites for
admission vary. Many of the colleges do not require a bachelor’s degree for entrance but
all require a significant number of credit hours — ranging
from 45 to 90 semester hours — at the undergraduate level.
However, most students admitted have completed an undergraduate program.
Applicants without a bachelor’s degree will find it hard to
be admitted.
Preveterinary courses emphasize the sciences. Veterinary
medical colleges typically require classes in organic and inorganic
chemistry, physics, biochemistry, general biology, animal biology,
animal nutrition, genetics, vertebrate embryology, cellular biology,
microbiology, zoology and systemic physiology. Some programs require
calculus, while others require only statistics, college algebra and
trigonometry, or precalculus. Most veterinary medical colleges also
require core courses, including coursework in English or literature,
the social sciences and the humanities. Courses in practice management
and career development increasingly are becoming a standard part
of the curriculum to provide a foundation of general business knowledge
for new graduates.
In addition to satisfying preveterinary course
requirements, applicants must submit test scores from the Graduate
Record Examination, the Veterinary College Admission Test or the
Medical College Admission Test, depending on the preference of the
college to which they are applying. Currently, 22 schools require
the GRE, four require the VCAT and two accept the MCAT.
In admittance
decisions, some veterinary medical colleges place heavy consideration
on a candidate’s veterinary and animal
experience. Formal experience, such as work with veterinarians or
scientists in clinics, agribusiness, research or some area of health
science, particularly is advantageous. Less formal experience, such
as working with animals on a farm or ranch or at a stable or animal
shelter, also is helpful. Students must demonstrate ambition and
an eagerness to work with animals.
There is keen competition for admission
to veterinary school. The number of accredited veterinary colleges
has remained largely the same since 1983, whereas the number of applicants
has risen significantly. Only about one in three applicants were
accepted in 2004. Education in AVMA-recognized veterinary specialties — such as pathology,
internal medicine, dentistry, nutrition, ophthalmology, surgery,
radiology, preventive medicine and laboratory animal medicine — usually
is obtained through a two-year internship. Interns receive a small
salary but usually find that their internship experience leads to
a higher starting salary relative to the salaries of other starting
veterinarians. Veterinarians who seek board certification in a specialty
also must complete a three- to four-year residency program that provides
intensive training in specialties such as internal medicine, oncology,
radiology, surgery, dermatology, anesthesiology, neurology, cardiology,
ophthalmology and exotic, small-animal medicine.
Certification
All states and the District of Columbia require that veterinarians
be licensed before they can practice. The only exemptions are for
veterinarians working for some federal agencies and state governments.
Salary
The salary for research veterinarians in various areas is as follows:
Average
in Academia (medical schools/universities): $98,329 per year
Average in Industry (pharmaceutical/biotech): $116,866 per year
Average in the Federal Government: $82,494 per year
Average in Uniformed Services: $78,233 per year
Average in the Nonfederal Government: $66,885 per year
Average for Others (self-employed, consultants): $101,290
per year
The typical salary range of a clinical veterinarian is between
$35,807 and $76,655 per year, with a median annual salary of $59,038.
Note:
All the above data originally was provided by the American College
of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1994 and was escalated to reflect
2002 dollars.
The average salary for American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine-certified laboratory animal veterinarians varies based on place of employment as is as follows:
Average in Academia (colleges/universities): $154,103
Average in Research Industry: $193,388
Average in Government: $146,974
Average in Hospitals/Nonprofit Organizations: $163,849
These figures are based on the 2005 Salary Survey of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians conducted by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practicioners and have been adjusted for inflation.
Related Links
http://www.aalas.org
The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science is a large
organization representing veterinarians, scientists, animal technicians,
educators and the allied trade groups associated with laboratory
animal medicine. AALAS improves the care and use of laboratory animals
through education and information exchange.
http://www.aavmc.org
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ Web
site offers great information for individuals seeking detailed career
information about the veterinary profession. It covers everything
from the roles of veterinarians to becoming a vet technician.
http://www.aclam.org
The American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine tests and certifies
qualified veterinarians in the specialty of laboratory animal medicine.
Since its inception, more than 400 veterinarians have become board-certified
by ACLAM.
http://www.aslap.org
The American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners seeks to
promote the dissemination of experiences, ideas and knowledge among
veterinarians engaged in laboratory animal practice and encourages
the training of veterinarians in laboratory animal practice at
the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels.
http://www.avma.org
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Web site provides
a good overview of all careers in the veterinary field, including
research veterinarians. It offers information about where to find
jobs as well as an outlook on the profession.
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