Average Salary of a Veterinarian

Name: Wendy C. Brooks
Job Title: Veterinarian
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Employer: self (private practice owner and specialist in canine/feline practice)
Years of Experience: 19
Education: 4 years college, 4 years veterinary school, 1 year internship
Salary: The average salary of a veterinarian varies depending on the branches of veterinary medicine that one might be involved in.

Average Salary of a Veterinarian

For animal lovers, a veterinary career, with the standard veterinarian salary, sounds like a dream job (as mentioned by Dr. Salary). However, the requirements to become a veterinarian include quite a bit of schooling and a serious time commitment, as veterinarian Wendy C. Brooks explains in this Salary Story. While a veterinarian's salary depends on many factors, Wendy explains that a veterinary career almost always invoves working at home or on one's own time. She discusses the requirements to become a veterinarian, and that all important question, “What is the average salary of a veterinarian?"

Wendy also explains the responsibilities involved in managing a successful veterinary career and what factors influence the average salary of a veterinarian. If you want to know how to become a veterinarian, this is one interview you don’t want miss!

Veterinarian Job Description:

Because I am a practice owner, I have a number of administrative and supervisory duties in addition to medical practice. To be prepared for medical practice, I read 6 medical journals regularly and participate in an on-line forum with other veterinarians. I also go to two regular meetings out of town and attend semi-regular continuing education lectures locally.

Inside the office, my schedule includes examining in-patients/hospitalized patients (making notes on their progress and updating their treatment plans), receiving out-patients (interviewing owners, examining pets, making up treatment and diagnostic plans), performing surgery, supervising procedures and making telephone calls.

I also review all the charts seen by myself as well as my associated and technical staff to schedule follow-ups on a master calendar and check for any mistakes in entering charges. Every week, I take inventory of hospital supplies and order supplies. I also have to manage the staff and assign them to specific duties and assist with their training.

What are the requirements to become a veterinarian?

Becoming a veterinarian requires being highly familiar with a successful application for veterinary school. Veterinary schools want to see that they are accepting people who know what they are getting into, so they require extensive experience working with veterinarians and with animals. They are also very strict about applicants having high grade point averages.

They also expect an articulate essay showing insight into this profession. I personally worked in 2 different small animal hospitals (after college, to insure that my application would have adequate experience), a ranch of exotic animals and in several research laboratories (including my own). I saw to it that I had a very high grade point average and more than satisfied the admission requirements. I had decided I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was in elementary school and spent the next ten years or so preparing.

During your veterinary career, have you ever been bitten by a patient?

A very aggressive cat was biting my technician. While rescuing her, the cat reattached herself onto my hands. Both the technician and I were badly bitten. Proper safety training minimizes potential for injury (though many years of experience in reading an animal's body language also helps).

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue a veterinary career?

Be sure it is really what you want because it is a large commitment and not everyone has the "right stuff." This is the kind of job that requires work at home and on one's own time.

What is the average salary of a veterinarian?

The average salary of a veterinarian is heavily dependent on the branch of practice. Even in private practice it depends if one is a specialist, an associate, the owner, or how much experience one has. One of the most important factors in determining the average salary of a veterinarian in private practice is one's revenue production. The bigger an asset that one is to a practice, the better one's veterinarian salary will be; this is also highly regional.

How does your salary comapare to the average salary of a veterinarian? Crunch the numbers with PayScale's salary calculator.

• Average Salary of a Veterinarian by Years of Experience
• Veterinarian Career: Job Titles and Job Descriptions
• Requirements to Become a Veterinarian - according to the AVMA

Comments

[Abbie<3]

Hello! Thank you so much for this page, Im in Middle School and have wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember, I know its right for me because sometimes i swear I love animals more than people! This website has helped me alot! Thanks!

<3abbie

[Lela]

Well im in Middle School now and I wanted to be a vet ever since i was five. I've been very determined to being a vet. I really want to learn more about being a vet. So if you could help me out I would love it.
Thanks, Lela

[venetia]

well I realy wanna become a vet. I wanna know how much I should study to become a good vet.Please give me some advise

[Jamie]

Well, it IS how much you get paid as well as how much you love the job. There are so many jobs that require much less schooling that still help animals, such as animal control officer, Vet Tech, or an animal shelter kennel attendant that get paid much less. As for brain surgeons not doing it for the money, the national average salary is $452,156.00 a year. So it seems that it is about the money as well as it is about you having a love and passion for what you do. People seem to think that wanting to earn a decent living as a vet is wrong. As long as the money isn't the only part of this job you care about, there is nothing wrong with wanting to live comfortably. If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

[TopazluvaMB]

I am in Middle school But i am going to be a Veterinarian when I get older. I neede to know some hings and this website helped me alot.

[hannah]

cool website it helped me a lot with my research

[jacobb]

Why does it matter how much you'll get paid? If you really wanted to be a vet then you wouldn't care how much you got paid because you will be doing something you love and enjoy. Yeah, it does require alot of schooling, but so what? Nothing should stop you from becoming a vet if you really want to become one, no matter how much schooling it will take. It takes 14 years to become a brain surgeon and people still do it. You just need to be passionate and determined to become something and you will become it..

[jacobb]

Why does it matter how much you'll get paid? If you really wanted to be a vet then you wouldn't care how much you got paid because you will be doing something you love and enjoy. Yeah, it does require alot of schooling, but so what? Nothing should stop you from becoming a vet if you really want to become one, no matter how much schooling it will take. It takes 14 years to become a brain surgeon and people still do it. You just need to be passionate and determined to become something and you will become it..

[Ginger]

I just graduated high school and next year will be on the pre-vet track in college hoping to one day fulfill my dream to become a veterinarian! I read the part when you said you made sure your application for vet school was competitive and "above and beyond" by working for veterinarains, at ranches, and for research labs! I've worked at several animal hospitals throughout high school and plan to continue that throughout college, but am wondering how you found research labs to work for??? Also, did you have to retake your VCATS and other tests since you took two years off before applying to vet school?

[latosha]

well im thinking about becoming a veterinarian because i love animals and im devoted to help but, i dont want to do surgery on them but still get a good salary but, i think ill be able to pass with the surgery part

[latosha]

well im thinking about becoming a veterinarian because i love animals and im devoted to help but, i dont want to do surgery on them but still get a good salary but, i think ill be able to pass with the surgery part

[Kierra]

I really want to be a veternarian.
It seems really fun.
I wanted to be one since I was eight years old.
So that's the cool thing to ever do.

[Courtney]

I thought I wanted to be a Veterinarian, but I do not want to go to school for 5-6 years, and I don't want to perform the surgeries. Is there another job similar to this that pays well? If you know of one please write to me.

[Andrea]

I've always been an animal lover growing up and still. My dream was to be a veterinarian, which my father destroyed. I currently have a Bachelors Degree and considering strongly going back to school to pursue a DVM degree or Physician Assistance. I believe my love my animals is my driving force, however, with the salaries that I've seen for DVM based on research, I won't be making enough to pay on my student loans each month. Not only that, to earn a Physician Assistance degree is 27 months, to earn a DVM degree I'm looking at approximately 5 years.

Based on this, can someone please share there expert opinion?

[chelsea]

hi how are you guys well can some one or anyone e-mail me with the answers please well thanks-2-you!!

<3chelsea<3

[chelsea]

what is the salary of a vet in 5 10 15 20 25 30 years

[meg]

Hi

Thanks for the infromation, I have wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time. Now that I am in school I do not know if I can make it. I still want to work with animals just don't want to be a veterinarian. What do you suggest as an alternitive job.

[quanisha]

hi i want to be an veterinarian one day please get back to me....

[abigail]

Thanks for the information

You may also find it useful to visit my website: http://www.petsmixonline.com

[Jeff Ketelson]

A good start but Dr Brooks certainly does'nt mean to suggest that a veterinary pratice is going to pay $60k the first year you open the doors!!In fact If you even start to make a salary after 3 years you can consider your self doing good and having beaten the odds.$60k maybe if your doing very well after 5 years. You better have the capital to pay yourself until then.

[who am I]

this was very interesting. It helped me complete my project very well. But I think that it should have an estimate of the salary. And more of a description of the education and what you need to take, should take and what helps.

[who am I]

this was very interesting. It helped me complete my project very well. But I think that it should have an estimate of the salary. And more of a description of the education and what you need to take, should take and what helps.

[who am I]

this was very interesting. It helped me complete my project very well. But I think that it should have an estimate of the salary. And more of a description of the education and what you need to take, should take and what helps.