Careers in Veterinary Medicine Careers in Veterinary Medicine Never before has there been a greater diversity of career opportunities in veterinary medicine. The veterinarian's role in serving and protecting animal health and supporting public health is expanding rapidly into many new and exciting areas. In addition, female enrollment in veterinary colleges has increased dramatically over the last decades so that now women represent a sizeable majority of incoming students. Listed below are just a few of the career pathways for graduate veterinarians.
Private practice is perhaps the most recognizable career opportunity for the veterinarian.
Private practice can be general, limited, or even specialized, and there is a growing trend toward partnership or group practices. Most newly graduated veterinarians initially enter private practice by choice, to gain valuable experience. The U.S. Department of Agriculture employs more veterinarians than any other single agency. The work mostly involves prevention and control of infectious and parasitic diseases and animal-derived food quality and safety assurance. The U.S. Public Health Service employs veterinarians to staff programs concerned with controlling animal diseases transmissible to humans.