While good grades are a start, Dr. Pijanowski also strongly recommends working with a veterinarian before applying to veterinary school to get a realistic view of the profession. Work experience will help you discover early if this is really the profession for you, before you invest years of hard work and thousands of dollars in tuition and fees. Because entrance into veterinary school is competitive, most applicants have completed their undergraduate degree before being accepted. Required science courses include biological sciences, chemical sciences, and physics. For anyone truly serious about entering the veterinary profession, Dr. Pijanowski encourages contacting the school to find out the specifics of its admission requirements.
Veterinary school is a four-year program.
At the University of Illinois, the first two years are spent in the classroom learning the basic sciences, physiology, anatomy, pathology, and so forth. The third year begins to put this knowledge into use in surgery and medicine classes. After graduation, there are many career choices. Veterinarians who want to specialize in one area of veterinary medicine can seek board certification by completing internships and residencies in such fields as surgery, ophthalmology, and internal medicine and passing an examination. Such internships and residencies are highly sought after.