How to Become a Wild Animal Vet
Wild animal veterinary medicine sounds like a dream job to many animal lovers. However, this career path requires strong academic credentials, willingness to commit to several years of study and dedication. Admissions to colleges of veterinary medicine are even more competitive than human medical schools.
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Instructions
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Assess your personal skills and attributes. Veterinary medicine courses demand a high aptitude in mathematics and sciences. To acquire a veterinary degree, you must be able to commit to a long period of intense study.
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Get some experience working with animals. Since seats at veterinary colleges are highly sought after, admissions offices at these schools tend to look for demonstrated interest and and ability to work with animals. See if you can find an internship working with a vet. Experience working at an animal shelter or on a farm will also look good on your veterinary college applications.
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Research veterinary colleges. There are 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States. Investigate these schools to compare factors like tuition and academic prerequisites. Veterinary colleges grant a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, either a DVM or VMD, after four years of study. Most vet colleges require candidates to submit applications through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service.
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Fulfill the testing and credit hour prerequisites for your targeted veterinary schools. Some vet schools are like human medical colleges in requiring a bachelor's degree for admission, others will admit someone with a minimum number of college credit hours, usually in science courses. Most vet schools require that candidates submit their scores on the Graduate Record Exam, the Veterinary College Admission Test and/or the Medical College Admission Test.
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Complete the official requisites to legally practice as a vet. After acquiring a degree, aspiring vets must get passing grade the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam. Except for those working in certain state and federal government positions, all vets need state licensing. Licensing requirements vary from state to state.
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Prepare for your area of specialization. Zoological medicine is one of 20 areas of specialization recognized by the American Association of Veterinary Medicine. Like physicians, veterinarians must take additional classes, internships and residencies in order to qualify as a specialist.
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