Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to improve public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals.

Most veterinarians work in private clinics and hospitals. Others travel to farms, work in laboratories or classrooms, or work for the government.

Veterinarians must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an accredited veterinary college and a state license.

Employment of veterinarians is projected to grow 9 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Candidates should expect very strong competition for available veterinarian positions, especially in companion animal care. Those with specializations and prior work experience should have the best job opportunities.

This occupation supported 70,300 jobs in 2012 and 78,300 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 11.4%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 11.9% in 2022 to 78,700 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 71,900, compared with an observed value of 78,300, 8.9% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 9.8% in 2024 to 85,200 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 80,300 jobs for 2024, 5.8% lower than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation.