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A Veterinarian
A Veterinarian is a person who has achieved the qualifications in order to treat animals. In order to become a veterinarian, there are certain steps that must be taken throughout the high school and college years of someone’s life. The process, simply put, is an undergraduate degree with the essential pre-requisites for Veterinarian school. Then, one must attend Veterinarian school for four years. After completing those necessary steps, a DVM can be achieved. Beyond the DVM, many Vets continue their education in order to become a specialist in some field. There are many notable aspects of Veterinary medicine, beginning with its history.

History
The first Veterinarian School was founded in Lyon, France by Claude Bourgelat. This was essentially the mark of the beginning of this profession. Since then, many schools throughout the world have opened Veterinarian schools. The first focus of a lot of Veterinarians during the beginning of the profession was horses. This was because horses played an essential role for people back then. Then, it moved to other animals. In the United States, the first Veterinarian school was the Veterinary College of Philadelphia. However, it is no longer in activation. The oldest school that is still currently in use is the Veterinarian school at the University of Pennsylvania. According to Roger Ross, a DVM himself, the profession of Veterinarian medicine has drastically changed. When this profession first began, people felt like it was not necessary to treat their animals; however, animals were also not as cherished back then as they are now. In his article, Roger Ross states that, “Animals, including dogs and cats were considered a source of filth, pestilence, and disease best kept out of the house.” In accordance with that, there were also no inventions in Veterinary medicine that could treat really sick animals if they were brought in. Roger Ross also states “women veterinarians were rare as recently as 30 years ago.” This has most definitely changed, for more and more women are going into this field.

The Process of Becoming a Veterinarian
To become a Vet, the process is pretty straightforward. The basic education required is to have four years of undergraduate education at the collegiate level. The next step is to be accepted into a Veterinarian school, which consists of another four years of education. To be accepted into Veterinarian school, there are a plethora of qualifications that must be met. A few of these qualifications are to take all of the pre-requisite classes, get experience in the field, and to do volunteer activities. To become specialized in a specific area of Veterinary medicine, an Internship and a Residency must be completed after achieving the DVM.

The Profession Today
The Veterinarian profession consists of different levels and thus different salaries. According to the AAVMC, Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, an average salary for someone with a DVM that is starting out is approximately “$67,000.” Many people decide to further their education in this field and get specialized in a particular field. There are quite a few specializations that include but are not limited to Pathology, Internal Medicine, and Dentistry. Depending on the job type and part of the country where a person lives will then determine the salary. However, by specializing, the salary will most definitely go up. At these places, a person will practice veterinary medicine as well as learn more about their specialization. A Veterinarian can work in a clinic, they can do research, and they can also work for the government. There are many more Veterinarians that work for the government than is realized. The AAVMC states, “The largest employer of veterinarians in the United States is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.” This profession includes positives aspects to the job as well as challenges that can be faced. Some of the challenges that can occur are based on the innovations that are happening in this field. It has become harder and harder for Veterinarians to keep up with the every changing atmosphere of this field. Also, it is essential to begin working as soon as the schooling is complete in order to deal with the debt that a lot of students face. It would be best to review all aspects of Veterinary medicine before beginning this route as a career choice.