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About Veterinary
You'll become
- Veterinary Nurse
- Veterinarian
- Animal Care Attendant
- Veterinary Technician
- Veterinary Surgeon
- Pharmaceutical Technician
Average Salaries
Veterinary workers may earn between $49,000 and $96,000 per year
Have you always wanted to care for animals? With a Veterinary Course you will get all the skills, knowledge and qualifications needed so you can help sick and injured companion animals, livestock and wildlife. Built around a foundation of science subjects, a Veterinary Course may delve into subjects such as animal behaviour and welfare, animal diseases, veterinary functions, animal genetics and animal nutrition. Overall you will learn the required real-world skills for hands-on animal care which will help you on your journey to becoming a veterinarian.
Play a key role in administering the best care and treatment possible to animals by studying a rewarding veterinary course.
If you’re passionate about animals and seeking a dynamic, challenging career in a team-focused environment, a career in veterinary science is for you. As a veterinarian, you’ll play a leading role in the wellbeing of animals, by diagnosing, treating and helping to prevent animal disease and injury. You’ll develop both your practice and your professional skills by continuing your veterinary education to ensure you’re continuing to deliver up-to-date, relevant advice.
You may choose to work in research or education – playing a critical role in advancing our understanding of best-practise methods for treating animals. Or, you may practise as a veterinarian or animal technician, working hands-on every day treating animals. In a role like this, you could expect to perform tasks like performing check-ups and procedures on animals, administering anaesthetic and medicines, and organising and ordering medicines and other stock.
As a practising veterinarian, you may choose to specialise your practise and focus on one element of animal healthcare, such as dentistry or surgery, or focus exclusively on one group of animals in order to provide specialised care, such as working as an equine veterinarian. Working independently or in small teams, veterinarians often find themselves building a diverse set of professional skills in addition to their theoretical knowledge, including leadership and management skills, and the ability to work in an organised, autonomous way. By pursuing a career in veterinary medicine, you’ll not only start a rewarding path working hands-on with animals but also develop a strong body of dynamic professional skills.
While the profession can be demanding, it offers a unique opportunity for both a deeply rewarding and professionally stimulating career. A veterinary course is your first step towards an enriching and exciting new career.
What do veterinary graduates do?
Veterinary graduates may choose to undertake employment in a range of roles relating to veterinary science, including practising as a veterinarian, working in research or education, or in consulting roles with government or in the not-for-profit sector.
Most practising veterinarians work in private practice, and many choose to specialise to focus on either a single type of animal medicine, or a specific group of animals. Day-to-day work for a veterinarian may include tasks like seeing and examining animals, performing procedures and simple surgeries, administering anaesthetic and medicine, performing diagnostic and pathology tests, using diagnostic tools like X-rays and ultrasounds, performing autopsies, advising clients on hygiene and diet for animals, organising and ordering equipment, ordering and managing medicines, customer service and scheduling appointments.
In other industries, veterinary course graduates may perform tasks like teaching, performing experiments and maintaining animals in a laboratory, conducting desktop research and reading, overseeing and evaluating exports, imports and quarantine stock, or offering advice or consultative services.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
Graduates of veterinary courses usually pursue employment in veterinary science roles, and may work as a:
- Veterinary Nurse
- Veterinarian
- Animal Care Attendant
- Veterinary Technician
- Veterinary Surgeon
- Pharmaceutical Technician
- Export and Quarantine Supervisor
- Veterinary Pathologist
You can study a veterinary course at the undergraduate level, by taking a bachelor’s degree in veterinary science at one of the seven Australian universities offering the course.
You may also choose to build a foundation of generalised scientific knowledge first, by studying a science, agriculture or biomedicine degree at the bachelor’s level before undertaking a master’s degree in veterinary medicine to develop the specialised theoretical and practical training essential for working as a veterinarian.
Is veterinary right for you?
You’ll enjoy studying veterinary medicine if you:
- Are passionate about animals
- Are empathetic
- Have strong critical thinking abilities
- Can work effectively in high-pressure environments
- Are good with people
- Enjoy a challenge
- Love learning and refining your skills
- Can work independently
- Work well with details
- Enjoy working closely with others
- Thrive in fast-paced environments
- Enjoy change
Job opportunities
While new job opportunities for veterinary graduates are competitive, with a limited number of new roles opening each year, the Australian Government’s Job Outlook projects strong growth in the industry to 2020, and the industry has been growing steadily over the last 10 years.
The industry’s peak body, the Australian Veterinary Association, reports research roles are competitive, and teaching positions are usually offered to people with more than 10 years’ experience in veterinary practise.
However, increasingly, governments and activist groups are seeking the consultative services of veterinarians, to oversee programs relating to food and livestock exports, food health and safety, quarantine management, animal welfare and wildlife conservation – indicating more diverse career opportunities exists for veterinary course graduates than have existed previously.
Average Salaries
A veterinarian in Australia can expect to earn between $49,000 and $96,000 per year, with most earning around $63,000, according to PayScale.
While veterinarians can expect a modest pay increase with experience, PayScale reports the greatest increase in earnings comes after a veterinarian has been practising for 20 years or more.
Industry Bodies
- Australian Veterinary Association
- Vets Australia