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Undergraduates must complete the preliminary work required to enter one of the twenty-seven accredited institutions that deal with veterinary medicine. Undergraduate students must complete very specific coursework, maintain a minimum grade point average, and pass an entrance exam if they are to continue their pursuits in the field of veterinary medicine.
After acceptance into Veterinary school, students must complete a series of two phases; the first of these consists of classroom and laboratory exercises where the student learns of preclinical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, and microbiology. During this phase students are rarely exposed to the field. The second phase is almost all clinical or "in field" study. Students learn the principals of medicine and surgery through hands on exercises. Students also learn of diseases, diagnosis, radiology, clinical medicine, surgery, and business practices. The second phase prepares students to enter the field typically working under another veterinarian with an established practice.
Graduation from Veterinary school is a large accomplishment, after which a license is required before practice can begin. Licenses are regulated by the state, and are fairly difficult to obtain. New veterinarians usually work for another veterinarian, the government, or participate in an internship program to gain real world experience. "Experience leads to good judgment, and the only way to gain experience is to use bad judgment." Most veterinarians, after working under someone, open their own practices. Once established, they continue to learn through programs offered, and often required by the Veterinarian School Association if they are to retain they license.
Animals feed the world, keep clothes on our backs, and offer companionship to many people of the world. Veterinarians offer a solution to the problems people encounter with their animals, and help to maintain the quality of life people have grown accustomed to. Although veterinary medicine is a demanding field to be in, the rewards are well worth the sacrifices, made to be a veterinarian.