For those who have a passion for horses and would like a career in equine health, a career as an equine veterinary specialist may be the job track for you. The veterinary career path involves several years of vet training and academic study in the field of veterinary medicine.
The program requires exams that must be passed in order to become certified and legally recognized as an equine veterinarian. As a licensed veterinarian, specialization in equine studies is possible. If you love being close to horses, then becoming an equine veterinarian may be a career choice to consider.
Before you start an equine veterinarian career, you’ll need to meet several requirements. Use these tips to become an equine veterinary specialist:
- Get an undergraduate education. Just like the career path to medicine, veterinary medicine starts out by earning and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in general medicine. Since veterinary medicine, similar to human medicine, involves the sciences, it is advised that students enroll in a bachelor’s degree program in chemistry, biology or another science program if they want to pursue horse vet jobs. These programs provide the foundation needed to pursue further studies in veterinary medicine. Once the coursework is completed, students are eligible to move onto the next step of the career path to become a horse veterinarian.
- Attend veterinary school. Once a bachelor’s degree has been obtained, students are eligible to apply to an accredited veterinarian school recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association or AVMA. Veterinary school is a four-year graduate program that prepares and trains a student to become a licensed veterinarian.
- Take the board exam for veterinary medicine. Students are required to pass the state veterinary board exam in order to be eligible to practice veterinary medicine in a particular state. Review classes are available and help prepare students to pass the exam. The refresher courses should be taken prior to the exam.
- Gain experience as an equine veterinarian. The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) is the main organization that can certify students as an equine veterinarian specialist. Stiff requirements must be met before taking the exams required in order to become certified as a specialist. The ABVP requires students have six years of experience working in an equine veterinary practice. Other options that satisfy the experience requirement include a two-year residency program in an accredited equine specialization program, or one year of actual equine veterinary practice.
- Get certified. Once the requirements of the ABVP are completed to certify the student as an equine veterinary specialist, all credentials must be submitted to the ABVP. Students must then take the certification exam that is divided into four sessions—one exam per day. Once the series of exams are passed the student earns the title of equine veterinary specialist.
Equine veterinary specialists earn a high salary. In fact, they are known to earn more than most traditional veterinarians since equine care is in high demand. A six figure salary can be expected even in an entry level equine veterinary job. The expected growth for jobs over the following six to ten years is on the rise and a 15% increase in employment is forecasted, making this one of the faster growing career fields in the country.