What duties or responsibilities go along with being a veterinarian?

Answer 1

Like human physicians, veterinarians in private practice have certain duties (responsibilities) as well as "duties of care" as outlined by their licensing board.

General / daily duties (responsibilities) of veterinarians include:

• to assess well (healthy) animals
• to provide routine health protective measures, such as vaccines
• to provide routine grooming that can have health consequences to animals, such as cutting claws to allow for normal walking on the foot pads
• to guide, assist, and educate owners in how to keep pets healthy
• to assess for in-bred or genetic deformities or health issues
• to assess the effects a genetic defect will have on the future health of an animal
• to treat conditions related to a genetic defect
• to assess ill (sick) animals
• to diagnose and treat illness from conditions or diseases
• to treat acquired conditions such as kidney failure after ingestion of a poison
• to treat acquired diseases, such as Diabetes
• to use diagnostic tools and interpret diagnostics (lab work, X-Rays)
• to know how to prescribe common medications in correct doses
• to know when to collaborate with other veterinarians
• to refer to another veterinarian or Vet Specialist when needed

"Duties of care" and "routine daily duties" (which are two separate things), often overlap or are entwined. For example, a veterinarian who failed to do a particular test (diagnosis is a routine duty) when the clinical picture is unclear (i.e. he can't decide what's wrong by examining the animal) may also breach his professional "duty of care".

Veterinarians who are not in private practice can have a variety of duties, from ensuring humane handling of animals to verifying the food safety program of a slaughter plant to investigating disease outbreaks to performing sound research.

Answer 2

There is no one job description for a person who has a DVM - trained veterinarians work in job as diverse as companion animal medicine, food safety, research, drug formulation review, pathology, public health, etc. The job description will depend upon what type of career the veterinarian has.
You will be able to recognize through the nature of the work indicated below, the duties and responsibilities of a veterinarian.

Veterinarians care for the health of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening our knowledge of animals and medical science, and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge. Most veterinarians diagnose animal health problems; vaccinate against diseases, such as distemper and rabies; medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses; treat and dress wounds; set fractures; perform surgery; and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding. According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, more than 70 percent of veterinarians who work in private medical practices predominately, or exclusively, treat small animals. Small-animal practitioners usually care for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, but also treat birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and other animals that can be kept as pets. About one-fourth of all veterinarians work in mixed animal practices, where they see pigs, goats, cattle, sheep, and some wild animals in addition to companion animals. A small number of private-practice veterinarians work exclusively with large animals, mostly horses or cattle; some also care for various kinds of food animals. These veterinarians usually drive to farms or ranches to provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. Much of this work involves preventive care to maintain the health of the animals. These veterinarians test for and vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers regarding animal production, feeding, and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set fractures, and perform surgery, including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Other veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium, or laboratory animals. Veterinarians of all types euthanize animals when necessary. Veterinarians who treat animals use medical equipment such as stethoscopes, surgical instruments, and diagnostic equipment, including radiographic and ultrasound equipment. Veterinarians working in research use a full range of sophisticated laboratory equipment. Veterinarians contribute to human as well as animal health. A number of veterinarians work with physicians and scientists as they research ways to prevent and treat various human health problems. For example, veterinarians contributed greatly in conquering malaria and yellow fever, solved the mystery of botulism, produced an anticoagulant used to treat some people with Heart disease, and defined and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip and knee joint replacements and limb and organ transplants. Today, some determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals. Some veterinarians are involved in food safety and inspection. Veterinarians who are livestock inspectors, for example, check animals for transmissible diseases, such as E. coli, advise owners on the treatment of their animals, and may quarantine animals. Veterinarians who are meat, poultry, or egg product inspectors examine slaughtering and processing plants, check live animals and carcasses for disease, and enforce government regulations regarding food purity and sanitation. More veterinarians are finding opportunities in food security as they ensure that the Nation has abundant and safe food supplies. Veterinarians involved in food security often work along the Nation's borders as animal and plant health inspectors, where they examine imports and exports of animal products to prevent disease here and in foreign countries. Many of these workers are employed by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division. Work environment. Veterinarians in private or clinical practice often work long hours in a noisy indoor environment. Sometimes they have to deal with emotional or demanding pet owners. When working with animals that are frightened or in pain, veterinarians risk being bitten, kicked, or scratched. Veterinarians in large-animal practice spend time driving between their office and farms or ranches. They work outdoors in all kinds of weather and may have to treat animals or perform surgery, under unsanitary conditions. Veterinarians working in nonclinical areas, such as public health and research, have working conditions similar to those of other professionals in those lines of work. These veterinarians enjoy clean, well-lit offices or laboratories and spend much of their time dealing with people rather than animals. Veterinarians often work long hours. Those in group practices may take turns being on call for evening, night, or weekend work; solo practitioners may work extended and weekend hours, responding to emergencies or squeezing in unexpected appointments. Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Answer 3

Veterinarians are responsible for examining, diagnosing and treating the patients brought to them for veterinary care. This can be as simple as a well-puppy check with vaccines to managing an elderly cat with diabetes and Arthritis who now has an eye infection.

Answer 4

Some veterinarians specialize in small animals, some large animals, and some see both. A veterinarian diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries in animals. They provide well-checks for animals. They perform surgeries, vaccinations, and diagnostic tests. Veterinarians sometimes have to perform euthanasia on animals that are in pain, with no hope of recovery.

Answer 5

Typical job responsibilities for a veterinarian are mainly the care and looking out for the welfare of their patient (animal) and client (owner). Listening to the owner and the animal are equally important. A list of job responsibilities might look something like this:

• Listening - to pet and owner
• Evaluate the animal
• Check vital signs
• Administer Rabies vaccinations (some vet techs can give other vaccinations)
• Prescribe pharmaceuticals
• Perform Surgeries, set broken bones, etc.
• Take X-rays
• Review all lab work done by technicians
• Speak candidly and tactfully to owner
• Euthanize animals
• Deliver babies! :)
• Suggest products and be able to make recommendations that benefit both pet and owner
• For vets that own a private practice: Be able to oversee the bookkeeping, cleanliness and overall functionality of the facility
• Know the anatomy and physiology of all animals
• Keep up with the continuing education and new technology

Answer 6

Veterinarians have many responsibilities, after all they owners are putting their pet's lives in their hands. Veterinarians who care for small animals must administer vaccines, do health check-ups, clean teeth, fix broken bones, treat skin infections, and perform surgery. Veterinarians also need to determine when an animal is terminally ill. Those are just some of the medical responsibilities they have. Vets career may include knowing how to manage staff and even inspecting the living spaces of animals. Overall a veterinarian's job has many responsibilities and they all have to do with keeping animals safe.

Answer 7

Veterinarians are medical professionals with numerous responsibilities. A major responsibility is to provide care and treatment to his/her patients in a legal, ethical and moral manner.

Answer 8

helping sick animals, not putting animals down, giving the animal medicine, giving the animal a diet or a need/ helping any animal in need of assistance