What does a doctor of veterinary medicine do?
A Veterinary Medicine Doctor is responsible for studying animal nature, diagnosing animal illnesses, and developing treatment plans and medications. They analyze an extensive scope of animal conditions to identify care programs that would keep them healthy. They also supervise laboratory procedures and conduct tests by acquiring specimens for investigation. A veterinary medicine doctor must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in coordinating with animal owners, responding to their inquiries and concerns, and resolving their issues.
Doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real doctor of veterinary medicine resumes:
- Handle patient medical history, physical examination, diagnosis and treatment.
- Gather research data access through EMR.
- Perform cardiac surgery including pacemaker, ICD and CRT implantations.
- Perform phlebotomy, pap smears, EKG, Spirometry and minor surgeries.
- Assist in surgery, suturing and deliveries in the maternity unit, including complications eg.
- Interview patients, perform clinical examination and diagnose medical emergencies.
- Record patient's clinical evolution with personal diagnosis and conclusions.
- General medical physician which include work in variable gynecological & obstetrics exams.
- Coordinate clinical activities including immediate patient resuscitation and stabilization in the emergency department.
- Develop an ambulatory pediatrics curriculum for family medicine residents
- Record ECG & interpret it and also monitor pulse, BP, RR.
- Place catheters and utilize the Cerner electronic medical record system.
- Develop an ambulatory pediatrics curriculum for family medicine residents
Doctor of veterinary medicine skills and personality traits
We calculated that 80% of Doctors Of Veterinary Medicine are proficient in Patient Care, Veterinary Medicine, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Decision-making skills, Manual dexterity, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Doctors Of Veterinary Medicine that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patient Care, 80%
Set higher standards for patient care and recovery.
- Veterinary Medicine, 17%
Doctor of veterinary medicine Collected specimens and performed laboratory tests.
- Patients, 1%
Interview patients, performed clinical examination and diagnosed medical emergencies.
- Medical Care, 1%
Bring emergency medical cares for patient in critical medical condition
- Internal Medicine, 0%
Displayed unsurpassed expertise in general internal medicine, general surgery, emergency medicine, critical care, gynecology, and pediatrics.
- Diabetes, 0%
Experience with various medical conditions including Parkinson's, Dementia, Diabetes, Cancer, Alzheimer's and Paget's disease.
Common skills that a doctor of veterinary medicine uses to do their job include "patient care," "veterinary medicine," and "patients." You can find details on the most important doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities below.
Decision-making skills. The most essential soft skill for a doctor of veterinary medicine to carry out their responsibilities is decision-making skills. This skill is important for the role because "veterinarians must decide the correct method for treating the injuries and illnesses of animals." Additionally, a doctor of veterinary medicine resume shows how their duties depend on decision-making skills: "determined necessary laboratory tests and ancillary procedures. "
Manual dexterity. Many doctor of veterinary medicine duties rely on manual dexterity. "veterinarians must control their hand movements and be precise when treating injuries and performing surgery.," so a doctor of veterinary medicine will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities rely on manual dexterity: "record vital signs into the hospitals data systems as well as manually charting them. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for doctors of veterinary medicine to perform their duties. For an example of how doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "strong communication skills are essential for veterinarians, who must be able to discuss their recommendations and explain treatment options to animal owners and give instructions to their staff." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a doctor of veterinary medicine: "doctor of veterinary medicine duties: primary care of patients including diagnosis and treatment and client communication. ".
Compassion. For certain doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "compassion." The day-to-day duties of a doctor of veterinary medicine rely on this skill, as "veterinarians must be compassionate when working with animals and their owners." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what doctors of veterinary medicine do: "maintained a compassionate and professional attitude in dealing with patients with medical issues of a highly sensitive nature. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of doctors of veterinary medicine all the time, as "veterinarians need strong problem-solving skills because they must figure out what is ailing animals." An excerpt from a real doctor of veterinary medicine resume shows how this skill is central to what a doctor of veterinary medicine does: "maintained new referral tracking system that improved patient care, identified and resolved problems of delays in patient treatment. "
The three companies that hire the most doctor of veterinary medicines are:
- Banfield Pet Hospital25 doctors of veterinary medicine jobs
- VCA Animal Hospitals4 doctors of veterinary medicine jobs
- Sanford Health2 doctors of veterinary medicine jobs
Compare different doctors of veterinary medicine
Doctor of veterinary medicine vs. Animal care specialist
Animal Care Specialists are responsible for caring for an animal's health and safety. Their duties include grooming and feeding animals, cleaning and disinfecting living quarters, perform a physical examination, administer medication and vaccinations, and deliver post-operative assistance. They also arrange for adoptions as well as participate in animal rescues. An animal care specialist working in laboratories may collect blood samples, conduct lab tests, and record results. They help answer phone calls and administer individual queries.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities require skills like "patient care," "veterinary medicine," "patients," and "internal medicine." Meanwhile a typical animal care specialist has skills in areas such as "animal handling," "quality customer service," "animal husbandry," and "animal shelter." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that animal care specialists earn slightly differ from doctors of veterinary medicine. In particular, animal care specialists are 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a doctor of veterinary medicine. Additionally, they're 58.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Doctor of veterinary medicine vs. Doctor
A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, doctor of veterinary medicine responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "veterinary medicine," "diabetes," and "pain management." Meanwhile, a doctor has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "emergency medicine," "surgery," and "dr." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Doctors earn a higher average salary than doctors of veterinary medicine. But doctors earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $178,767. Additionally, doctors of veterinary medicine earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $156,143 annually.In general, doctors achieve similar levels of education than doctors of veterinary medicine. They're 2.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 58.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Doctor of veterinary medicine vs. Veterinary pathologist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, doctors of veterinary medicine are more likely to have skills like "pet," "patient care," "veterinary medicine," and "patients." But a veterinary pathologist is more likely to have skills like "fda," "experimental design," "clinical pathology," and "glp."
Most veterinary pathologists achieve a higher degree level compared to doctors of veterinary medicine. For example, they're 5.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 31.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Doctor of veterinary medicine vs. Small animal veterinarian
Types of doctor of veterinary medicine
Updated January 8, 2025
