Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming a vet 

  

Selecting the correct career is a crucial decision with far-reaching implications. It is a choice that will shape your future, underscoring the importance of making an informed decision.

Over the next few weeks, The African Reporter will engage with business people, professionals and other role players, focusing on a specific career every week.

By doing this, we aim to provide valuable guidance to our younger readers navigating their career choices. This week, we look at the veterinarian career.

Springs resident Dr Garith Newby has been a vet for 11 years and said anyone registered with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) can open a practice. He said making a meaningful difference in people’s and animals’ lives makes him love his job even more.

“The profession has many challenges, and you need to actively apply yourself daily to make a diagnosis. It is definitely not mundane. We regularly see new and weird things and work with animals we have never worked with before.

“We are our own surgeons, pharmacists, radiologists, anesthesiologists and pathologists. If you enjoy applying yourself, it is definitely a profession to consider,” he said.

What is a veterinarian?
A veterinarian is a highly trained medical professional dedicated to the health and well-being of animals. They are the doctors of the animal world and use their skills to evaluate patients, make diagnoses and treat a range of conditions.

What do veterinarians do?
Vets prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries in many animal species, including companion animals, livestock, exotic animals and wildlife.

Where can I study to be a veterinarian?
The University of Pretoria is the only institution in SA where you can study for a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science. Only 190 first-year students are accepted annually for the course.

How long does it take?
The undergraduate course is six years, with four to five years of theory and 18 months of work-integrated training. Postgraduate qualifications are available thereafter if so desired.

Which high school subjects do I need?
English (level 5: 60%), maths (level 5: 60%) and physical science (level 5: 60%). The minimum requirements do not guarantee acceptance because this is a highly competitive course.

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What are the roles and responsibilities of a vet?
State veterinary services: Many vets are employed as state or provincial veterinarians in government service. They render essential regulatory services related to the diagnosis, surveillance, monitoring, control, prevention and eradication of notifiable diseases.

State veterinarians are also responsible for the import and export of animals and animal products and food safety and security. In regions with no private practitioners, state veterinarians also provide clinical services.

Where do veterinarians work?
• Vets are also employed in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the SAPS.

• Private practice: most vets in SA are employed in private practice, either one of their own, in partnership or as assistants or locums.

• There are several avenues of private practice: Production animal practice, providing veterinary services to the livestock farmer (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and game), companion animal practice (dogs, cats, horses, cage birds) and mixed practice (pets/production animals/wildlife).

• The services provided by the private practitioner include, among others, clinical services, disease prevention strategies, advice and consultative services on nutrition, management, production, reproduction and biotechnology.

• Research can be done in a spectrum of areas (veterinary, agricultural and biomedical sciences), attending to problems related to animals and humans.

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• Academia graduates can teach at veterinary, medical, agricultural and natural science institutions, do research and community engagement projects and provide clinical services.

• Private, state and provincial diagnostic laboratories: Graduates can provide routine or forensic diagnostic services involving disciplines such as pathology, clinical pathology, microbiology and toxicology.

• Veterinary public health: Food security and the production of food safe for human consumption are crucial fields in which the veterinarian plays a key role.

• Vets ensure meat and milk hygiene in abattoirs and milk processing plants and maintain and improve animal health on farms.

Are there different types of vets?
Yes, those involved in the field of veterinary public health play are crucial in controlling zoonotic diseases (diseases transferred from animals to humans).

• Commerce – The vet is involved in research and product development in the pharmaceutical and feed industries and gives technical advice in sales and management.

• Consultancy- The vet can provide specialised or specialist services to the farm animal and pet industries, for example, as a consultant in the pig and poultry industries, feedlots or specialist practices (such as surgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology and dentistry).

In the case of a specialist practice, the practitioner will need the appropriate postgraduate qualification and must be registered with the SAVC to practise as a specialist veterinarian.

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• Laboratory animal science – The vet is an essential member of the team involved in the welfare of laboratory animals, monitoring the use of animals for experimental purposes and giving advice on ethical issues.

• Wildlife management – The vet might pursue career opportunities in wildlife ranching, conservation and zoological institutions. This is a growing field.

• Poultry production – The poultry industry provides large volumes of animal protein for human consumption, and vets are crucial for food security.

• Animal welfare – The vet is intimately involved in animal welfare. They provide clinical services, advice and management to welfare organisations.

Vets are involved in general matters concerning the welfare of animals by promoting the appropriate husbandry and nutritional practices, disease prevention strategies and sound production systems.

International employment graduates from the faculty enjoy national and international recognition. The Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria is accredited for registration as a veterinarian in the UK by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council and the Veterinary Council of Namibia.

What skills do I need to become a good veterinarian?
For a young person who likes working with people and is interested in animals and a career in biomedical sciences, veterinary science provides many opportunities. Veterinary science might be considered a “calling” and the decision to become a vet involves the mind, the body and the heart.

While love for animals might be a component of the decision to pursue veterinary science as a career, a more profound empathy will be required and the passion to improve people’s lives by improving food safety and security, coupled with a sense of compassion and caring for animals, their owners and farmers.

The demanding course requires significant mental and emotional resilience, engagement, dedication and hard work. Being a vet is a career with long and often irregular hours and usually involves hard physical work while testing tolerance levels. The ability to work with animals, more so with people, is essential.