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Rural Vet

Job Overview:  Veterinarians treat sick and injured animals, provide general animal care, and advise clients about health care and disease-prevention for pets and farm (production) animals. They also set standards for the import/export of animals and animal products. Veterinarians are all around the region, however, it is the clinics situated in rural Taranaki areas that are in most need of staff.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES
Vet
Companion Animal Veterinarian
Veterinary Scientist/Surgeon
Mixed Practice Veterinarian
Industry Veterinarian


TASKS AND DUTIES
Veterinarians working in clinical practice may do some or all of the following:

• work with the client to prevent and treat animal problems and diseases
• advise on animal nutrition and the care and welfare of animals
• examine dead animals to find out the cause of death
• advise on animal care, breeding and production
• work closely with herd and flock owners to help them achieve their production goals
• may specialise in treating wildlife, poultry, horses, farm (production), zoo or companion animals

TRAITS OF A GOOD RURAL VET
Veterinarians need to have animal-handling skills and the ability to solve problems. They also need to have skill in treating animals and performing animal surgery. Communication skills and decision-making ability are also important.

Through tertiary-level study, veterinarians will learn about animals and animal diseases through the study of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, parasitology, medicine and surgery. They will also learn about radiography, examination and laboratory methods. Business management knowledge is useful, and they must keep up to date with recent developments in the field.

Veterinarians should be understanding, patient and concerned for animals. They must be mature, responsible and able to work well under pressure. The ability to make good judgements and to inspire confidence in clients is also important.

Veterinarians need good eyesight (with or without glasses) and good hearing. They should not have any allergies to fur, hair or wool.


QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING NEEDED
A university entrance qualification is required to enter the veterinary training course. Bursary or NCEA equivalent English, physics, chemistry and biology are preferred subjects.
A Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) is required to become a veterinarian.
Prospective veterinary students enrol to do the five year full-time degree at Massey University. The Massey University Bachelor of Veterinary Science is the only such degree available from a New Zealand University and it is available only at Massey?s Turitea Campus, Palmerston North.? The first half of the first year acts as a pre-veterinary semester (and includes papers in the basic sciences), after which students are considered for entry into the four and a half year professional phase of the course.
Students who have completed previous tertiary study equivalent to the pre-veterinary semester are eligible for cross-credits, and may be able to enter the professional phase of the course directly.
For further information, contact the Massey University Vetschool? http://vet-school.massey.ac.nz/
Veterinarians need to be registered with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand and they must obtain annual practising certificates.
Practical experience with farm animals, such as work on a dairy, sheep or cattle farm or work with domestic animals, is an advantage. Other useful experience includes work as an animal technician in a research laboratory, animal training or any other work relating to the care of animals.

Find Training Providers in our Education Directory:
Massey University



STUDY COSTS
Fees for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science vary considerably from $300 to $3,000 per paper. Over the 5 years of full-time study you should expect fees to be on average $6,300 per year, adding up to a total of $32,000 for the five years.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Veterinarians work inside and outside. Places they work include:
-animal hospitals and clinics
-farms
-quarantine kennels
-animal shelters
-animal markets
-zoos
-meat processing plants
-research laboratories
-pharmaceutical companies
-border protection stations (customs)
-Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
-New Zealand Food Safety Authority
-teaching institutes

Many veterinarians work as rural veterinarians where they will often travel to farms to visit and treat large animals. Veterinarians who do small animal work may make house calls. They may spend long periods of time on their feet and the work can be physically demanding.

Workplace conditions vary depending on the type of work. Large animal veterinarians often work outdoors and in all weather conditions. Some aspects of veterinary work may be difficult and distressing. Veterinarians working in clinical practices work long and irregular hours, and are often on-call. They may also work evenings and weekends.

Salaries vary, but full-time veterinarians usually earn between $45,000 and $120,000 per year depending on experience, responsibilities and location. Those working in management roles in government or in private industry may earn more than this.


CAREER OPPORTUNITIES - Where can this qualification lead to in the future?
The demand for veterinarians in Taranaki is greatest in rural areas and in farm animal practice. Farming is the backbone industry of the region. The increased need for veterinarians in rural areas has been a direct result of the expanding dairy sector. Taranaki is an attractive destination for new graduates due to the large number of practices with affiliations to veterinarian clubs in the region.

Training requirements have not changed significantly for veterinarians in recent years; however, previously undergraduates were selected for veterinary school on the basis of academic performance alone, whereas now there is a 20% weighting given to a student's performance in a job related aptitude test.

Continued education is increasingly important, as the methods and techniques veterinarians use are changing rapidly due to technology. The New Zealand Veterinary Council strongly encourages continued educational opportunities for veterinarians.

The Massey University Bachelor of Veterinary Science qualification is internationally recognised, therefore, overseas travel is popular among graduates.

There are endless career opportunities for veterinarians! There are a number of fields that they can branch out into. Veterinarians working in related fields may:
-set standards for the importation of animals/animal products into New Zealand
-negotiate with other countries to establish health requirements for animals/animal products exported from New Zealand
-be involved with disease investigation and/or co-ordinate national disease control programmes
-teach in tertiary institutes
-be responsible for standards of hygiene, slaughter and meat inspection
-research animal diseases, welfare or production
-help pharmaceutical companies develop and market products used in animals


COMPANY PROFILES
Below is a list of Taranaki businesses that employ rural vet (these are only example businesses for you to research this particular career choice). In addition, write-ups featured in the Career Profiles section provide some insight into the work environment and opportunities available within the industry.

1. Coastal Veterinary Services Ltd, Opunake and Kaponga
2. South Taranaki Animal Health Services, Manaia and Hawera
3. Vet Stop, Baring Tce, New Plymouth

SCHOLARSHIPS
Sir James Gunson Scholarship
Rongotea Lions Club Student Assistance Fund
John T Gibson Trust Scholarship
Henry Marfell Scholarship
Elsie and Laura Lehmann Trust
David Levene Foundation Bursaries


RELEVANT CONTACTS
Massey University Vet School

Website:

http://vet-school.massey.ac.nz/

New Zealand Veterinary Association

Website:

http://www.vets.org.nz

Veterinary Council of New Zealand

Website:

http://www.vetcouncil.org.nz

Kindly supported by Career Services Rapuara

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