Are you someone who is looking for disability insurance for veterinarians? Maybe you are interested in becoming a vet and need to understand the different types of veterinarians before you start your course. Well, vets can fall into various distinct categories and offer specific services.
Private practice is the most common choice for vets in the US. However, acquiring a DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine) degree will provide a path to various medical specialties. You can also focus on veterinary clinical research and other non-clinical practices.
5 Types of Vets Who Should Have Disability Insurance for Veterinarians
According to AVMA (American Veterinary Medicine Association), 22 unique veterinary specialties encompass all types of licensed vets. In addition, you’ll encounter familiar specialties, such as internal medicine, surgery and emergency, radiology, ophthalmology, and critical care.
These specialties also exist in human medicine. However, many other disciplines are unique to the vet profession, including animal welfare and reproduction, laboratory animal medicine, poultry vet medicine, and more. Here’s a look at five popular types of licensed vets.
1. Companion Animal Vets
Also known as general practitioners, companion animal veterinarians are the equivalent of family doctors. They specialize in caring for companion animals, including small pets like cats and dogs. Companion vets also care for pocket pets and other animals bred to offer companionship.
A companion veterinarian is qualified to offer different types of care, ranging from diagnostics and treatment to surgical and medical services. The practitioners can provide care for all types of companion pets and specialize in tackling day-to-day issues, such as illness and infections.
There’s a high demand for such veterinarians since most people own at least one pet. Your local vet probably identifies as a companion veterinarian and will help your animal maintain optimal health conditions. However, specialized vets can also care for companion animals.
2. Exotic Animal Vets
As the name infers, an exotic animal vet is trained to care for exotic animals, including all types of pets that don’t offer companionship. Popular exotic animals include reptiles, birds, amphibians, pocket pets, and many more.
Most exotic animal vets will take care of petted animals, while some focus on treating zoo animals. Others dedicate their practice to wildlife centers and habitats. An exotic animal vet can also provide care for companion animals since they have general practice qualifications.
However, these veterinarians have undergone extra training required to become exotic animal specialists. In addition, more people are petting exotic animals, and wildlife centers focused on preserving at-risk species also increase demand for such vets, making it a lucrative discipline.
3. Veterinary Specialists
With more than 20 recognized specialties, veterinarians can pursue different disciplines to become experts in specific services. A companion vet will provide general care and medicine. Conversely, specialists focus on distinct fields, like human oncologists and orthopedic surgeons.
A veterinary specialist can focus on cardiology, anesthesiology, dentistry, and surgeries. Over the past few years, it has become trendy for vets to seek super-specialization. A vet surgeon can pursue further studies to become a vet oncologist, specializing in animal cancer surgery.
Veterinary specialists are expected to undergo further studies in post-vet school programs. The advanced programs offer training in specific services and studies. Specialists can also provide general care for companion and exotic animals, in addition to the specialized services.
4. Laboratory Veterinarians
Laboratory vets work behind the scenes and specialize in different fields, ranging from infectious disease diagnosis and pathology to pharmacology research. These vets spend more time in the laboratory and are not as visible to the public as general practitioners.
However, lab vets are indispensable in farms that produce animal feed and several other companies. They can provide care or lab rats, primates, and live specimens used in research. Laboratory vets can also breed research animals and complete independent research.
Other responsibilities include managing the lab facility, training researchers, and providing care and treatment to the animals used in scientific research. To become a lab vet, you need additional training, including obtaining a master’s degree or Ph.D.
5. Livestock Veterinarian
Livestock vets fall under a broad category of experts who care for large animals. Also known as food or large-animal veterinarians, these vets care for cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, poultry, and other farm animals. Some work in large hospitals while others use equipped vehicles.
Livestock vets can treat and protect animal wounds, diagnose conditions, prescribe medication, administer vaccines, and complete treatment operations. They are more like companion animal vets, except they focus on livestock and large animals bred in commercial and domestic farms.
To become a livestock vet, you’ll need various skills, such as compassion, manual dexterity, problem-solving, and management. Additional training is also required, depending on the livestock you’ll be handling.
Disability Insurance for Veterinarians
Investing in disability insurance is crucial if you are a practicing vet or plan to become one. Dealing with animals exposes you to attacks and various health hazards that may leave you disabled. Without insurance, there’s be nothing to cover you in case of an incident.
We recommend reputable insurance providers that specialize in covering vets. Consult TPVS to find out more about veterinary insurance plans. The company has more than 33 years of experience providing financial expertise to students and practicing vets.