The Challenges Of Being A Veterinarian

As the human heart continues to grow, peoples ' connection with animals grow stronger as they began to treat their pets as part of the family. The field of veterinarians is growing scientifically and technologically as they become more into demand. Veterinarians must care about animals, but they must also separate themselves from their patients, which makes their job so difficult. Many other types of medical doctors may claim that veterinarians are not real doctors, but they do not fully realize the difficulty of having to know the medical history of more than one species. Working with animals seems like a simple career, but becoming and being a veterinarian is a difficult career path for anyone due to constant life changing decisions …show more content…
Although Babylonian veterinarians practiced veterinary medicine through the dehorning of oxen, the first actual veterinarian arose in Mesopotamia. The legal Code of Hammurabi required fees for certain services for the livestock of the natives of Mesopotamia. This lead to Urlagaldinna becoming the first person to be considered a veterinarian due to his study of in-depth research into animal healing (Ho). Across the continent of Asia, Chinese veterinarians began the first vaccines on animals such as injecting pox into sheep to build up their immunity to illnesses. They used various medications including plants with medicinal properties still used today. Once more resources became available, veterinary jobs grew leading to the first network of animal hospitals with state paid veterinarians in India. (Stilley 17). Asia became one of the first continents that began treating ill animals, but Europeans contributed to the research side of veterinary medicine. Hippocrates began treating animals in Greece. Aristotle established the connection between human and animal anatomy through the animal dissections which he conducted. The Romans of Europe keyed the term for a veterinarian. They used the Latin term veterinarius, meaning a beast of burden as well as a person who cared for animals (Stilley …show more content…
In order to apply to Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, one must have successfully completed at least seventy-nine total semester hours: six semester hours of writing, three semester hours of speech, six semester hours of math, fifteen semester hours of humanities and fine arts, eight semester hours of biology, four semester hours of microbiology, twelve semester hours of advanced science electives, and twenty-five semester hours of physical science. A minimum Grade Point Average of 2.8 is required in order to apply for admission into the College of Veterinary Medicine. No grade lower than a “C-“ is acceptable in any required course. While the academic qualifications are important, the non-academic qualifications are significant as well. Integrity, communication skills, empathy, decision-making, leadership, and diversity are all considered in the selection process. Because the admissions committee considers both academic and non-academic qualifications, entry into the veterinary college is highly competitive. All applications must be submitted online through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). Transcripts from previous colleges must be sent to VMCAS. Three letters of recommendation in electronic format are required, and one of the evaluators must be a licensed veterinarian. The final step for applying is to