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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Veterinarians

Part of Health Science, in the Therapeutic Services pathway.

Bright outlookJob zone 5: extensive preparationO*NET 29-1131.00

What the work is

Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.

On a typical day

  • Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
  • Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
  • Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
  • Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
  • Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
  • Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.

What it pays

$128,550
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $80,620
Experienced workers reach $202,960
  1. $81k10th
  2. $119k25th
  3. $129kMedian
  4. $169k75th
  5. $203k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $80,620, 25th $118,650, Median $128,550, 75th $169,310, 90th $202,960

About 550 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+39.7%

employment change in the Alamo region, 602 to 841 jobs · U.S. +10%

41

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 3,000

602

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 86,400

Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Reading Comprehension4.9
  2. Active Listening4.3
  3. Active Learning4.4
  4. Speaking4.3
  5. Critical Thinking4.3
  6. Science4.1
  7. Judgment and Decision Making4.1
  8. Complex Problem Solving3.8

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. Doctoral or professional100%

Job zone 5, extensive preparation: A graduate or professional degree, usually after a bachelor's.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

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