Veterinarians
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.
Veterinarians 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. The role reports a median annual salary of $125,510 in the US and is projected to grow 10% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.27 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £51,058 a year for Veterinarians (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2240). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Veterinarians, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam NEET-UG merit list is used for B.V.Sc & A.H. admission (15% All India quota seats)[1][2]
- 2 · Qualification B.V.Sc & A.H. degree, 5.5 years including a 1-year internship[1]
- 3 · Registration Registration with the Veterinary Council of India (Indian Veterinary Practitioners Register)[3][1]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- Veterinary Council of India — Information Bulletin, online counselling for B.V.Sc & A.H. (15% VCI quota) AY 2026-27 (read on 2026-09-27)
- NEET (UG) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- Veterinary Council of India — Registration in VCI (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Chemistry
- Personnel and Human Resources
A day in the life
You arrive at the clinic to check on animals that stayed overnight, reviewing their charts and adjusting medication. Morning appointments bring a string of patients: a puppy due for its vaccinations, a cat with a limp that you examine and send for an X-ray, and a dog whose blood and urine samples you collect for testing. You read the images, find a small fracture and set the leg. Late morning you perform a routine surgery while a nurse monitors the anaesthetic. Throughout the day you advise owners on feeding, hygiene and care, and explain which illnesses can pass from animals to people. In the afternoon you sit with a family whose elderly dog is very ill and gently talk them through the choice to put their pet to sleep. Those conversations are hard, and the record keeping is endless, but watching a recovered animal walk out wagging makes the day worthwhile.
In India: In India many vets work in government veterinary hospitals and rural dispensaries, where much of the day goes on cattle, buffalo, goats and poultry, vaccination drives and farm visits rather than on pets.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
- Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Veterinarians do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Veterinarians?
You arrive at the clinic to check on animals that stayed overnight, reviewing their charts and adjusting medication. Morning appointments bring a string of patients: a puppy due for its vaccinations, a cat with a limp that you examine and send for an X-ray, and a dog whose blood and urine samples you collect for testing. You read the images, find a small fracture and set the leg. Late morning you perform a routine surgery while a nurse monitors the anaesthetic.
How much does Veterinarians earn?
The median annual salary for Veterinarians in the US is $125,510.
What is the job outlook for Veterinarians?
The role is projected to grow 10% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 86,400 workers.
How do I become a veterinarians?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Veterinarians need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Veterinarians?
Our AI-durability model gives Veterinarians a score of 0.27 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Veterinarians has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.