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What is an emergency veterinarian and how to become one
An emergency veterinarian is a specialist who provides medical care to animal patients and emergency clinics and animal hospitals. They treat acute illness, neurological medical conditions, renal medical problems, broken bones, and general trauma. You may work with veterinary internal medicine and on-call surgeons. You can specialize in one type of animal - large, small, exotics, or equine.
Emergency veterinarians take referrals from general veterinarians to treat animal patients who are under duress. You need to receive your Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or DVM degree and become a licensed veterinarian. You can practice emergency veterinary medicine without additional training, but it would be great if you become a Diplomat and are certified by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care or DACVECC.
You will need to complete your study in emergency medicine and critical care and go through a three-year residency program. You will need to be compassionate, able to treat animals with respect and kindness, and be sensitive to animal owners. Communication is an essential skill. With all this training you can make a salary of $150,000 per year. Your salary could go higher depending on how trained and what experience you have.
What general advice would you give to an Emergency Veterinarian?
Shea Porr Ph.D.
Department Head, Animal/Equine Science, Associate Professor, Equine Science, Murray State University
Be willing to move. You may want to end up working a job back in your hometown, but that's not always going to happen right after graduation. You may need to move to another city, state, or even country, and earn some experience before moving back home. There's a lot to be said for what you can learn and bring back with you. And who knows-you may fall in love with a completely different part of the country!
Take a chance. Step outside your comfort zone. There are a lot of exciting opportunities out there, and you don't want to let one slip by because you were afraid of a little challenge. Or even a big one!
Avg. Salary $94,518
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 19%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%
Asian 4.73%
Black or African American 1.39%
Hispanic or Latino 5.86%
Unknown 4.28%
White 83.48%
Genderfemale 73.64%
male 26.36%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Key steps to become an emergency veterinarian
Explore emergency veterinarian education requirements
Start to develop specific emergency veterinarian skills
Skills 
Percentages PET 35.16% Patients 25.62% Emergency Medicine 14.84% DVM 5.51% Soft Tissue 3.99% Complete relevant emergency veterinarian training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency veterinarians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an emergency veterinarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency veterinarian resumes.Research emergency veterinarian duties and responsibilities
- Receive emergency and referral cases, manage hospitalized surgical and internal medicine patients, and collaborate with general practitioners and specialists.
- Train local first responders on the basics of pet CPR.
- Examine, diagnose and treat a variety of ailments on pet animals, ranging from rabbits to reptiles.
- Provide minor wind care including local anesthesia and suturing.
Apply for emergency veterinarian jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an emergency veterinarian job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Emergency Veterinarian Job
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Average emergency veterinarian salary
The average Emergency Veterinarian salary in the United States is $94,518 per year or $45 per hour. Emergency veterinarian salaries range between $47,000 and $188,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do emergency veterinarians rate their job?
Emergency Veterinarian reviews
Cons: losing a animal.
Updated January 8, 2025
