VETERINARY SAFETY AND HEALTH

Veterinary Workers and Workplaces

Veterinary medicine and animal care workers include:

• Veterinarians, veterinary technologists, technicians and assistants.
• Zoo and aquarium workers, including animal caretakers and grounds keepers.
• Animal shelter and animal control workers.
• Stable and kennel workers.
• Groomers.
• Animal trainers.

Other information about these workers:

• Many veterinary medical workers are female, including 71% of veterinary technicians and 56% of veterinarians.
• Small businesses often employ veterinarians, with up to 80% of veterinarians working in solo or group practices.
• Veterinary services rank 15th in incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses [ Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010 data ([PDF - 13 KB) ].

These workers are employed in many industries:

• Veterinary services.
• Zoos and aquariums.
• Nature parks.
• Pet care (except veterinary) services.
• Pet and pet supply stores.

Veterinary work settings vary:

• Veterinary offices, clinics, and hospitals.
• Animal shelters, rescue leagues, and humane societies.
• Kennels, stables, and racetracks.
• Grooming shops and pet stores.
• Farms and ranches.
• Animal facilities such as poultry houses, swine barns, feed lots, and sale barns.
• Zoos, aquariums, and other captive and free-ranging wildlife settings.
• Academic, private, and public clinical and research laboratories.
• Slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants.
• Disaster and emergency response shelters and facilities.

Work can involve many animal species:

• Pets such as domestic dogs, cats, pocket pets, exotic animals, or fish.
• Farm, ranch, or production agriculture animals such as cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, ratites, horses, or farmed fish.
• Laboratory animals from mice to nonhuman primates.
• Captive and free-ranging wildlife such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, or aquatic species.

Work tasks are diverse and variable:

• Facility management and maintenance.
• Routine care and treatment of animals.
• Emergency medical care of animals.
• Medical, surgical, and necropsy procedures.
• Laboratory testing or research.
• Livestock and food inspection.
• Disaster and emergency rescue and response.