VETERINARIAN

Job Definition:

• Veterinarians diagnose, prevent and treat diseases, injuries and dysfunctions of animals. They may provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in the treatment of a particular animal group or in a particular area of specialization, or provide professional services to commercial firms producing biological and pharmaceutical products.

Job Description:

• Diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals. May engage in a particular function, such as research and development, consultation, administration, technical writing, sale or production of commercial products, or rendering of technical services to commercial firms or other organizations. Includes veterinarians who inspect livestock.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
• 2) Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
• 3) Inoculate animals against various diseases such as rabies and distemper.
• 4) Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
• 5) Operate diagnostic equipment such as radiographic and ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
• 6) Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, and general care necessary to promote health of animals.
• 7) Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
• 8) Train and supervise workers who handle and care for animals.
• 9) Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds.
• 10) Euthanize animals.
• 11) Establish and conduct quarantine and testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans, and that comply with applicable government regulations.
• 12) Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals’ deaths.
• 13) Perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, and maintaining business records.
• 14) Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.
• 15) Drive mobile clinic vans to farms so that health problems can be treated and/or prevented.
• 16) Specialize in a particular type of treatment such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.
• 17) Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, and other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.
• 18) Plan and execute animal nutrition and reproduction programs.
• 19) Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.
• 20) Inspect animal housing facilities to determine their cleanliness and adequacy.
• 21) Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.

Activities:

• 1) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 2) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 3) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 4) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 5) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 6) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 7) Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• 8) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 9) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 10) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 11) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 12) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 13) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 14) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 15) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 16) Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• 17) Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• 18) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 19) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 20) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 21) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• 22) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 23) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 24) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 25) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 26) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 27) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 28) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• 29) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 30) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  31) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 2) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 3) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 4) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 5) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 6) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 7) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 8) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 9) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 10) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 11) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 12) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 13) Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• 14) Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• 15) Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• 16) Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• 17) Visual Color Discrimination — The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
• 18) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 19) Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• 20) Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• 21) Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.

Knowledge:

• 1) Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 2) Medicine and Dentistry — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• 3) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• 4) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 5) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 6) Chemistry — Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• 7) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 8) Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• 9) Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.