Emergency and Critical Care Veterinarian

Veterinarians performing ultrasound on dog in veterinary surgery

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Emergency and critical care veterinarians are specialists with advanced training in emergency medicine for animals. They're trained to perform life-saving interventions for emergency situations and critical illnesses in pets.

Duties

Emergency and critical care veterinarians are board certified to perform emergency procedures and monitor the recovery process. Routine duties for an emergency and critical care veterinarian in private practice include evaluating traumatic injuries, performing surgical procedures, evaluating diagnostic tests, compiling detailed case reports, supervising intensive care units, overseeing veterinary technicians or other support staff, and providing specialty consultations on referral cases.

These board-certified veterinary specialists routinely deal with animals that are suffering the effects of physical trauma, shock, respiratory problems, cardiac problems, neurological issues, or other severe injuries that require immediate and intensive veterinary care. They often work in cooperation with primary care veterinarians to coordinate continuing medical care.

Career Options

Emergency and critical care vets often work in hospitals and clinics designated for the emergency care of animals. They also work in partnership with primary care veterinary offices.

Emergency and critical care medicine is one of the many specialties in which veterinarians can achieve board certification. These vets may choose to narrow their focus even further by choosing to work with one particular species or a category of interest such as small animal, large animal, equine, or exotics.

Work Environment

Emergency vets may be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays due to the constant need for emergency animal care. Many emergency clinics operate on a 24-hour basis and schedule their vets accordingly.

Emergency work brings vets into contact with animals that are under an extremely high level of stress, so it is imperative that proper safety precautions are maintained at all times to minimize the risk of injury to the animals and the veterinary staff.

Education & Training

Emergency and critical care veterinarians must first be accepted into veterinary school to complete their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. After passing their qualifying exams and becoming licensed to practice medicine, a vet can begin the path of study that will lead to board certification in the specialty field of emergency and critical care.

In order to qualify to sit for the board certification exam, a candidate must meet a variety of educational and experiential requirements. The first step is to undertake a three-year residency in the field under the supervision of a board-certified emergency and critical care diplomate. This allows hands-on clinical work so the resident can learn required skills and have needed clinical experiences. Residents must also attend seminars and read veterinary literature during their residencies.

After completing the residency, a vet is eligible to sit for the board certification exam, administered by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC). After successfully completing the exam, a veterinarian is granted diplomate status in the veterinary specialty of emergency and critical care.

Diplomates must also meet continuing education requirements each year to maintain their board-certified status. They can fulfill these requirements by attending lectures, participating in labs, and attending seminars. The continuing education credit requirement ensures that specialists keep abreast of advances and innovations in the field.

Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a median annual wage of $93,830 for the broader category of all veterinarians in May 2018. The lowest paid 10% of all veterinarians earned a salary of less than $56,540 each year while the highest paid 10% of all veterinarians earned a salary of more than $162,450 each year. Board certified specialists tend to be in that top tier of the compensation scale, though the BLS does not separate specific salary data for each of the individual veterinary specialties.

Residents do earn a salary while completing their residency requirements, though the level of compensation is usually much less than the resident would be able to earn in clinical private practice. A list of ACVECC-approved residencies is available on their website.

Career Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey results project that the entire veterinary profession will grow 18% through 2028. This rate of growth is much faster than the 5% average for all professions.

The extremely difficult nature of the specialty training programs and board certification exams ensure that only a small number of professionals will be successful in their attempts to become board certified. The extremely limited supply of board-certified professionals in the specialty of emergency and critical care will ensure a high demand for professionals in this field.