Baltimore Sees Growth Of Specialized Services In Veterinary Practices
Education News reports there are over 8,630 veterinary professionals in Maryland and 4,410 of them work in Baltimore. While the projected employment outlook for veterinarian growth remains at the 12 percent national average for the years 2012 and 2022, the demand for certain specialized veterinarian practices is expected to increase, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fields related to food and animal safety, disease control and public health are likely to grow along with the increasing number of nontraditional veterinary services being integrated into existing veterinary practices, such as preventive dental care, cancer treatments, kidney transplants and other procedures. According to the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association over 2,000 of the state's veterinarians work in these sectors.
Baltimore is home to many specialized veterinary practices. Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists, for example, has a team of board-certified surgeons who specialize in orthopedics, soft tissue, cardiac procedures, oncology procedures and neurologic tissue, using anesthesia from registered veterinary technicians. The Falls Road Animal Hospital is an AAHA Accredited practice staffed with highly trained professionals in many concentrations. Onsite services range from routine procedures to surgery, diagnostics, emergency care and more. They even see and treat exotic animals. Eastern Animal Hospital, Hunt Valley Animal Hospital and several others are also known throughout the region for advanced treatments and services.
Specialized veterinarian careers continue developing in order to meet rising demands for nontraditional veterinary services. In addition to practices working with companion animals like dogs and cats, other focuses include small animal practitioners, large animal veterinarians, exotic pet practitioners, wildlife veterinarians, and veterinarians who specialize in a certain animal species. Other veterinary jobs include lab animal medicine and research veterinarians, who are focused on clinical research.
The Community College of Baltimore County and the University of Maryland, College Park both offer accredited veterinary programs in the Baltimore region. Veterinarians must hold a Ph.D in veterinary medicine and be licensed in the state in which they practice. The process for obtaining state licensure requires passing a national examination and sometimes a state examination in addition to this.
Annual veterinary salaries in Baltimore can range from $57,060 on the low-end to $171,030 for the top ten percent. Salary is contingent upon experience and specifications. Senior veterinarians in the top 25 percent earn $129,510 while the median of experienced veterinarians earn $93,720. The bottom 25 percent of junior veterinarians make $74,390 while the bottom ten percent of starting veterinarians make $57,060 annually.
Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.