An Introduction to Lead Veterinarians and What They Do
When starting your career in the veterinary medicine industry, you may come across lead veterinarians. They work in thousands of veterinary clinics across the United States. Like all veterinarians, lead veterinarians offer medical services to animals. Lead veterinarians, however, play a pivotal role in how these services are carried out. To learn more about lead veterinarians and what they do, keep reading.
What Is a Lead Veterinarian?
Also known as a head veterinarian, a lead veterinarian is a licensed veterinarian who supervises and “leads” other veterinary professions at a veterinary clinic. Most veterinary clinics have at least one lead veterinarian. While working, lead veterinarians will manage the clinic’s other veterinary professions. Lead veterinarians are leaders. They support the clinic’s entire team of veterinary professions through leadership.
Duties and Responsibilities of Lead Veterinarians
Because they supervise and lead other veterinary professions, lead veterinarians have more duties and responsibilities. They still have all of the same duties and responsibilities as traditional veterinarians. Both traditional veterinarians and lead veterinarians must examine animals, check vitals, administer medication, treat injuries, perform surgery and perform other medical services. With that said, lead veterinarians have a leadership role that includes leading other veterinary professions.
Providing medical services to sick and injured animals is a team-based effort. Veterinarians can’t do everything themselves. Rather, they require the assistance of supporting roles, such as paravetinary workers like veterinary technicians and assistants. Lead veterinarians are leaders who help the clinic’s veterinary professionals come together and work as a team. The end result is a more efficient veterinary clinic that provides a higher level of service to clients and their animals.
Other Lead Veterinary Professions
It’s important to note that there are lead positions available for other veterinary professions. Many veterinary clinics, for instance, have a lead veterinary technician. The lead veterinary technician simply leads the clinic’s other veterinary technicians. Some veterinary clinics also have a lead veterinary assistant. As you may have guessed, the lead veterinary assistant leads the clinic’s other veterinary assistants. There are lead positions for most veterinary professions.
If a clinic doesn’t have a lead position for a particular veterinary profession, the lead veterinarian will typically take the leadership role. Without a lead veterinary technician, for example, the lead veterinarian will lead the clinic’s veterinary technicians.
Benefits of Working as a Lead Veterinarian
By working as a lead veterinarian, you’ll play an important role in not only caring for animals directly but also the activities performed by other veterinary professionals. All lead veterinarians perform animal-related medical services. They are distinguished, however, by their leadership role. As a lead veterinarian, you’ll lead other veterinary professionals to promote a more efficient clinic.
If you enjoy bringing people together, and you have strong leadership skills, working as a lead veterinarian might be the right career choice. It’s a more diverse and hands-on career that allows you to lead to other veterinary professionals.
Lead veterinarians often earn a higher salary than other veterinarians. Clinic owners recognize the value of lead veterinarians. They realize that by hiring a lead veterinarian, their clinic will run more smoothly and provide a higher level of service to clients and their animals. As a result, clinics often offer a higher salary for lead veterinarians.
Working as a lead veterinarian can pave the way for other career options. Many lead veterinarians go on to open their own clinics. You can gain experience working as a lead veterinarian, after which you can use that experience to open your own clinic. Alternatively, some lead veterinarians become board certified. There are numerous board-certified specialties. Each of these specialties focuses on a particular branch of veterinary medicine. If you want to become a board-certified specialist, you should consider working as a lead veterinarian beforehand.
How to Become a Lead Veterinarian
Lead veterinarians require the same education and training as other licensed veterinarians. You’ll have to complete a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-accredited college. A DVM program is a four-year educational program that focuses on the field of veterinary medicine. To enroll in a DVM program, you’ll have to meet the necessary requirements. Different colleges have different requirements for enrollment. For more colleges, students must earn a bachelor’s degree before they can enroll in the DVM program. Completing a DVM program will allow you to become a licensed veterinarian and, thus, find a job as a lead veterinarian.
Once you’ve completed a DVM program and earned your veterinary license, you can begin to look for a job as a veterinarian. It’s important to note that many clinics will only lead veterinarians with experience in the veterinary medicine industry. You probably won’t get hired as a lead veterinarian until you work as a traditional veterinarian for at least a few years. Nonetheless, if you’re willing to put forth the effort, you can secure a job as a lead veterinarian.
