Veterinary Clinic vs Veterinary Hospital: What’s the Difference?
The terms “veterinary clinic” and “veterinary hospital” are often used interchangeably to describe facilities that provide medical services to animals. When performing an online search for a licensed veterinarian in your area, you may encounter listings for both of them. Some facilities market themselves as veterinary clinics, whereas others market themselves as veterinary hospitals. While they both provide medical services to animals, though, they aren’t the same. There are differences between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals.
What Is a Veterinary Clinic?
A veterinary clinic is a type of veterinary practice that, as previously, mentioned provides medical services to animals. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), there are around 28,000 to 32,000 veterinary practices in the United States. Veterinary practices are simply facilities where licensed veterinarians and other veterinary professionals — veterinary technicians, veterinary technologists, veterinary assistants, etc. — treat injured and sick animals. The most common type of veterinary practice is a veterinary clinic.
If an owner’s pet is injured or sick, he or she may take them to a veterinary clinic. All veterinary clinics are staffed with trained professions who know how to diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and diseases in animals. Maybe the owner’s pet is suffering from a skin allergy, or perhaps the owner’s pet is epileptic. Regardless, veterinary clinics can treat the owner’s pet while subsequently improving their quality of life.
What Is a Veterinary Hospital?
A veterinary hospital is another type of veterinary practice. It’s staffed by veterinarians and paravetinary professionals who seek to diagnose and treat injured and sick animals. They perform many of the same services as their clinic counterparts. When a pet is sick or injured, he or she may take them to a veterinary hospital for a proper diagnosis and treatment. There are thousands of veterinary hospitals throughout the United States, all of which are staffed with veterinarians and veterinary professionals.
Neither the AVMA nor any other official organization distinguished between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals. Rather, they refer to all facilities that provide medical services to animals as “veterinary practices.” With that said, there are still nuances between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals. By taking a closer look at these two types of veterinary practices, you’ll gain a better understanding of their differences.
Differences Between Veterinary Clinics and Veterinary Hospitals
A key difference between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals is the size of the respective facilities. Veterinary clinics are almost always smaller than veterinary hospitals. Many veterinary clinics consist of small commercial buildings. These commercial buildings may be standalone, or they may be part of a larger commercial space, such as a strip mall. Nonetheless, most veterinary clinics are relatively small, whereas veterinary hospitals are larger.
It’s not uncommon for veterinary hospitals to consist of multiple stories. They still operate out of commercial buildings, but veterinary hospitals are larger commercial hospitals that may have multiple stories or levels. In comparison, veterinary clinics are typically single-story commercial buildings.
Veterinary hospitals often have high-tech equipment that’s not found in veterinary clinics. Many of them feature X-ray machines, computed tomography (CAT) scan machines, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and other imaging diagnostics machines. Due to the high cost of purchasing and maintaining these machines, many veterinary clinics don’t have them. If an animal requires imaging diagnostics, he or she may have to take them to a veterinary hospital. Veterinary hospitals often feature imaging diagnostics machines that aren’t found in veterinary clinics.
Veterinary specialists often work at veterinary hospitals. Veterinary hospitals are still classified as licensed veterinarians, but they’ve undergone additional training that focuses on a particular branch or field of veterinary medicine. There are over a dozen veterinary specialties recognized by the AVMA. Some of these veterinary specialists operate out of their own practice, whereas others work at a veterinary hospital.
The hours of operation may vary between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals. Most veterinary clinics are only open during typical business hours, such as 9:00 a.m. to 5.00 or 6:00 p.m. In comparison, veterinary hospitals may be open 24 hours a day. By keeping their doors open 24 hours a day, veterinary hospitals can handle emergencies. Owners can take their sick or injured pets to a veterinary hospital for emergency treatment. Emergency treatment may not be possible at a veterinary clinic, assuming it’s closed at the time. These are just a few of the key differences between veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals.
In Conclusion
There are two primary types of veterinary practices: veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals. They are both staffed with veterinarians and veterinary professionals, and they both provide treatment to sick and injured animals. Veterinary clinics are simply smaller and feature less equipment than veterinary hospitals. The terms are undoubtedly similar, but veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals aren’t necessarily the same. After reading this, you should have a better understanding of how they differ.
