Gordon Porter

Technical Writing
ENG-2100

Occupational Letter
Dear Timmy,

You are in high school and it is time to investigate prospective occupations for the future.
Luckily this is a great amount of information I have included for you to investigate and succeed
in finding a career that suits you. Included is the occupations expectations, the requirements
personally and educationally. It is also important to note the job outlook, communication
requirements, salary and a great deal more of information that is needed to understand the job.
-Gordon

As previously investigated, there is much information on career options in these two

fields. For instance, per monster.com, there are in Utah currently well over 100+ job openings in
veterinary medicine for DVM doctors. All over the nation there are countless opportunities for
those people with degrees in veterinary medicine. A veterinarian would not for instance be afraid
of being out of work, this is in no small part since there is a shortage of medicine doctors in all
fields of medicine. This would mean that a person attaining this level of education would have
peace of mind.
Another point is that Veterinarians and Veterinary Pathologists can work as civilians in
the military, USDA or for even the U.N. As opposed to a practice, company or local/state/federal
government. Communication is key for all aspects in this field, however slightly less speaking
communication is needed than perhaps an M.D. or a Lawyer. Sometimes a Pathologist can go
days without having to verbally speak, it can be typed communication in reports, however a
Veterinarian must communicate verbally usually every 10 minutes.
The conversations can be redundant and mundane, but utmost seriousness is needed or
people have the impression of ones rudeness. Quoting Dr. Robert Porter: The questions can be
as mundane as anyone could possibly imagine, because people are not always responsible with
their pets. From Can I leave my dog safely in 100+ degree heat? Do I really need vaccinations
for a dog/cat? Is it okay to feed horses icy water in the winter? Per Dr. Robert Porter, the
answers should be obvious, yet composure must be maintained. (Porter, 2017)

There are many careers in this field, job outlook is golden, as it is always a growing
industry. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . It is expected to increase by
9% by 2024. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.) Jobs range from small time clinic doctor, surgeon
or scientist. Veterinary Pathology is always needed and is the first line of defense protecting
humanity from infectious diseases. However, the case load is emotionally and physically
demanding for many reasons. One of the most important points is that this is not usually a field
for the soft-hearted, it is a quite sad career choice, high stress. Quite little of the job is puppies
and kittens, it most often leads to more disappointments than success. Much of that is due to
illnesses that were neglected by owners, also if an owner asks the doctor to euthanize a dog/cat,
you must comply. The reason is laws dictate what people can do with their property. (Porter,
2017)
The career of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine has quite a lot of education involved. 4
years of graduate school and for a Veterinary Pathologist or other PhD education, more post-
graduate work is needed. This involves anything from new techniques is surgery, cloning,
biotech, pharmaceuticals. Literally the education can involve memorizing every bone/muscle
structure in every mammal and reptile. The education is quite extensive and fast paced.
(www.utahfutures.org, 2017)
The average salary for a Veterinarian per www.monster.com is: $96,140 per year. This
number however can be much higher or lower depending on actual work/hours put into
caseloads. Written communication is a cornerstone of this type of career, animals register with
the state and local governments as per: licensing and vaccinations are quite important to public
health and safety. Writing reports on illness, bloodwork, vaccination records are some of the
many forms of written communication are needed. Veterinarians can also be called to testify in
court for expert witness, particularly for animal abuse prosecution, or for matters related to state
licensing of animals.
Overall a days case load is quite full there is no end to the amount of cases a doctor can
take. For instance, a workday could consist of: arriving possibly doing emergency surgery at 4-5
am officially opening at 7-8 am. After this there is a string of appointments, which are not
uncommon to be back to back. From doing rabies licensing, cleaning ears, sterilizations of
animals, to the not uncommon gunshot wound or hit and run. Animals will also come in often
with signs of physical abuse, there is not a thing the clinic can do to help the animal, unless it is
seen directly. Therefore it is not the career for a soft heart, which is also why the rate of suicide
among veterinarians is so high. Quoting from the AVMA: 14.4 percent of males and 19.1
percent of females who are veterinarians have considered suicide since graduation. (J. American
Veterinary Medical Association, 2015)