A veterinary specialist is a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

who specializes in a clinical field of

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

. A veterinary specialist may be consulted when an animal's condition requires specialized care above and beyond that which a regular veterinarian can offer. Many veterinary specialists require a referral in order to be seen. After treatment, a veterinary specialist may stay in close contact with the referring veterinarian to provide ongoing treatment suggestions and advice. Veterinary specialists also play an important role in the training and

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

of veterinary students, nursing staff, and practicing veterinarians. Though variable, specialists may earn up to 2–3 times more than general practice veterinarians. Admission or entry into a veterinary specialty residency program is quite competitive in the United States and Canada. Most specialties require a 1-year internship or 2 years of clinical practice prior to beginning a

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

of 3–4 years' duration. Some veterinarians complete additional specialty internships before being accepted into a residency program. In the United States, most internships and residencies accept applicants through the Veterinary Internship & Residency Matching Program, similar the

National Resident Matching Program The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), also called The Match, is a United States-based private non-profit non-governmental organization created in 1952 to place U.S. medical school students into residency training programs located in Unite ...

for physicians. Most specialties require the resident to produce some academic contribution (often in the form of a scientific publication) in order to qualify to sit the certifying examination. Many specialists are active researchers in their fields of expertise.

Specialties

Anesthesiology Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

and

pain management Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals pr ...

Anatomic pathology Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or Anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination ...

Animal behavior Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective ...

Animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

* Aquatic animal medicine * Avian medicine * Bovine medicine * Canine medicine *

Cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...

Clinical pathology Clinical pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue homogenates or extracts using the tools of chemistry, microbiology, ...

Clinical pharmacology Clinical pharmacology has been defined as "that discipline that teaches, does research, frames policy, gives information and advice about the actions and proper uses of medicines in humans and implements that knowledge in clinical practice". Clinic ...

Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

Dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

Diagnostic imaging Medical imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to rev ...

Equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, which have lived worldwide (except Indonesia and Australia) from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They are thought to be a monophyletic grouping.B. J. MacFa ...

* Emergency and critical care * Honey bee medicine * Feline medicine *

Veterinary immunology Veterinary immunology is the study of all aspects of immune system in animals. It is a branch under biomedical science and related to zoology and veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, ...

* Internal medicine * Laboratory animal medicine *

Microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

Neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...

and

neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

Nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

Oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

(

cancer in animals Veterinary oncology is a subspecialty of veterinary medicine that deals with cancer diagnosis and treatment in animals. Cancer is a major cause of death in pet animals. In one study, 45% of the dogs that reached 10 years of age or older died of can ...

) *

Ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

Parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

* Porcine medicine * Poultry medicine *

Preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...

Radiation oncology Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

Reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

and

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

medicine *Shelter medicine *

Sports medicine Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...

and

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

Surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

, including

orthopaedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

and soft tissue surgery *

Theriogenology Theriogenology is a specialty of veterinary medicine concerned with animal reproduction. This includes the physiology and pathology of male and female reproductive systems of animals and the clinical practice of veterinary obstetrics, gynecology, ...

Toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating expo ...

Zoological medicine {{more footnotes, date=August 2012 Zoological medicine refers to the specialty of veterinary medicine that addresses the care of captive zoo animals, free ranging wildlife species, aquatic animals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and includes non-do ...

American Veterinary Medical Association

According to the AVMA, a board-certified veterinary specialist is "a veterinarian who has completed additional training in a specific area of veterinary medicine and has passed an examination that evaluates their knowledge and skills in that specialty area." , the AVMA recorded 13,539 total active board-certified specialists. , the AVMA recognizes 41 distinct veterinary specialties from 22 veterinary specialty organizations, including

American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia The American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) is one of the veterinary specialist colleges recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. History The American Society of Veterinary Anesthesiology (ASVA) was fo ...

American College of Veterinary Surgeons The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) is the specialty board that defines the standards of surgical excellence for the field of veterinary medicine, promotes advancements in veterinary surgery, and provides the latest in veterinary su ...

, and

American College of Zoological Medicine American College of Zoological Medicine was established in 1983 as an international specialty organization of veterinarians with special expertise in zoological medicine. The ACZM was established to encourage medical research that benefits wild ...

European Board of Veterinary Specialization

The European Board of Veterinary Specialization recognizes the following 23 veterinary specialty organizations: *European College of Zoological Medicine *European College of Animal Reproduction *European College of Bovine Health Management *European College of Equine Internal Medicine *European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine *European College of Porcine Health Management *European College of Poultry Veterinary Medicine *European College of Small Ruminant Health Management *European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia *European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine *European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition *European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology *European College of Veterinary Dermatology *European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging *European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine - Companion Animals *European College of Veterinary Neurology *European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists *European College of Veterinary Pathology *European College of Veterinary Public Health *European College of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology *European College of Veterinary Surgeons *European Veterinary Dentistry College *European Veterinary Parasitology College

International Board of Veterinary Specialisation and other boards

*International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association *Vet Food Agro Diagnostics *Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium *Pig Veterinarian Society

References

External links