Veterinarians in Society Essay Example for Free

Veterinarians in Society Essay Contemporary trends in American society evidently demonstrate the significant need for veterinarian profession. Small and large cities, urban and rural areas witness the development of veterinarian private clinics, animal care offices, animal coaching and teaching centers, and simultaneously more and more Americans recognize the value of fast and competent veterinarian assistance for their pets. On the national level the role of veterinarian resources becomes invaluable. Therefore, the US Congress should consider an emerging demand for veterinarian profession, and avoiding potential labor shortage, develop legislation that would increase the number of veterinary graduates. The labor market for veterinarians is enormous, since sharply rising costs of animal care stimulated big markets for pet health insurance and pet health maintenance organizations. As the American Animal Hospital Association indicates 5% of pet owners, which comprises about 3. 2 million Americans, have pet health insurance. The number is five times more than for the year 1995. According to statistics, the average American pet owner is ready to spend from $250 to $1,000 in order to save the family animal from euthanasia (Ramsdell, 1). This number has quadrupled over the past 20 years. Although there are many reasons for the fast development, including economics and demographics, in terms of growing number of empty households, the need for qualified veterinary labor resources is evident. The majority of Americans drastically change their attitudes towards pets, from regarding them as property, to perceiving and treating them as true family members. Pets give great physical and psychological benefits to humans, therefore veterinarians providing qualified and timely medical care indirectly impact the health of their American fellow-citizens. On the national level the role of veterinarian is considered more and more vital in the light of contemporary trends in food industry. From the practical standpoint, veterinarians maintain the health of humans through the health of food-producing animals. For instance, mad-cow disease constitutes the pressing medical and social problem, especially for the nation with largest beef industry and beef consumption in the world. The US government focuses on testing cattle showing signs of a nervous-system disorder because they are at the highest risk of having mad-cow disease. Consumption of meat from infected animals can trigger a rare but always-fatal neurological disease in humans (Kilman, A6). Under the current program, veterinarians from the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service police meatpacking plants and inspect suspicious animals. Veterinarians from another branch of the department, the Animal Plant Heath Inspection Service, collect brain samples and conduct laboratory testing. Field veterinarians investigate reportable diseases such as rabies or tuberculosis, and forward the samples to laboratories. It is necessary to emphasize that due to veterinarian profession such diseases as encephalitis, anthrax, and botulism, are now well-known in the US Congress and government. It is difficult to overestimate the role of veterinarian for contemporary society. Today, veterinarians work with meat producers to determine cost effective preventative measures for their livestock, analyze new methods to detect cancer in both humans and animals, oversee the country’s food supply, conduct animal assisted therapy programs or routine exams on Americans’ family pets. And their vital role continues to grow. Due to veterinary strong academic training in areas such as physiology, pathology, anatomy, microbiology and histology, veterinarians are scientists that can provide valuable contributions in many diversified areas. However, the profession needs new qualified labor resource to substitute retired specialists and accomplish market emerging opportunities. The US Congress should develop legislation that would increase the number of veterinary graduates. Bibliography Kristin Ramsdell. Pet trend: Anthropomorphism, Growth Strategies. Santa Monica: Aug 2002. , Iss. 944 Scott Kilman U. S. Confirms A Failure to Use Mad-Cow Test. Wall Street Journal. New York, N. Y. : May 4, 2004