A veterinary specialist is a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon 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, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

who specializes in a clinical field of

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

. 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 is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

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 highly 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 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 to 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 education in the United States, medical school students into res ...

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 medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

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 (medicine), acute and simple to chronic condition, chronic and challenging. Most physici ...

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 *

Animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of 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 ...

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

Cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. 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 di ...

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 is "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". Clinical pharmacology ...

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

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

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 revea ...

Equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, known from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They originated in North America, before dispersing to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They are ...

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

Internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

* Laboratory animal medicine *

Microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

Neurology Neurology (from , "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 conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...

and

neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...

Nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

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 Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

( cancer in animals) *

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

Parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

* Porcine medicine * Poultry medicine *

Preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...

Radiation oncology Radiation therapy or radiotherapy (RT, RTx, or XRT) is a treatment using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer therapy to either kill or control the growth of malignant cells. It is normally delivered by a linear particle a ...

Reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

and

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

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 *

Surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

, including

orthopaedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling 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 ex ...

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 16,291 total active board-certified specialists. , the AVMA recognizes 46 distinct veterinary specialties from 22 veterinary specialty organizations, including the

American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia The American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) is one of 22 veterinary specialist organizations recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. History The American Society of Veterinary Anesthesiology (ASVA) wa ...

, American College of Animal Welfare,

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 ...

, and

American College of Zoological Medicine American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) 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 ...

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