Overview
All Veterinarians
-
$1,384 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
9,100 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
72% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
39 years Average age
-
61% female Gender Share
Veterinarians diagnose, treat and prevent animal diseases, ailments and injuries.
Also known as: Veterinary Surgeon.
Specialisations: Veterinary Parasitologist, Veterinary Pathologist.
You need a bachelor degree in veterinary science to work as a Veterinarian.
Tasks
- treating animals medically and surgically, and administering and prescribing drugs, analgesics, and general and local anaesthetics
- determining the presence and nature of abnormal conditions by physical examination, laboratory testing and through diagnostic imaging techniques including radiography and ultrasound
- performing surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones
- rendering obstetric services to animals
- participating in programs designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of animal diseases
- inoculating animals against, and testing for, infectious diseases and notifying authorities of outbreaks of infectious animal diseases
- performing autopsies to determine cause of death
- advising clients on health, nutrition and feeding, hygiene, breeding and care of animals
- may provide professional services to commercial firms producing biological and pharmaceutical products
- may specialise in the treatment of a particular animal group or in a particular specialty area such as cardiology, chiropractic, dermatology or critical care
Prospects
The number of people working as Veterinarians (in their main job) fell over 5 years:
from 10,100 in 2014 to 9,100 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a medium sized occupation.
- Location: Veterinarians work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Education and Training; and Public Administration and Safety.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,384 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (72%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 39 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 61% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You need a bachelor degree in veterinary science to work as a Veterinarian.
Registration or licencing is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Veterinarians who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Operations analysis
Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1131.00 - Veterinarians.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1131.00 - Veterinarians.
All Veterinarians
-
$1,384 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
9,100 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
72% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
39 years Average age
-
61% female Gender Share
Veterinarians diagnose, treat and prevent animal diseases, ailments and injuries.
Also known as: Veterinary Surgeon.
Specialisations: Veterinary Parasitologist, Veterinary Pathologist.
You need a bachelor degree in veterinary science to work as a Veterinarian.
Tasks
- treating animals medically and surgically, and administering and prescribing drugs, analgesics, and general and local anaesthetics
- determining the presence and nature of abnormal conditions by physical examination, laboratory testing and through diagnostic imaging techniques including radiography and ultrasound
- performing surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones
- rendering obstetric services to animals
- participating in programs designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of animal diseases
- inoculating animals against, and testing for, infectious diseases and notifying authorities of outbreaks of infectious animal diseases
- performing autopsies to determine cause of death
- advising clients on health, nutrition and feeding, hygiene, breeding and care of animals
- may provide professional services to commercial firms producing biological and pharmaceutical products
- may specialise in the treatment of a particular animal group or in a particular specialty area such as cardiology, chiropractic, dermatology or critical care
The number of people working as Veterinarians (in their main job) fell over 5 years:
from 10,100 in 2014 to 9,100 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a medium sized occupation.
- Location: Veterinarians work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Education and Training; and Public Administration and Safety.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,384 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (72%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 39 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 61% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You need a bachelor degree in veterinary science to work as a Veterinarian.
Registration or licencing is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Employers look for Veterinarians who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Operations analysis
Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1131.00 - Veterinarians.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
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Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
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Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1131.00 - Veterinarians.