Specializing in Veterinary Ophthalmology may be a path to higher income and more job satisfaction for you.
As a veterinarian, there are many paths to success, especially as owner and operator of your own general veterinary practice, clinic, or hospital. You also know the challenges of being a general practice veterinarian: the stress of long hours and retaining staff, while having all the right tools and skills ready to address the wide variety of patients and patient issues that present themselves.
One way to enhance your veterinary practice while increasing revenue is to specialize. Are you fascinated by how the eye works? Have you considered ophthalmology? It can be an excellent path to consider, but there are trade-offs in time and cost to achieve the right credentials.
Why Consider Setting Up a Veterinary Ophthalmology Practice?
A veterinary ophthalmologist may treat any animal of any species. Veterinary ophthalmologists diagnose and treat various eye diseases, disorders and \trauma, including performing surgeries. If you are intrigued by the functions of the eye and are looking to focus on its functions, ophthalmology may be for you. One day you may treat a cat with cataracts and then a horse with eye trauma. The practice of ophthalmology can be appealing due to both the expertise required to practice, while working with a variety of animals.
Also, the salary of a veterinary ophthalmologist is higher than that of a general practitioner. The national average salary for a veterinary ophthalmologist is approximately $120,841 per year, depending on where you practice. Veterinary ophthalmologists can earn as high as $300,000 a year, but the percentage of veterinarians earning that amount is small.
How to Become a Veterinary Ophthalmologist
To become a veterinary ophthalmology specialist in the US, an individual must fulfill all of the following:
- Become a licensed veterinarian, which requires completing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree.
- Complete an American Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ABVO) approved veterinary ophthalmology residency of 2-4 years.
- Pass a rigorous series of knowledge and skill-based examinations in veterinary ophthalmology in order to achieve board certification as a member of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO).
- Remaining an active member of the ABVO requires fulfilling continuing education requirements.