Wanting to become a veterinarian is a laudable goal. With more and more people owning pets, excellent doctors are needed for pets and the large numbers of domesticated animals. Becoming a veterinarian takes incredible dedication, and a large investment of time.

Most experts recommend that the first step toward becoming a veterinarian is to build up lots of practical experience by volunteering. Many recommend as many as six years of experience as a volunteer to increase one’s chances of making it to an accredited college for veterinary medicine.

Fortunately, most middle and high schools now require a certain number of community service hours per year to graduate. Thus a student may get credit for work with a local vet, vet hospital or humane shelter. If there is an opportunity to work in a zoo with exotic animals, this increases the chance of college acceptance as well. However, students should avoid getting pigeonholed into one specialty. Students should try out as many different types of “vetting” as possible. They should not expect pay, as volunteer work is usually unpaid.

Once in college, if one cannot specialize in veterinary medicine, then it is recommended that they specialize in a science field like biology or biochemistry. On the way to becoming a veterinarian, one must get excellent grades. There are fewer than 30 accredited schools for the would-be veterinarian in the US. If a candidate's grades are not terrific, chances of getting accepted by one of these schools is minimal.

Not every school requires a bachelor’s degree, but most do. One can definitely increase the chances of becoming a veterinarian if he or she holds a four-year degree prior to applying to veterinary schools. A candidate should have some experience working with animals while in college, since the veterinarian needs a working knowledge of many of the sciences.

Once in a school for veterinary medicine, a veterinary student will complete an average of four years of study plus practical training before applying to become a licensed veterinarian. These years should be preparation to take federal licensing exams. One should also expect to take state licensing examinations for any state where the practice will be located.

Upon becoming a veterinarian, one will need to continue his or her education to maintain both federal and state licenses. Veterinarians will usually be required to have several hours of continuing education each year to maintain their licenses. In addition to the job, vets can expect to continue learning and studying on a regular basis.