Careers

This is perhaps the most familiar of the veterinary careers, as direct contact with the general public is routine. Veterinary surgeons, either in private practice or employed by organisations such as Singapore Turf Club, Zoological Gardens, Jurong Bird Park & Underwater World are involved in preventative medicine programmes & the treatment of a variety of animal species.

Those veterinarians in small animal practice generally are presented with the more common domestic animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, fish, rabbits and terrapins. These "general practitioners" are involved in all aspects of animal care, and encounter many different animal species & medical situations on a daily basis. They routinely medically examine and treat these animals. They vaccinate them against preventable diseases, perform a variety of surgical procedures, assist to prevent disease transmission from animals to people, and give advice to animal owners on how to maintain their pets as healthy and well cared for "family members".

Other veterinary surgeons in Singapore confine themselves to a single species or aspect of veterinary medicine such as equine, avian, marine or zoo animal medicine. They are also involved in multi-discipline medical & surgical treatments of their patients. Given the relative small size of Singapore, it is likely that employment opportunities in these fields would be limited, although there is often a demand for such services in other countries in the region.



The AVA is the largest employer of veterinarians in Singapore. AVA veterinary surgeons have duties in a number of different areas, notably:

• the Food and Veterinary Administration (FVA) where veterinarians ensure that there is a continuous supply of quality and safe food, through an integrated system of accreditation, inspection and testing. All food items such as processed foods, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables imported into Singapore are subjected to stringent controls, which include accreditation of source farms and abattoirs, inspection of the food items at points of import, and laboratory testing for pathogens and chemical contaminants. These veterinarians are committed to safeguarding the public health of our population gainst existing & emerging zoonoses and diseases that may be transmitted through the food chain. The other major function in FVA involves veterinarians working to safeguard the health of animals (including birds and fish) by administering comprehensive animal health programmes to prevent and control diseases of economic and public health importance. All importation of animals and animal products are regulated by these veterinarians. The Central Veterinary Laboratory is the national laboratory providing laboratory and advisory services for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of animal diseases.


• Centre for Animal Welfare & Control is a division under the FVA and is responsible for enforcing animal welfare standards, licensing of dogs and pet establishments, investigating animal cruelty and nuisance cases and conducting education programmes on responsible pet ownership.


• the Food Supply and Technology Department (FSTD) where veterinarians are employed in developing leading-edge tropical agrotechnology, farming systems and technologies, particularly in aqua-culture.


• the Policy and Corporate Communications Department (PCCD) where veterinarians analyse and develop policies of AVA and administers public communication programmes to bridge AVA with the population of Singapore.

As there is no veterinary college in Singapore, the third "traditional" veterinary career of research & academia is relatively limited (although many opportunities exist in the Asia-Pacific region). However, graduates have found both career opportunities and business success in other fields.

Veterinarians may be found with large companies & multinational corporations involved in the manufacture & supply of pharmaceuticals, biological products (e.g. vaccines), medical & veterinary technologies, pet foods or specialised feeds for primary producers (e.g. fish, pig or poultry farmers). They maybe employed in research & development, field trials, extension services or use their expertise in management positions.



Traditionally the AVA has accepted for licensing purposes qualifications from veterinary schools whose degrees allowed the holder registration as a MRCVS - i.e. a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (UK). Membership of the RCVS is available to graduates from the British veterinary colleges, and those from veterinary schools in Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Montreal) and South Africa (Pretoria). Almost 85% of SVA members hold degrees conferred by the universities in these countries. The AVA also recognises qualifications from the United States universities that have the full accreditation of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Changes in European Community legislation has however increased the number of graduates from EC universities gaining easy access to RCVS membership. Applicants holding veterinary degrees from EC universities recognised by the RCVS may be accepted on a case-by-case basis subject to the applicant having practised as a veterinary surgeon within the UK for at least one year.

Degrees conferred by veterinary schools other than those specified above are generally not accepted.



As the demand for admission to veterinary schools exceeds the number of places available, the competition & academic prerequisites are of a very high standard. Many universities require the prospective student to have had some experience with animals & exposure to the veterinary profession, and frequently there is an interview phase to the application.

Students entering a British or Commonwealth university can do so directly from high school, and complete a five or six year undergraduate course. Most of these universities require high achievements in matriculation (GCE A-levels, SCE Highers, International Baccalaureate etc.) in English, chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and perhaps other subjects in various combinations. Examples of the requirements of this system are the universities of Melbourne, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Massey.

The veterinary schools in North America require the student to enter a college for a 2 to 4 year "pre-veterinary" undergraduate science degree program prior to application & admission. This is then followed by a four year DVM course. The following sites display the typical requirements of the US & Canadian systems: - Cornell University, UC-Davis (California) and Guelph (Ontario Veterinary College)



An overseas course of 5 or more years can be a heavy financial burden. Consideration must be given to not only the tuition fees, but also accommodation, living expenses, books, personal expenses and travel. Estimates of total annual living & tuition expenses run from between A$45,000 to US$34,000 and UK£32,000.

The following links provide an overview of estimated annual outlays for students studying veterinary science: Murdoch, Sydney, Cambridge, Cornell, Washington State



The degrees conferred by the universities listed below are usually accepted by the AVA for registration as a veterinary surgeon in Singapore. However, this is subject to approval by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Singapore. Further enquiries should be addressed to:

Dr. Leow Su Hua
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
5 Maxwell Rd #18-00, Tower Block, MND Complex
Singapore 069110

Fax: (65) 62206068
E-mail: Leow Su Hua

Australia & New Zealand	Murdoch University University of Melbourne University of Queensland University of SydneyMassey University
United Kingdom & Ireland	Royal Veterinary College, London University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Edinburgh, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies University of Glasgow University of Liverpool University College Dublin
Canada	University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College University of Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Veterinary College University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine
United States	For a full list of American veterinary colleges, click here.