Veterinary medicine was traditionally a "male" profession, especially back in the days of heavy lifting and large animal wrangling. Technology and medical advances have drastically changed the way medicine is practiced, and the family pet has moved into the spotlight for veterinary care. Along with these changes, the veterinary profession has seen a drastic increase in the number of female veterinarians and veterinary students over the last 30 to 50 years.

Advances in both veterinary and human medicine in the last few decades have been exponential. And expensive. The costs of medical school and doctor's salaries have gone up, as have insurance and medical costs. The average veterinary salary, however, is usually less than other human health care profession salaries, and slightly above Registered Nurse (RN) salaries. The lack of extensive pet health insurance coverage can make balancing veterinary income and practice expenses difficult as well.

So why the gender shift in veterinary medicine? There are many theories, including, but not limited to:

• equal admission process for men, women and minorities
• advances in large animal restraint and medicine; better tools to handle large animals
• more women role models for female applicants (conversely, this may be a deterrent for male applicants)
• men may be pursuing higher salary potentials for doctorate degrees in other fields
• income for married women may be viewed as "supplemental" to the household income, and thus be seen as willing to accept lower pay

What are your thoughts about the changing "face" of veterinary medicine? Please post your comments using the link below this post. Do you or your pets have a "veterinarian gender preference?" The poll is a multi-answer poll so you can answer for you and for your pets.

Related Reading:

• Women dominate admissions at veterinary medicine schools
  From the San Jose Mercury News
• Campus gender gap: Progress or problem?
  From the Seattle Times
  
• Gender and veterinary medicine
  From Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
  Author Jeanne Lofstedt, DVM
• Veterinary admission and applicant statistics
  From the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)