General veterinarian to official veterinarian
A general veterinarian already meets 79% of what the official veterinarian role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.6/ 100
1 How much of what an official veterinarian is expected to do is already part of a general veterinarian’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the official veterinarian role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An official veterinarian role treats 27 of its required skills as things a general veterinarian already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on animal welfare
- advise on livestock disease control
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal production science
- animal welfare
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 42 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An official veterinarian role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a general veterinarian background worth leading with.
- already held advise on livestock disease control communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply veterinary epidemiology handling and moving
- already held certify the performance of veterinary procedures information skills
- already held conduct ante-mortem veterinary health inspection handling and moving
- already held issue certificates for animal products assisting and caring
- already held implement veterinary clinical governance communication, collaboration and creativity
All 42 carried skills, including the 27 the official veterinarian role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn comply with veterinary inspection standards required
- still to learn follow environmentally sustainable work practices in the veterinary sector required
- still to learn regulate animal health standards required
- optional, not held manage infection control in the facility optional
- still to learn perform inspections of food-processing plants required
- still to learn assess animal's condition required
- still to learn perform inspection analysis required
- still to learn develop media strategy required
- still to learn develop zoonotic disease control policies required
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an official veterinarian role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 comply with veterinary inspection standards practise this
- 02 follow environmentally sustainable work practices in the veterinary sector practise this
- 03 perform inspections of food-processing plants practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 42 skills that carry over
- already held advise on animal welfare skill
- already held advise on livestock disease control skill
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal production science knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held apply veterinary epidemiology skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held certify the performance of veterinary procedures skill
- already held conduct ante-mortem veterinary health inspection skill
- already held deal with challenging people skill
- already held evaluate information in the field of veterinary nursing skill
- already held fundamental veterinary sciences knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held issue certificates for animal products skill
- already held maintain veterinary clinical records skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held perform laboratory testing on samples of animals skill
- already held perform veterinary diagnosis skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held veterinary clinical sciences knowledge
- already held apply numeracy skills skill
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held calculate rates per hours skill
- already held collaborate with animal related professionals skill
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held develop an animal handling strategy skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held implement veterinary clinical governance skill
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions skill
- already held maintain administrative records in the veterinary office skill
- already held maintain relationships with animal welfare establishments skill
- already held provide animal training skill
- already held provide mentorship skill
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science skill
- already held understand the animal's situation skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage infection control in the facility optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
35 held skills the official veterinarian role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
- not needed by the target role animal food products knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess animal behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role assess animal nutrition skill
- not needed by the target role check the health of livestock skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples from animals skill
- not needed by the target role conduct veterinary consultation skill
- not needed by the target role control animal movement skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role implant microchips in animals skill
- not needed by the target role inspect animal welfare management skill
- not needed by the target role interact safely with animals skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage a small-to-medium business skill
- not needed by the target role manage animal welfare skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role manage the use of vaccines skill
- not needed by the target role perform endoscopy skill
- not needed by the target role perform esophagoscopy skill
- not needed by the target role perform euthanasia on animals skill
- not needed by the target role perform gross post mortem examination on animals skill
- not needed by the target role perform intra-operative neuromonitoring skill
- not needed by the target role perform surgical procedures on animals skill
- not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
- not needed by the target role practise veterinary professional codes of conduct skill
- not needed by the target role prescribe animal medications skill
- not needed by the target role prescribe physical therapy to animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide anaesthetics to animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid to animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide sedation to animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide veterinary information to the public skill
- not needed by the target role supervise animal handling for veterinary activities skill
- not needed by the target role supervise nursing staff skill
- not needed by the target role treat pain for veterinary patients skill
- not needed by the target role zoonotic diseases knowledge
Common questions about this move
Can a general veterinarian become an official veterinarian?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A general veterinarian already covers 79% of what an official veterinarian is expected to do: 42 skills carry over, 27 of which the official veterinarian role treats as required.
What skills does a general veterinarian need to become an official veterinarian?
8 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is comply with veterinary inspection standards.
How hard is the move from general veterinarian to official veterinarian?
Its learning distance is 34.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.