How can veterinarians work with animal shelters?
Shelter medicine is an expanding area of employment for the veterinary profession. Veterinarians may work as shelter employees or as independent contractors providing services for one or more shelters. Shelter veterinary positions often pay at least comparable to associate positions in private practice, and often have reasonably good benefits. Veterinarians are also employed as shelter directors, consultants to animal welfare agencies and other leadership roles within the sheltering profession. Academic shelter medicine is also a growing and very rewarding field, with internships, residency training and teaching positions in shelter medicine becoming increasingly common.
