Veterinarians
Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.
83,900 people do this job in the US. $130,100 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 16%
- 18%
- 65%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 4%. Today's estimate: 5%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 18% | 4.2 work days3.3 h to 3.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 11% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians15% now, 15% by 2028
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers18% now, 19% by 2028
- Allergists and Immunologists37% now, 37% by 2028
- Physicians, Pathologists32% now, 50% by 2028
- Emergency Medicine Physicians42% now, 42% by 2028
- Dermatologists16% now, 41% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).