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Veterinarian

Stable

Healthcare

Diagnoses and treats animals in clinics, farms and zoos, and supports livestock/food-safety inspection. Requires Malaysian Veterinary Council registration; private clinic ownership and specialisation raise pay.

Veterinary ScienceScience

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
  2. 2Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
  3. 3Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
  4. 4Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
  5. 5Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
  6. 6Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
  7. 7Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
  8. 8Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.
  9. 9Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.
  10. 10Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
  11. 11Euthanize animals.
  12. 12Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.
  13. 13Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.
  14. 14Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.
  15. 15Establish or conduct quarantine or testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans and that comply with applicable government regulations.
  16. 16Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.
  17. 17Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds.
  18. 18Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.
  19. 19Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.
  20. 20Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.
  21. 21Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • DVM
  • PSV
  • Lab Vet
  • Zoo Vet
  • Equine Vet
  • Relief Vet
  • Poultry Vet
  • Vet Dentist
  • Vet Surgeon
  • Horse Doctor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationDoctoral degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Biology94%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Medicine and Dentistry94%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Customer and Personal Service90%
  • English Language87%

    English

  • Mathematics74%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Education and Training69%

Skills to build

EmpathyCalm under pressureTeamwork

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentOften

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

3%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in the private market

Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.

Entry

Private
RM3,500 – RM5,000

Mid-career

Private
RM6,000 – RM9,000

Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.

Job demand outlook

Stable

Steady, reliable demand: a consistent number of openings.

Your readiness

How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.

Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.

Add my grades

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Veterinarians

Source: JobStreet / PayScale Malaysia · as of Nov 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:JobStreetPayScale

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Search the programme catalogue