vet

【Australia Veterinary】Complete & Easy Guide to Becoming a Veterinarian 2025

As social systems improve and personal incomes rise, the number of people raising pets is increasing. Veterinarians, regarded as guardians of animal health, have gained significant attention and respect in recent years.

Currently, there is only one university in Hong Kong offering a veterinary program, and it has a limited number of places. As a result, many Hong Kong students choose to study veterinary medicine in other countries. Today, we will discuss veterinary programs in Australia.

Australia is a country primarily based on agriculture and livestock farming, with a thriving breeding industry. It is home to about 1.5 million sheep, making it one of the world's largest producers of wool and sheep products.

Additionally, Australia boasts a variety of unique animals, such as koalas, kangaroos, kookaburras, platypuses, and wombats, which cannot be found in other countries.

This highlights the global recognition of Australia's veterinary programs and medical technologies. Students studying veterinary medicine here have ample opportunities to work with different species of animals.

Australia has numerous animal clinics that provide students with valuable hands-on experience. Furthermore, there is a shortage of professionals in the veterinary sector, resulting in promising job prospects for graduates.

This has led to thousands of international students choosing to pursue veterinary programs in Australia each year.


What is Veterinary Sciences?

Veterinary Sciences is a field based on molecular biology that studies the patterns of disease development in animals, including livestock, domestic pets, and wildlife.

It focuses on diagnosing and preventing diseases, ensuring the overall health and well-being of animals.

Today, the scope of veterinary sciences extends beyond just agriculture. Veterinarians work in various areas, from clinical practice for large and small animals to fundamental research and public health.

They monitor diseases, mitigate risks from animals in zoos, and prevent illnesses that may threaten animals, humans, or both, such as avian influenza and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

In addition to addressing general medical issues, veterinary sciences also examine animal behavior and involve professionals who have undergone veterinary training to treat animals, known as veterinarians.

Job Responsibilities of Veterinarians

  • Treat animals using medical and surgical methods
  • Manage and prescribe medications, including analgesics and anesthetics
  • Conduct physical examinations, laboratory tests, and diagnostic imaging (e.g., X-rays, ultrasound)
  • Perform surgeries, dress wounds, and stabilize fractured bones
  • Assist with animal births
  • Participate in government programs to prevent animal diseases
  • Administer vaccinations and test for infectious diseases
  • Report outbreaks of infectious diseases to authorities
  • Conduct necropsies to determine causes of death
  • Provide consultations on animal health, nutrition, and care
  • Offer professional services to companies producing biological and pharmaceutical products
  • Specialize in treating specific animal populations or in fields such as cardiology, chiropractic, dermatology, or critical care

How to Register as a Veterinarian in Australia

To become a registered veterinarian in Australia, students must complete a course accredited by the Australian Veterinary Board Council (AVBC) and achieve an overall score of 7 in the IELTS exam. Once these requirements are met, they can register as qualified veterinarians with the veterinary board in their respective state.

Typically, veterinary courses in Australia last between 5 to 6 years. The University of Queensland, Murdoch University, and James Cook University offer 5-year programs.

Meanwhile, The University of Sydney, Charles Sturt University, and The University of Adelaide provide 6-year programs. Additionally, the University of Melbourne offers a 4-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

What is the Required "Animal Experience" for Veterinary Studies?

Students intending to study veterinary medicine in Australia must be aware of the admission requirements set by Australian universities to prepare in advance. Veterinary programs place significant emphasis on whether students have sufficient animal care experience.

Many students, believing their experience with household pets like cats, dogs, and rabbits qualifies them, may feel they have enough experience, but this is far from adequate!

Veterinarians treat a wide variety of animals, not just cats and dogs. Therefore, Australian universities typically require students to have at least one month of animal care experience, and the types of animals cared for should not be limited to common pets.

For instance, at The University of Sydney, students are required to complete a "Declaration of Commitment," listing their past animal care experiences.

This includes a variety of animals such as horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, and poultry, along with detailed accounts of how they cared for these animals and what their experiences entailed.

For example, students should describe how they handled a bird from a cage, herded sheep back into a pen, or captured and restrained pigs.

Therefore, students interested in pursuing veterinary studies in Australia should consider participating in animal volunteering activities, caring for animals on farms, or engaging in "shadowing" experiences at veterinary clinics to enhance their animal care experience.

As veterinary medicine is a challenging and compassionate profession, students must be mentally prepared to endure unpleasant odors from animal waste and not shy away from blood throughout their studies and professional careers.

Stories of Remarkable Success

Extended Readings

A Comprehensive Guide to Applying to G5 Universities and Specialist Program

Guide for Hong Kong Students Pursuing a Law Degree in the UK

The Importance of Shadowing in UK Health Science

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Michelle C.
Desire Subject Medicine
Programme University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) Preparation Course
Hours Attended 15

Michelle has excelled in academics since she was young and has been determined to apply to medical school since her third year of junior high school. She attends a local traditional girls' school that offers British A-Level courses. To lay a solid foundation for her dream of studying medicine, Michelle chose challenging subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. In the summer vacation after completing the IGCSE exam, Michelle interned in a cardiologist's clinic for five days through our arrangement. During her internship, she deeply realized the busy schedule of doctors and their sense of mission for the recovery of patients, which made her more determined to become a doctor.

Academically, Michelle took a UCAT preparation course during her first Christmas in the A-Level course, and learned various exam techniques under the guidance of the tutor, mastering how to quickly understand questions. She eventually scored an excellent 2830 in the UCAT exam and obtained a level 1 in the situational judgement test, which led to an interview invitation from the University of Nottingham Medical School. During the Easter period, she attended a personal statement guidance course. With the advice of her tutor, Michelle chose appropriate extracurricular activities and revised the content of her personal statement to make it more clearly express her passion and motivation for medicine. In addition, Michelle also took the BMAT exam (note that the BMAT has now been cancelled) and obtained a good score of 12.7, which exceeded the qualifying score and increased her chances of entering medical school.

To ensure that Michelle can fully express herself in the interview, we recommend arranging three targeted mock interviews to ensure that the areas that need improvement can be accurately improved. Finally, Michelle received an interview invitation from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong through the Non-JUPAS application. Her efforts finally paid off and she successfully received admission notices from the University of Nottingham and the University of Hong Kong.

After sharing Michelle's case, for students who aspire to enter the medical school, starting preparation one to two years in advance can indeed significantly increase the chances of success. Michelle's story not only inspires other students, but also proves that with planning and hard work, pursuing your dreams is achievable.

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David L.
Desire Subject Medicine
Programme University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) Preparation Course
Hours Attended 20

David attends a top secondary school in the UK and has excellent academic performance, with all 9s in GCSE and all A* predicted A-level grades. His dream has always been to become a doctor, and he has worked hard to achieve this goal. However, David unfortunately encountered a setback in the interview for a British medical school in January. The failure of the interview for his first application to a medical school made him depressed and anxious, and he began to doubt his abilities and future. At this time, his father contacted us at Ascent Prep for advice and suggestions.

We first comforted David and encouraged him not to give up his dream. Although he missed the chance to apply for medical school at a British university, the start date of medical school in Australia is half a year later than that in the UK, so he still has a chance to enroll. We suggested that he consider switching to medical school in Australia. In order to help David overcome the difficulties in the interview, we analyzed the reasons for his failure and found that although he was knowledgeable, he was flustered in the interview, especially lacking logic in judgment and problem-solving questions. We developed a personalized coaching program for him, including mock interview training and various coping skills, such as the STAR rule, responding to open-ended questions, and demonstrating passion for medicine and personal traits.

Through these intensive trainings, David's interview skills and confidence have been significantly improved. He also used the summer vacation when he returned to Hong Kong to retake the ISAT and UCAT exams and continued to practice under our guidance. At the same time, he continued to work as a research assistant at HKU, enhancing his medical experience and understanding of medical biology. Eventually, David successfully obtained admission notices from three Australian medical schools, including the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This proves that as long as you persevere, you can overcome challenges. His experience inspires other students pursuing their medical dreams, demonstrating to them the importance of persistence and hard work.

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Brian C.
Desire Subject Medicine
Programme Interview Training
Hours Attended 20

Brian is a student with a passion for medicine and his goal is to attend one of the top medical schools in the world. In order to realize this dream, he not only worked hard in his studies and achieved excellent results, but also actively participated in various extracurricular activities to comprehensively improve his abilities. Brian observed in the hospital’s cardiology department for a week and participated in the BSMS Virtual Work Experience, which allowed him to gain an in-depth understanding of the medical field through technological simulation. He not only learned the skills and qualities required to be a competent doctor, but also experienced the close relationship between doctors and patients.

After learning about Brian's goals, we encouraged him to set his sights on the University of Cambridge Medical School, whose outstanding reputation in medical research and teaching quality are impeccable. We also advised him to apply to other G5 medical schools such as Imperial, UCL and KCL. In order to improve his BMAT score and interview skills, we arranged a 15-hour BMAT preparation course ((Note that BMAT has been cancelled), which provided systematic training by experienced tutors, including problem-solving skills, test-taking strategies and time management. We also conducted several mock interviews for him, specifically targeting the interview style of Cambridge University, and designed relevant questions to help him prepare and better deal with academic and ethical issues.

Brian submitted his UCAS application in mid-October, took the BMAT in November, and received an interview invitation from Cambridge University in December. He was successfully accepted by Cambridge in January and also successfully obtained interview invitations from ICL and UCL. In order to reduce his financial burden, we encouraged him to apply for the Hong Kong Excellence Scholarship Scheme, which offers a scholarship of up to HK$300,000 and can support outstanding students to study in well-known overseas universities. In the end, Brian not only achieved high scores in the BMAT exam, but also was admitted to Cambridge University Medical School and KCL. He finally chose to go to Dowling College, Cambridge, England to pursue higher academic goals and realize his dream.

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