There are a certain number of aspects every vet should encompass. The following is a list of attributes generally sort for when employing, or training people to become vets:

1. Passion and Compassion - A real desire to pursue a medical career with compassion for animals and their owners. Simply loving animals isn't enough.
2. Curiosity - This is what will keep your future career healthy and interesting. The individual who has this will get the very best out of whatever vocation they take up.
3. Commitment, Motivation and Attitude - If you don't get in the first time will you try again? Vetting isn't a nine to five job. When undertaking pre-college experience of veterinary practice are you spectating or are you getting involved with the nitty-gritty, right down to cleaning cages and the like. Can you talk with enthusiasm and authority about your veterinary experiences?
4. Awareness - Do you really understand what you letting yourself in for, do you understand what a veterinary career entails? Are you aware of topical veterinary issues? Could you give a basic opinion about current veterinary problems, such as BSE and Foot-and-Mouth?
5. Outside Interests - The veterinary college and future employers will try and to make sure you are so busy that the rest of your non-veterinary life gets junked. Nevertheless the college selection people like to think that candidates with expertise in sport, music or performance are a bonus, possibly they will bring extra kudos to their college if they pursue it at university level. Work on it!
6. Interview Technique - if nobody has mentioned this essential skill, you're going to hear it here. If your school or sixth form college doesn't provide serious training in interviews, go out and find somebody who can. You're selling yourself pure and simple. You have only one short chance to convince some tired and jaded people that they'll be crazy not to take you. They'll have heard trite veterinary interviewee patter for days.

A Veterinary Surgeon is responsible for the prevention of disease and for the medical and surgical treatment of animals including household pets, zoo animals, farm animals and horses.

To become a vet, you will need to obtain a veterinary degree from university. There are six universities in the UK which offer veterinary degrees. These universities are found at Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and London. The course lasts for five to six years, depending on the university.

Entrance requirements are very high and differ at each university. Usually three 'A' levels are expected in subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths - the grades expected are very high - A's and B's. A broad range of GCSE's will also be expected, with particular attention paid to Science, Maths and English. All of the universities require applicants to have work experience before their application, e.g. in a Veterinary Practice, or on a farm handling livestock.

All veterinary courses cover the major species of animals encountered in practice (e.g. cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, dogs, cats and birds). It is not possible to specialise in one particular species until the veterinary degree is obtained.

Once you have a veterinary degree and would like to start practicing, you must be registered by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The RCVS is the governing body for vets in the UK and ensures that standards within the profession are maintained, safeguarding the health and welfare of animals and the interests of the public. Once registered, the individual hasthe right to use the letters MRCVS after their name, which signifies Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.