Veterinary school curriculums continue to evolve, becoming more specialized and including more business-like practices. Increased specialization has become a common thread in many veterinary programs – with greater focus through changes to curriculums, internships in specialized fields, including dermatology, ophthalmology, pathology, and geriatric care.

Another change in the industry is that an increasing number of vet students are coming from backgrounds with a degree in business administration. Importantly, a basic awareness of the necessity of sound business practices has drastically improved the business operations of clinics, as veterinarians can outsource many of these operations/hire veterinary assistants with business backgrounds. Today, there are approximately 30 veterinary schools in the U.S. with an average graduating class size of approximately 100. This capacity creates 3,000 new veterinarian graduates per year, with the majority of those graduating going into companion animal private practices. This expanding capacity (a new school is currently being built in Las Vegas), provides ample companion animal veterinarians for this growing industry.