What expectations do you have to meet to be a veterinarian?

There aren't any expectations of veterinarians that you actually have to meet to be a veterinarian. Most people expect veterinarians to love animals and want to help them, but this isn't necessary - you can enjoy the medical challenge of diagnosing an illness and treating it successfully without actually caring in the slightest about the animal itself. You may not have as much financial success as other veterinarians in practice, but you can be a reasonably successful veterinarian in this manner. Also, a general societal expectation in the United States is that all vets treat pets; however, there are many veterinarians working in food safety, disease outbreak control and prevention, public health and non-profit groups that never touch an animal in their professional work.