American Medical Association adds veterinarians to careers directory

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The American Medical Association's Health Care Careers Directory features veterinarians and veterinary technicians for the first time in the 2008-2009 edition.

Originally, the directory highlighted a variety of allied health professions in the field of human medicine. The AMA expanded the publication with this edition to encompass any career in health care—and the directory now includes dentists, nurses, optometrists, pharmacists, physicians, podiatrists, and psychologists.

The 2008-2009 directory describes the educational requirements, duties, and salaries for 77 health care careers. For veterinarians and veterinary technicians, the publication drew largely on information from the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. The handbook, in turn, cites AVMA data on subjects such as salary.

The Health Care Careers Directory notes that the AMA adopted a policy in 2007 supporting more educational and research collaborations between the medical and veterinary professions to help with assessing, treating, and preventing cross-species disease transmission.

The directory also lists the names, addresses, and Web sites of U.S. and Canadian veterinary colleges and U.S. educational programs for veterinary technicians.

Individuals can order the careers directory by calling (800) 621-8335 or visiting ama-assn.org/go/mededproducts. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is at bls.gov/oco/.