Veterinary Medicine is about caring for animals and protecting the health of people too. You will learn about the many jobs veterinarians do and spend time seeing their work up close. If you love animals, this badge is a great way to explore a future career.
Why it's worth it
Veterinarians do far more than care for cats and dogs. They protect farm animals and the food supply, track diseases that can jump to people, treat zoo and wildlife patients, and work in the military and research labs. This badge lets you see that whole world up close and spend time with people who do it every day. If you love animals and science, it's a great way to find out which path fits you.
Start this week
- Make a list of every kind of animal you can think of that might need a vet, from pets to horses to zoo animals.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Veterinary Medicine counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Look up the veterinary college closest to where you live and what it offers.
- With a parent, contact your family's vet or a local clinic and ask if you could visit or shadow for a few hours.
Stay safe
- Around animals you don't know, ask the owner or staff before touching, move slowly, and wash your hands after handling any animal.
Requirements · 7
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Vet roles in animal practice (discuss with counselor)
Tips for this section: Look up the different kinds of vets, like those who treat pets, farm animals, or zoo animals.
Example for this section: Compare three kinds of vets: a small-animal vet who treats pets at a clinic, a food-animal vet who drives to farms to check cattle, and a zoo vet who treats animals from lions to lizards. Explain what a day might look like for each.
- Requirement 1a
Small animal (companion) and equine medicine
- Requirement 1b
Food animal (large animal) medicine
- Requirement 1c
Exotic animal medicine
- Requirement 1d
Marine animal medicine, including mammals and fish
- Requirement 1e
Poultry medicine
- Requirement 1f
Wildlife and aquaculture medicine
- Requirement 2
Vet roles beyond animal practice (discuss with counselor)
Tips for this section: Learn how vets help keep food safe, prevent diseases, and help in research and the military.
Example for this section: Explain how vets protect people too: inspecting meat at processing plants, tracking diseases like rabies or bird flu, caring for military working dogs, and helping develop new medicines in research labs.
- Requirement 2a
Public health, including tracking and controlling zoonotic diseases
- Requirement 2b
The military
- Requirement 2c
Food safety and inspection
- Requirement 2d
Laboratory animal medicine and research
- Requirement 2e
Teaching and government
- Requirement 3
Describe the training needed to become a veterinarian and what's required to apply to veterinary school, and find the veterinary college in or nearest your state
Tip: Look up the training it takes to become a vet and find the veterinary college nearest you.
For example: Describe the path: college classes in science, then four years of veterinary school to earn a DVM or VMD, plus a license exam. Share what you found about the veterinary college nearest you.
- Requirement 4
Explain to your counselor what an animal health technician (A.H.T.) or registered veterinary technician (R.V.T.) does, the training required, and where the nearest training school is. Describe how one would help a vet in three practice types from requirement 1
Tip: Ask a vet tech at a clinic what they do each day and how they trained.
- Requirement 5
Discuss with your counselor the vet's role in the bond between people and animals
Tip: Talk about how pets help people and how vets support that bond.
For example: Share a story about how an animal helped someone you know, like a dog that keeps a grandparent active or a therapy animal at a hospital, and explain how a vet keeps that animal healthy so the bond lasts.
- Requirement 6
Learn from a veterinarian. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Call a local clinic with a parent to arrange a visit, and bring a list of questions.
Example for this section: Bring a list of questions to your clinic visit and take notes on what you see: exam rooms, the lab, surgery prep, and how staff calm nervous animals. Ask the vet what their favorite and hardest parts of the job are.
- Requirement 6a
Visit a vet clinic, hospital, or referral teaching hospital working in a requirement 1 practice area. Observe the vets and staff as long as you can, then prepare and share a presentation on what you learned with your counselor
- Requirement 6b
Spend as much time as you can with a vet working in a requirement 2 field. Learn about any extra training beyond vet school and unusual duties, then present to your counselor what you learned, including how the field serves the public
- Requirement 7
Discuss a vet career you pick from requirement 1 or 2
Tips for this section: Pick the veterinary career that interests you most and dig into what it involves.
- Requirement 7a
Discuss with your counselor why someone would choose this field
- Requirement 7b
Discuss what you would enjoy about the job
- Requirement 7c
Discuss what the hardest parts of the job would be
- Requirement 7d
Discuss what has surprised you most about the job
- Requirement 7e
Discuss what continuing education is needed to keep certification for the job
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A veterinary clinic or animal hospital
You can see exam rooms, labs, and surgery prep, and meet both vets and vet techs.
How: Have a parent call the clinic manager to ask about a tour or a few hours of shadowing, and go with a parent or buddy.
A zoo, aquarium, or wildlife rehabilitation center
Many have animal hospitals and staff who can explain caring for unusual patients.
How: Have an adult check for behind-the-scenes tours or education programs, and ask if a vet or keeper could speak with your group.
A farm or county fair livestock barn
Farmers can explain how vets keep herds healthy and the food supply safe.
How: Have a leader contact the county extension office or 4-H program to find a farm or fair event that welcomes visitors.
Where it can lead
- VeterinarianDiagnoses and treats animals; requires veterinary school after college.
- Veterinary technicianAssists with exams, lab work, and surgery; usually a two-year degree and a credential.
- Veterinary assistant or kennel technicianCares for animals at clinics; a job some teens start with.
- Public health veterinarianWorks for government agencies on food safety and disease control.
- Military veterinarianCares for military working dogs and helps keep troops' food safe.
Ask yourself
- What first made you interested in animals and their health?
- What did you see at the clinic that you didn't expect?
- Which part of veterinary work would be hardest for you, and why?
- How do the animals in your life affect how you feel each day?
- Which veterinary career are you most curious about now, and what could you do this year to learn more?
Good questions to ask a veterinarian or vet tech
- What made you decide to become a vet or vet tech?
- What does a typical day look like, and what surprises people most?
- How do you handle the hard days, like when an animal can't be saved?
- What classes or experiences would help me if I want to work with animals?
- How do vets and doctors work together to keep people healthy?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Help scouts arrange a clinic visit with a local veterinarian.
- Invite a vet or vet tech to talk at a meeting.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- American Veterinary Medical Association (opens in a new tab) — Information about veterinary careers.
- Local veterinary clinic — Vets and vet techs can share what they do.
- Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (opens in a new tab) — Find veterinary colleges and see what it takes to get in.
- NAVTA (opens in a new tab) — What veterinary technicians do and how to become one.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.