NOC 31103: Veterinarians
What veterinarians do
Veterinarians prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and disorders in animals and advise clients on the feeding, hygiene, housing and general care of animals. They can also perform surgical procedures. They work in private practice or may be employed by animal clinics, farms, laboratories, government or industry.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Diagnose diseases or abnormal conditions in individual animals, herds and flocks through physical examinations or laboratory tests
- Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds or performing surgery
- Vaccinate animals to prevent and treat diseases
- Perform routine, emergency and post-mortem examinations
- Advise clients on feeding, housing, behaviour, breeding, hygiene and general care of animals
- Provide a range of veterinary services including obstetrics, dentistry and euthanasia
- May supervise animal health technologists and animal care workers
- May be responsible for overall operation of animal hospital, clinic or mobile service to farms
- May conduct veterinary research related to areas such as animal nutrition, health care products development and disease prevention and control
- May enforce government regulations in disease control and food production including animal or animal-based food inspection.
Job titles under NOC 31103
41 job titles are classified here, including farm veterinarian, small animal veterinary specialist, veterinarian.
- animal behavior veterinarian
- animal pathologist
- avian veterinarian
- companion animal veterinarian
- doctor of veterinary medicine
- emergency and intensive care veterinarian
- equine veterinarian
- farm veterinarian
- food animal veterinarian
- laboratory animal veterinarian
- large animal veterinary internist
- poultry veterinarian
- preventive medicine veterinarian
- research veterinarian
- small animal veterinarian
- small animal veterinary internist
- small animal veterinary specialist
- veterinarian
- veterinarian practitioner
- veterinary anatomist
- Veterinary anesthesiologist
- veterinary bacteriologist
- veterinary dentist
- veterinary dermatologist
Employment requirements
- Doctor of veterinary medicine
- Two years of pre-veterinary university studies or completion of a college program in health science and a four to five year university degree in veterinary medicine and successful completion of an examination leading to a national certification are required.
- A provincial licence to practice is required.
- Veterinary specialists
- Completion of a degree in veterinary medicine and three to four years of additional postgraduate studies or residency program in the specialty of their choice are required.
- Veterinary specialists must be accredited by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) or the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). In Quebec, they must be accredited by the Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec and only 18 specialties are recognized.
- A provincial license to practice is required.
- Research veterinarian
- Two years of pre-veterinary university studies or completion of a college program in health science and a four to five year university degree in veterinary medicine and successful completion of an examination leading to a national certification are required.
- Entry into research positions may require postgraduate study.
- A provincial licence to practice is required.
Veterinarians wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $34.15/hr | $60.00/hr | $84.13/hr |
Toronto ON | $29.81/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $35.58/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Calgary AB | $40.75/hr | $62.50/hr | $88.94/hr |
Edmonton AB | $40.75/hr | $62.50/hr | $88.94/hr |
Ottawa ON | $29.81/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $25.00/hr | $64.10/hr | $70.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $43.59/hr | $60.00/hr | $89.74/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $29.81/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
London ON | $29.81/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Halifax NS | $49.31/hr | $52.20/hr | $71.23/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $35.58/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $38.65/hr | $52.88/hr | $65.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $38.65/hr | $52.88/hr | $65.00/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $40.13/hr | $57.35/hr | $76.72/hr |
Nova Scotia | $49.31/hr | $52.20/hr | $71.23/hr |
New Brunswick | $29.33/hr | $51.82/hr | $71.23/hr |
Quebec | $25.00/hr | $64.10/hr | $70.00/hr |
Ontario | $29.81/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Manitoba | $38.46/hr | $50.48/hr | $72.12/hr |
Saskatchewan | $38.65/hr | $52.88/hr | $65.00/hr |
Alberta | $40.75/hr | $62.50/hr | $88.94/hr |
British Columbia | $35.58/hr | $60.00/hr | $86.54/hr |
Using NOC 31103 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 41 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (NOC 32104)
- Biologists and related scientists (NOC 21110)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for veterinarians?
Veterinarians are NOC 2021 unit group 31103. Example job titles in this group include farm veterinarian, small animal veterinary specialist, veterinarian, veterinary inspector.
What TEER is NOC 31103?
NOC 31103 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do veterinarians earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $60.00/hr, about $117,000 a year full-time, with a range of $34.15/hr to $84.13/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.