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Christy Ly
UWP 001Y
Section 002
The Avian Veterinarian Discourse
Community

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Objective
This study explores the Discourse community of both the companion avian veterinarian
and the poultry veterinarian in hopes of revealing the relationships they encounter on a day to
day basis, their goals, and the various forms of communication that are used. Additionally, the
study will compare and contrast the two communities to help give future vet students an idea of
what each career is like. The expected results of this study are that both veterinarians will use
similar forms of communication (verbal speech, emails, scientific papers, etc.) and have similar
sets of goals, but have different relationships with the people they encounter.
Introduction
A Discourse community is simply a community of people who share a set of goals,
values, specialized vocabulary, genres, levels of expertise, and forms of communication (Pigg).
An example of a Discourse community is the Veterinary Medicine field, a broad community
consisting of people who treat and diagnose the various animals that inhabit this earth. Today,
this study will focus on the avian veterinary medicine field, specifically the companion avian
veterinarian and the poultry veterinarian. Both veterinarians work with birds, but like the name
implies one works with specifically pet birds and the other with birds used for human
consumption (Kramer; insidejobs.com).
Companion avian veterinarians typically work in a vet clinic, also known as a private
practice, where bird owners can bring their pets in for an examination (Kramer; insidejobs.com).
In contrast, poultry veterinarians must head out to their clients property to treat and examine the
health of the birds (Kramer; insidejobs.com). With two differing work environments, the two
veterinarians are expected to interact with different people on a normal day at work. For
instance, companion avian veterinarians work in a vet clinic where they will interact with not

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only their clients but receptionists, vet technicians, and kennel attendants (ahhb.net; Hoffman;
Kramer; Trainor). On the other hand, poultry veterinarians are more likely to be found working
with farmers, ranchers, and researchers (Glisson et. al.; insidejobs.com).
Putting the differences aside, companion avian and poultry veterinarians do share
common characteristics other than the choice of animal they decided to treat. A similarity they
share is the terminology they use to communicate with their coworkers. Because both
veterinarians are under the larger category of veterinary medicine, they take similar courses
during their years at college learning and using specialized vocabulary such as pectoral, vent,
proximal, distal, sid, and tid (asac.ucdavis.edu; catalog.ucdavis.edu; Hoffman; Miesle).
Additionally, they share similar forms of communication. Like many other professions,
companion avian and poultry veterinarians may use email, phone calls, and text to communicate
with their co-workers. However, to communicate with other veterinarians or researchers within
their field, they often times attend conferences or workshops that are held by organizations like
the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) or American College of Poultry Veterinarians
(ACPV) (aav.org; acpv.info; thebirdclinic.com). At these conferences or workshops, there will
be current papers on all aspects of avian medicine and surgery that will be presented
(thebirdclinic.com).
Furthermore, according to the AAV and ACPV websites, the two professions share
similar goals. Those goals are to continue the advancement of the veterinary medicine field
within the avian/ poultry community and to encourage the continual education no matter what
expertise. There were also differing goals where the AAV were focused on educating bird
owners on the correct way to care for their pet birds, while ACPV also had a focus on the
promoting of research within poultry veterinary medicine.

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A lot is reveal about these Discourse communities through second hand research, but
there is always more to learn when it comes straight from the horses mouth.
Methods and Materials
For the first part of the study, research was done to help develop a clear picture of the
following two Discourse communities: companion avian and poultry. After the research is
completed, an interview of a veterinarian from each Discourse community will be conducted.
The person being interviewed will be asked a series of questions relating to the forms of
communication they use, their goals, special terminology, and the relationships they have with
the people they encounter on a normal day at work. The interview will be recorded via a voice
recorder app. Questions asked can be from the following:
1. What are effective ways of communicating within the avian community? Name your
preferred way of communicating.
2. Why are avian veterinarians not as popular with the public as small animal veterinarians
or equine veterinarians?
3. What are ways the public can reach or communicate with the avian community?
4. Is publicity in the avian community ideal?
5. How does one become familiar or knowledgeable about avian other than taking classes?
6. What are some common goals within the avian community?
7. What are some common values within the avian community?
8. Are there any disputes within the avian community, such as differing views or morals? If
so name a few and explain where the issue stemmed from.
9. What are the levels of expertise within the avian community?

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10. Are there any special terminologies that are used within the avian community? If so name
a few and explain how effective they are with helping you communicate with other
members in your community.
When interviews are finished, the answers from both interviews will be compared with one
another to see the similarities and differences.
Results
I was unable to conduct any research due to the fact that I wasnt able to set up an
interview before the first draft is due. However, I expect the responses to align with what I found
during my research.
Discussion
Again since I was unable to conduct any research, I do not have much to discuss.
Though, when I finish collecting my data, I hope to learn more about the values and goals they
possess and see how it compares with the values and goals of the AAV and ACPV organizations
as well as the different forms of communication they have within the community.

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References
1. About AAV - Association of Avian Veterinarians. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2016,
from http://www.aav.org/?page=about
2. ASAC. (n.d.). The Animal Science Major. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://asac.ucdavis.edu/majors_folder/animal science major.htm
3. Avian Education - Bird Vet. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://www.thebirdclinic.com/avian-education.html
4. Avian Veterinarian | Inside Jobs. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://www.insidejobs.com/careers/avian-veterinarian
5. Bevans-Kerr, B. (n.d.). Mission Statement. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://www.acpv.info/mission-statement
6. Glisson, J. R., & Hofacre, C. L. (2006). The Future of Veterinary Medicine in Poultry
Production. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 33(4), 492-495.
doi:10.3138/jvme.33.4.492
7. Kramer, M. H. (2016, October 13). Avian Veterinarian Career Profile. Retrieved October
28, 2016, from https://www.thebalance.com/avian-veterinarian-125790
8. Kramer, M. H. (2016, June 6). Career Options in Veterinary Clinics. Retrieved October
28, 2016, from https://www.thebalance.com/vet-office-career-paths-125541
9. Kramer, M. H. (2015, April 4). Poultry Veterinarian Career Profile. Retrieved October
28, 2016, from https://www.thebalance.com/poultry-veterinarian-125830
10. Miesle, J. (n.d.). Glossary of Avian Medical Terms - Avian Health & Diseases. Retrieved
October 28, 2016, from
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/avianmedicalterms.html#Abbreviations
11. Pigg, S. (2013, August 19). ENC 1102 Discourse Community Introduction. Retrieved
October 28, 2016, from ENC 1102 Discourse Community Introduction
12. Poultry Veterinarian | Inside Jobs. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://www.insidejobs.com/careers/poultry-veterinarian
13. Trainor, C. (2011). Discourse Communities and Onions. Retrieved October 28, 2016,
from http://writingandrhetoric.cah.ucf.edu/stylus/files/2_2/stylus2_2_Trainor.pdf
14. UC Davis General Catalog | Animal Science Requirements. (2016, October 21).
Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://catalog.ucdavis.edu/programs/ANS/ANSreqt.html
15. Ulmer, R. R. (2012). National Extension Workshop * * Developing effective risk and
crisis communication approaches in the poultry industry. The Journal of Applied Poultry
Research, 21(3), 706-716. doi:10.3382/japr.2011-00501