Become A Veterinary Technician
If you would like to combine a love for animals with an exciting and financially rewarding career should seriously consider careers available the growing field of veterinary medicine. As a veterinary technician you can positively impact animals lives and enrich your own life every working day. Vet tech jobs are in abundance; however, applicants need certification that necessitates training through an accredited school.
Making intelligent choices about your education and career options is crucial. Your educational quality will impact your ability to pursue some vet tech career paths. You should obtain knowledge of the tasks, trials and benefits of vet tech specialties and work settings. The daily routine and responsibilities of a veterinary technician will vary greatly depending upon the work environment.
Salary Information
Salaries for vet tech jobs, according to 2010 U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, ranged from $20K to over $44K. The median salary for was about $30K. Salaries will vary depending on geographical area, specialties and work place. Benefits packages can add significantly but will show similar variations.
A full-time veterinary technician working in a veterinarian’s private practice, large clinic or corporation can generally expect a competitive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave pay, health benefits and 401(k) plans. Specialties may increase your earning potential and boost your salary and benefits.
Training
When it comes to your education and certification, there are some primary issues to consider besides cost and availability. First and foremost you should make certain that you would receive the training necessary to obtain American Association Of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) certification.
Get insight into the skills you will need most and decide on the work place you are most interested in. Do you want a mostly stress free environment or relish the excitement of making quick decisions in emergencies.
Consider whether you are inclined to prefer working with specific types of animals or relish a wide variety of species. Assess the veterinary technician specialty that is right for you and the course work available. Take into account of the possible vet tech jobs in your area and if location is important.
Veterinary Technician Specialties
A smaller veterinary pet clinic is usually a potential vet tech student’s first interaction with a working veterinary technician. Alternatively, larger boarding facilities without on-site veterinarian access often employ specialized, medically knowledgeable vet techs.
These vet techs serve to assure immediate treatment of any medical disorders that develop and to decide when to seek professional veterinarian treatment. Vet tech jobs at a pet clinic or animal boarding facility are excellent starts to a vet tech career.
However, vet techs can put their skills to work in various specialty areas. You may find a particular veterinary technician specialty and work environment more appealing as a goal. A desired specialty may influence your choice of school and courses.
Veterinary Internal Medicine
As with personal physicians in general practice and clinics the internal medicine specialty is first concerned with general wellness and preventative medicine. The internal medicine specialty in animal clinics primarily focuses on chronic disease and non-surgical pathology and requires a thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
Sub-specialties include cardiology, oncology and similar sub areas of physicians. For anyone wanting to feel the satisfaction of directly affecting and improving the quality of life for an animal care, internal medicine and its sub-specialties is a great career choice.
Veterinary Critical Care
In a critical care environments, good decision-making and critical thinking by a calm and skilled veterinary technician is imperative. In these situations the vet tech act is much like an emergency room nurse or surgical assistant. The vet tech will be called upon to perform many services
Vet tech may assist with diagnoses and treatment. Other tasks vet techs may perform include: administer radiographs, take specimens (withdraw blood), maintain intravenous replacement of fluids, administer general anesthesia, monitor vital signs, and perform non-invasive procedures.
Other Specialties
Besides internal and clinical medicine specialties, vet tech specialized programs include dentistry or emergency medicine. Others include, specialization in avian and exotic pet medicine or zoo keeping. Vet tech jobs may require specialization in large animals. Often different career directions are pursued during an internship.
Vet techs are employed in large numbers in biomedical research laboratories. In research laboratories vet techs are responsible for more than care and feeding of animals. Vet techs also administer medications document animal behavior and vital signs in scientific reports.
Courses You’ll Available American Association Of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) at Veterinary Technician Schools
The American Association Of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) oversees Veterinary Technician Education (VTNE) and accreditation. Some courses in a typical accredited curriculum include:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Animal care animal nursing
- Dentistry
- Pharmacology
- Anesthesiology
- Surgical procedures
- Radiology (x-rays) EKG’S and more procedures assessing physical state
- Laboratory procedures including collecting blood and fluids
- Parasitology
- Zoonotic diseases from infectious agents shared by and transmitted between animals and humans as classified by public health agencies
Internship/externship opportunities are required to be included in the curriculum of an accredited veterinary technician programs and this and other features should be investigated when you consider program options.
VTNE Certification
Graph Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
After completion of such an accredited program of course work and hands on training, you easily pass the AAVSB prepared multiple-choice question VTNE certification exam in the allocated 4-hour period. The VTNE is provided in every state at certain times of the year. The exam covers the areas of knowledge covered in an accredited school program and expected of an entry-level veterinary technician.
Veterinary Assistant Career
If interested in pursuing a career entry into the field animal care field in minimum time and expense one should consider a career as a veterinary assistant. A veterinary assistant certification program will require less than a year for completion. Additionally, although many employers will limit applicants for a veterinary assistant position that have completed a certified education, some employers provide in house training.
Veterinary assistants support licensed veterinarians and in some cases work under the direction of a certified veterinary technician in their daily tasks. If a veterinary associate decides to pursue a veterinarian assistant career, they may be able to use their job experience to fulfill internship requirements.
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