Q. I want to eventually become a veterinary assistant. I called my local college and they said it takes 1 1/2 years - 2 years (depending on math skill, etc.) along with work study (where the vet trains you). Then about 5 years working to become a veterinary technician. Does anyone think the college thing is a waste of time or a benefit? And does anyone know how much a vet assistant and technician make? Thanks!
A. Ok, I am wondering where you are located because I know of no state in the US that requires 5 years to become a veterinary technician. I would be concerned about the quality of the information that you were given by whomever you spoke to at the college.
The difference between a veterinary techician and a veterinary assistant are the education and credentialling requirements.
No state in the US has any educational requirements for working as a veterinary ASSISTANT. This is an entry level-position in a veterinary facility and training is generally done on the job. There are voluntary educational opportunities, however these are not equivalent to a college degree program and are instead basic vocational training. There is no over-sight by a professional body to ensure that the majority of these programs provide adequate or correct information. There is no requirement for hands-on training and instructors often have little or no experience or education in the veterinary field. There are a handful of certification programs that are designed and approved by veterinary professional organizations or that are offered by colleges which also offer accredited veteirnary technology programs and these are better choices for someone who wants to be a veterinary assistant. This is an entry level position for working in the veterinary field and is not a recognized profession in any state.
Veterinary technicians are required (in most states) to have a 2 year degree in veterinary technology from an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program, to have passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam and a state exam in order to be credentialed. It is possible to get a 4 year bachelors degree in veterinary technology but it is NOT required in any state in the US in order to become credentialed or work as a veterinary technician.
The American Veterinary Medical Association maintains a list of accredited degree programs on their website: Inhttp://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_programs/vettech_programs.asp
In some states, the use of the title "veterinary technician" and the practice of veterinary technology is recognized as profession and licensure is required. In other states, veterinary technicians are registered or certified. The laws that govern veterinary technicians vary from state to state so for specific information on the laws a person should check their state veterinary practice act or contact their state veterinary licensing board.
Whether your state REQUIRES credentialing to work as a veterinary technician, the education is never "a waste of time". Consider that veterinary technicians make life and death decisions concerning the care of your (and other clients') pets every day. Don't you think that the people being paid to make those sorts of decisions and provide health care for your pet should actually KNOW about veterinary care and nursing?
Veterinary assistants tend to make close to minimum wage. Veterinary technicians will generally make more due to their education and increased abilities, but it is still not a great paying job. To find out numbers for your state, you should contact your state veterinary technician association or veterinary medical association as pay scales vary from state to state.
I would also contact your state veterinary technician association or veterinary medical licensing board to find out the TRUE story about the exact requirements for working as a veterinary technician in your state. They may require nothing at all or they may require a degree in veterinary technology but they won't require a 5 year degree.
If you happen to be in Texas, you can email me with questions.
The difference between a veterinary techician and a veterinary assistant are the education and credentialling requirements.
No state in the US has any educational requirements for working as a veterinary ASSISTANT. This is an entry level-position in a veterinary facility and training is generally done on the job. There are voluntary educational opportunities, however these are not equivalent to a college degree program and are instead basic vocational training. There is no over-sight by a professional body to ensure that the majority of these programs provide adequate or correct information. There is no requirement for hands-on training and instructors often have little or no experience or education in the veterinary field. There are a handful of certification programs that are designed and approved by veterinary professional organizations or that are offered by colleges which also offer accredited veteirnary technology programs and these are better choices for someone who wants to be a veterinary assistant. This is an entry level position for working in the veterinary field and is not a recognized profession in any state.
Veterinary technicians are required (in most states) to have a 2 year degree in veterinary technology from an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program, to have passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam and a state exam in order to be credentialed. It is possible to get a 4 year bachelors degree in veterinary technology but it is NOT required in any state in the US in order to become credentialed or work as a veterinary technician.
The American Veterinary Medical Association maintains a list of accredited degree programs on their website: Inhttp://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_programs/vettech_programs.asp
In some states, the use of the title "veterinary technician" and the practice of veterinary technology is recognized as profession and licensure is required. In other states, veterinary technicians are registered or certified. The laws that govern veterinary technicians vary from state to state so for specific information on the laws a person should check their state veterinary practice act or contact their state veterinary licensing board.
Whether your state REQUIRES credentialing to work as a veterinary technician, the education is never "a waste of time". Consider that veterinary technicians make life and death decisions concerning the care of your (and other clients') pets every day. Don't you think that the people being paid to make those sorts of decisions and provide health care for your pet should actually KNOW about veterinary care and nursing?
Veterinary assistants tend to make close to minimum wage. Veterinary technicians will generally make more due to their education and increased abilities, but it is still not a great paying job. To find out numbers for your state, you should contact your state veterinary technician association or veterinary medical association as pay scales vary from state to state.
I would also contact your state veterinary technician association or veterinary medical licensing board to find out the TRUE story about the exact requirements for working as a veterinary technician in your state. They may require nothing at all or they may require a degree in veterinary technology but they won't require a 5 year degree.
If you happen to be in Texas, you can email me with questions.
What are some things I should know about working in a veterinary hospital?
Q. So I am starting my first (real) job at a a veterinary hospital as a veterinary assistant. I have always and still do want to become a vet and since I was 5 I've been asking our vet if I could work there. Well, I'm finally old enough and was recently hire as a state-of-the-art animal hospital. It seems really promising and I've worked with animals for years but mostly on farms. Are there any little tib bits I should know about that may help me out my first day (week, month)on the job? Or anything that isn't so obvious but I should be aware about when working there? I really can't screw up working here and I want to do the best I can because I know this will be one of the best things I could put on my college application come next fall when I apply to vet school in the UK. So any extra little tips or thing you guys could let me in on I would more than appreciated it! Thanks all!
I'd especailly love to hear from vets or other people who worked or have worked in a vet's office! ^^
I'd especailly love to hear from vets or other people who worked or have worked in a vet's office! ^^
A. Hi. I'm not 100% sure how to answer your question given that it's so broad, but I'll give it a go. I was a veterinary nurse for a time, and am now only a couple of months off qualifying as a veterinarian.
Things will come to you as you spend more time in and around the clinic and get to know where everything is and how the clinic runs, and nobody will expect you to know heaps straight up.
Make yourself useful- offer to wipe down the consult table & tidy the consult room for the vet after they've seen an animal. Get one of the experienced nurses to show you how to restrain animals properly so that you can help the vets more easily. It would also be a good idea would be to brush up on the clinic's protocols for basic health care- vaccination, worming, etc., so that you can easily give this information to clients.
Other than that...just like any other job, work on your people skills & communication- it's a huge part of being a vet and a lot of prospective vet students seem not to realise that.
I hope that helps, and please feel free to email me if you've any more specific questions.
Things will come to you as you spend more time in and around the clinic and get to know where everything is and how the clinic runs, and nobody will expect you to know heaps straight up.
Make yourself useful- offer to wipe down the consult table & tidy the consult room for the vet after they've seen an animal. Get one of the experienced nurses to show you how to restrain animals properly so that you can help the vets more easily. It would also be a good idea would be to brush up on the clinic's protocols for basic health care- vaccination, worming, etc., so that you can easily give this information to clients.
Other than that...just like any other job, work on your people skills & communication- it's a huge part of being a vet and a lot of prospective vet students seem not to realise that.
I hope that helps, and please feel free to email me if you've any more specific questions.
What all can you do having your Doctorate In Veterinary Medicine?
Q. I am going to college to become a veterinary pathologist, i was just wondering the degree i am working toward is my D.V.M. What all can i do with a doctorate in veterinary medicine?
A. You can do a LOT with a DVM degree.
You can always go into general practice and work as a primary vet seeing people's pets. Or you can choose to become a specialist (like a pathologist). This requires additional training though after your DVM. You could also work in a zoo or aquarium or in a wildlife rehab center, but these jobs also require additional training and are extremely competitive.
You can go into research and work at a university. You can actually get your PhD in addition to your DVM and do first hand research. Or you can become a lab animal veterinarian where you would oversee the healthcare and needs of those animals used in research (mostly rodents).
You can work as a veterinary rep for a drug or food company. Any company that sells products for veterinarians (pfizer, bayer, novartis, purina, etc) has vets on staff to answer questions about the product's efficacy, uses, side effects, etc). They also travel around to universities and clinics and talk to the vets and students about new products or improvements to existing ones.
You can also work for the government in a variety of ways. Many federal agencies hire vets to work in public health and food safety capacities. The army also employs veterinarians. They typically work on large army or air force bases and are responsible for the service dogs on base as well as any pets for military families. Overseas these doctors would play a role in food safety and public health in foreign herds.
If you like law at all, you can work on the regulatory side of things for the AVMA. You can help play a role in AVMA policies and state and federal laws.
Basically, there are vets out there doing a wide variety of things. NASA has accepted veterinarians into the space program. Some write books, appear on animal planet, write columns for local or national newspapers and magazines. Your DVM degree opens a lot of doors for you. If you are thinking of getting a PhD or master's, completion of your DVM makes admission to those programs a piece of cake and often times you can do them in conjunction with your DVM.
Don't worry, in the 4 years of vet school you will have many many many people talk to you about all the different doors a DVM degree can open.
Good luck.
You can always go into general practice and work as a primary vet seeing people's pets. Or you can choose to become a specialist (like a pathologist). This requires additional training though after your DVM. You could also work in a zoo or aquarium or in a wildlife rehab center, but these jobs also require additional training and are extremely competitive.
You can go into research and work at a university. You can actually get your PhD in addition to your DVM and do first hand research. Or you can become a lab animal veterinarian where you would oversee the healthcare and needs of those animals used in research (mostly rodents).
You can work as a veterinary rep for a drug or food company. Any company that sells products for veterinarians (pfizer, bayer, novartis, purina, etc) has vets on staff to answer questions about the product's efficacy, uses, side effects, etc). They also travel around to universities and clinics and talk to the vets and students about new products or improvements to existing ones.
You can also work for the government in a variety of ways. Many federal agencies hire vets to work in public health and food safety capacities. The army also employs veterinarians. They typically work on large army or air force bases and are responsible for the service dogs on base as well as any pets for military families. Overseas these doctors would play a role in food safety and public health in foreign herds.
If you like law at all, you can work on the regulatory side of things for the AVMA. You can help play a role in AVMA policies and state and federal laws.
Basically, there are vets out there doing a wide variety of things. NASA has accepted veterinarians into the space program. Some write books, appear on animal planet, write columns for local or national newspapers and magazines. Your DVM degree opens a lot of doors for you. If you are thinking of getting a PhD or master's, completion of your DVM makes admission to those programs a piece of cake and often times you can do them in conjunction with your DVM.
Don't worry, in the 4 years of vet school you will have many many many people talk to you about all the different doors a DVM degree can open.
Good luck.
How can a Veterinary Technician's salary be increased?
Q. I know that being certified increases the pay. Can associate/bachelor degrees in Veterinary Technology increase the pay? Would service in the National Guard as an "Animal Care Specialist" help at all? If anyone is in the National Guard as an ACS, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
A. Generally credentialing (certification, registration, licensure) requires that you have an associates degree from an American Veterinary Medical Assoc. accredited college program so credentialing and getting a degree are pretty much the same thing. But yes, in general having a degree is going to increase the pay because the knowledge and skills you gain are going to increase your usefulness in a clinical setting. Even if you don't get credentialed because it's not offered in your state, the education is still going to improve your ability to function in a veterinary clinical setting.
As for the National Guard ACS question, I don't know that it will particularly get you better pay because it's going to be much more basic training in assisting a veterinarian, but it will be better than no experience at all in the field. This training is not equivalent to a degree in veterinary technology and is not sufficient for credentialling as a veterinary technician. It would be a good experience to see if you really like the work and want to persue a college education.
But all in all, pay rates are going to depend on your value as an employee---not all people who get a degree are equal in skill, knowledge or relating to clients/coworkers/animals. Your personal aptitude, attitude and drive plays into your overall value as an employee.
As for the National Guard ACS question, I don't know that it will particularly get you better pay because it's going to be much more basic training in assisting a veterinarian, but it will be better than no experience at all in the field. This training is not equivalent to a degree in veterinary technology and is not sufficient for credentialling as a veterinary technician. It would be a good experience to see if you really like the work and want to persue a college education.
But all in all, pay rates are going to depend on your value as an employee---not all people who get a degree are equal in skill, knowledge or relating to clients/coworkers/animals. Your personal aptitude, attitude and drive plays into your overall value as an employee.
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