Veterinary Technician School For You
 If you are one of those people who loves animals and enjoys taking care of
them, then you might want to consider getting a career as a veterinary
technician or veterinary assistant. Technically speaking, veterinary
technicians assist the veterinarian in looking after the health and
well-being of animals. Just like a registered nurse, he works under the
supervision of a veterinarian in performing clinical and laboratory
functions. Keep in mind that this career also has its own set of challenges,
and can be very physically and emotionally demanding when it comes to taking
care of animals.
Veterinary technicians can have varying duties and responsibilities
depending on the type of training they received and their place of work.
They are generally involved in carrying out a variety of medical and
laboratory tests such as blood counts and urinalysis, and may also assist
the veterinarian in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and
disorders in animals. Veterinary technicians can also be responsible for
other variety of tasks such as the management of patient records,
administering of medications, exposing and developing of radiographs and
x-rays, and even training of new clinic staff.
In order to start your career as a veterinary technician, you must first
receive proper training and education from veterinary schools which have
been accredited by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) or
CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. The most commonly taken
educational program for a veterinary technician is a two-year course, which
ultimately awards the student with an Associate’s Degree. A four-year
Bachelor’s Degree program may also be taken up, and graduates of this
program are usually called veterinary technologists.
It is the AVMA and CVMA’s job to accredit veterinary technician schools with
an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degrees, albeit this is not mandatory in some
states or provinces. They also accredit veterinary colleges offering
distance education programs. Practical clinical experience is also important
in order to receive accreditation from the AVMA, especially for long
distance education programs, and is also a requisite for graduation. Working
for a duly licensed veterinary clinic or veterinary technician can help
students acquire the necessary amount of hours of internship.
Different states will have varying regulations for veterinary technicians
and technologists, although all states mandate the successful completion of
a certification examination after graduation. After the exam, they may be
referred to as certified, licensed or registered depending on the state.
This certification is important so that anyone requiring the service of a
veterinary technician is assured that he has received proper education and
training in performing his duties and responsibilities. The State Board of
Veterinary Examiners is responsible for regulating these certification
exams.
There are plenty of career opportunities for a veterinary technician
especially within the next decade. This is due to the relatively small
number of individuals graduating each year from veterinary technology
programs. It can also be attributed to the increasing number of pet owners
all over the country. More and more people consider their pets as part of
the family which is why they require special medical attention for their
pets. This field can be considered as one of the fastest-growing – with
around 29,000 new veterinary technician jobs forecasted to be generated
until the year 2016 and an estimated job growth of 41% as reported by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). When it comes to financial data, a report
by the BLS in the year 2007 shows an average annual salary of $28,920 and
hourly rates of $13.90 for veterinary technicians working in veterinary
clinics and hospitals. Those who were employed in pharmaceutical firms and
federal government earned the highest salary threshold, with an average
annual salary of $42,240 and $43,380 respectively.
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