Veterinary Tech

Research The Best Way To Become A Veterinary Tech - Find Out About Veterinarian Technician Schools, Training And Certification

A veterinary tech can be trained to work in a variety of environments, and so the job description could change slightly depending on where you work. Working in a research lab would mean you'd be responsible for feeding and taking care of the animals, as well as charting their behavior.

Veterinary Tech Job Description

If you work in a vet clinic though, you will still feed and care for the animals, but you will also help the vet treat the animals. This could mean holding the animals when they are being checked, giving injections, taking xrays, performing dentistry, spaying or neutering and euthanasia.

You will also have daily tasks like getting and maintaining the animal's histories, collecting samples and analysing them in the lab, ordering and stocking drugs and preparing the instruments needed for surgery. You could even work in emergency care or at a zoo, with completely different requirements. Your veterinarian tech training should prepare you for all these duties.

Necessary Training

In order to become a vet tech, you need to train at veterinarian schools to get the required education. Generally, veterinarian tech training consists of getting an associate's degree in 16-24 months, but there are also 4 year bachelor's degree programs that often lead students to go on to complete their master's degree.

Having these advanced degrees will significantly increase the cap of your salary. Your veterinary technician school should be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and there are even 10 distance courses that are accredited to take.

You should also look for a school that offers an extensive internship or externship to gain practical experience. After your studies, you will need to become certified, and although the certification exam varies in some states, most use the National Veterinary Technician (NVT) for technicians looking to work in a clinic.

If you want to work in a research lab, you should get your American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). There are many certification exams available, so make sure you pass the one required by your state and that will offer you the opportunities you want.

Salaries

A vet tech is not the highest paid worker there is, but you have to look at the complete package to decide if it is worth your while. Often vet techs are offered a complete benefit package that makes up for the lower income.

Also, if you decide to work in a research lab, you will start out with a lower salary than in a private clinic, but the research position's salary will increase at a faster rate.

Your level of education is also a huge factor, as are your experience and if you decide to work in a big practice in the city, or a small country clinic.

In general, the average vet tech salary is about $29,000 a year, with the top 10% earning as high as $40,000 a year. You will not become a millionaire doing this work, but it will be a very rewarding job that you can feel proud of, so look into becoming a veterinary tech to experience job satisfaction.

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