Veterinary technicians are responsible for providing professional technical support to vet doctors, scientists, and bio medical researchers. They must be trained in venipuncture that involves processing and evaluating radiographs, necessary animal lab testing, urine collection, urinalysis, chemistry, serology, biochemistry, etc. They need to work under the supervision of veterinarians for sample collections, catheterization, anesthesia and other medical functions. Vet tech should also take and keep records, evaluate and maintain machines, etc. They also need to perform various responsibilities such as:
- Radiology (taking radiographs and submitting results to doctors),
- Patient medical care (give medicines, feeding, cleaning and walking patients as needed, administer IV fluids, etc),
- Dentistry (take dental radiographs, ultrasonic cleaning and polishing, etc),
- Surgery (surgical preparation, cleaning, sterilizing and maintaining all surgical equipment),
- Anesthesia (clean anesthesia equipment, induct, maintain and monitor patients),
- Preparation of invoices,
- Prepare prescriptions,
- Assist with inventory control,
- Assist in training new team members,
- Assist with front desk or reception,
- Client communications,
- Clinic technician (assist doctors with outpatient appointments, cleaning exam rooms, taking history and vitals, etc),
- Client medical education, etc
Academic Requirements
Online vet tech programs offer certificate, diploma, associate’s and bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology. You need to undergo a two years’ training program for getting a certified, diploma and associate degree in vet technology. On the other hand, the bachelor’s degree takes four years to complete. You must make sure that the educational program you selected is accredited by American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The coursework covers topics such as:
- Veterinary terminology,
- Animal disease,
- Biology,
- Microbiology,
- Advanced animal nursing,
- Ultasonography,
- Animal husbandry and diseases,
- Veterinary clinical laboratory techniques,
- Veterinary anatomy and physiology,
- Comparative anatomy and physiology,
- Surgical principles,
- Hematology,
- Veterinary medicine, etc.
After completing the entry level online vet tech programs, you can go for specialization in veterinary technology. Most of the online veterinary colleges offer specialized courses in research and veterinary behavior, internal medicine, emergency, anesthesiology, dental care, etc.
Necessary Skills
In order to become a vet technician, you must be physically strong, gentle and caring person. You must not be short tempered because you are going to handle misbehaving and noisy animals. You must also be willing to do clerical works as well. You must have good communication skills because you need to communicate with vets, staff members and animal owners. You must also be emotionally strong because you need to manage the feelings of seriously ill and dying animals.
Certification
After completing vet tech and internship programs successfully, you need to appear for certification examinations. Many states conduct Veterinary Technician National Examinations of American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Different states call the certified vet tech as Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), etc. However, most states use National Veterinary Technician (NVT) examination.
Top Online Vet Tech Schools
You can find a number of schools and colleges which offer online vet tech programs to the students. However, when you select a program for training, you should choose an accredited course. If the program you selected has the right accreditation, you can seek federal and state loan, scholarship programs, etc. You can make use of private and government loans for completing your course. Here are some of the accredited online schools, which offer vet tech programs to students.
Ashworth University
This university offer Professional Veterinary Assisting programs to students. By enrolling in this program, students can earn essential skills such as prevention and treatment of common diseases, lab testing, physical examinations, emergency care, etc.
Penn Foster College
The School conducts Veterinary Assistant program and it offers all materials and textbooks in an affordable rate. The vet tech programs of this college are designed specially for busy people who want to attend classes online. Convenience, support, reliability, affordable tuition, respected degree, etc are the other peculiarities of Pen Foster College’s online vet tech programs.
Animal Behavior College
This college offers flexible and affordable programs for those who interested in caring animals. You can get training in veterinary assistant from Animal behavior College.
Some of the other colleges which offer accredited online vet tech programs are:
- Brown Mackie College,
- Vatterott College,
- Sanford Brown College,
- Kaplan College,
- Platt College,
- Minnesota School of Business,
- Harrison Colleges,
- New England Institute of Technology, etc.
Vet Tech Salary
After completing the certified vet tech program, you can seek entry level position in animal hospitals and clinics, animal shelters, humane societies, research facilities, laboratories, wildlife sanctuary, zoo, etc. An experienced and certified veterinary technician can earn around $45,000 per year.