Vet Technician Degree
How to Select the Right One Near Sun Lakes Arizona

Choosing a veterinary technician school near Sun Lakes AZ to achieve your lifelong desire to work with and provide medical treatment for animals may from the start feel like an enormous task. After all, you must search for and enroll in a college that will furnish the proper training so that you can be successful as a veterinary technician. And in order to pick the right one you must research and compare each of the schools you have placed on your short list. Many potential students launch their due diligence process by searching for colleges that are near their homes. When they have located some area schools, they determine which ones have the most affordable tuition and hone in on those. Although cost and location are important considerations when comparing vet tech schools, they are by no means the only important ones when making your assessments. Job placement and intership programs in addition to accreditation are just as important if not more so as location and cost. The main idea is that there are questions you should be asking the veterinary technician schools you are looking at before you make a final decision. We have provided several within this article to help get you started, but before we discuss them we'll explore the various duties of veterinary technicians and the training options offered.

IT TAKES JUST A FEW MINUTES TO START YOUR VET TECH CAREER BELOW

Vet Tech Degree Options

One of the first decisions that you will have to make is if you plan to train as a vet assistant, technician or technologist. Part of your decision might be predicated on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the principal determiner will undoubtedly be which specialization appeals to you the most. What techs and assistants share in common is that they each work under the direct guidance of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And although there are a number of duties that they can carry out within the Sun Lakes AZ veterinary practice or hospital, they can't prescribe medications, diagnose health issues, or perform surgeries. In those areas they can only furnish assistance to a licensed vet. There are technicians and technologists that work outside of the typical veterinarian practice, for example for zoos, animal shelters or police departments. Let's take a look at the responsibilities and training requirements for each specialization.

• Vet Assistants in the majority of instances will have undergone a structured training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a practice, or by graduating from a certificate program at a community college or vocational school. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the vets and vet technicians in the performance of their duties. Generally they are not involved with more complicated undertakings, such as assisting with surgeries. Some of their regular duties may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning exam rooms and equipment, or handling pets during exams.
• Vet Technicians undergo more advanced training compared with assistants and generally earn a two year Associate Degree, preferably from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinary counterparts of medical nurses, since their general job duty is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they differ from vet assistants is that they are involved in more complicated tasks, such as assisting with surgical procedures or providing medicine. All states currently mandate that vet techs pass a credentialing exam for either certification, registration or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are comparable to veterinary techs and essentially perform the same job functions. They are mandated to earn a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which typically requires 4 years. Therefore the main distinction between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist's higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more work opportunities, increased salaries and possible management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing exam for either licensing, registration or certification.

Vet techs and technologists can specialize in areas such as anesthesia, internal medicine or urgent care. A number may acquire certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in  Sun Lakes AZ laboratories or research facilities also.

Things to Ask Vet Tech Colleges

By now you should have selected which veterinary degree that you want to attain, and if you intend to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinary community colleges, technical and vocational schools in the Sun Lakes AZ area and across the USA, you should ask some qualifying questions to help fine tune your list of options. As we discussed in our opening, many future students start by concentrating on location and tuition expense. But we have previously mentioned other essential qualifiers, for instance accreditation and internship programs. And obviously you need to enroll in a college that offers the degree and specialty that you want to earn. These and other qualifications are covered in the checklist of questions that you should ask the vet tech colleges that you are reviewing.

Is the Vet School Accredited?  It's imperative that you make sure that the veterinary technician college you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As earlier discussed, among the most highly respected is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Trade schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have gone through a rigorous screening process that confirms you will obtain a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since many programs are not obtainable for non-accredited programs. Last, having a certificate or degree from an accredited program is frequently a requirement for employment for a number of Sun Lakes AZ area veterinarian practices and hospitals.

What is the Program's Reputation?  The veterinary college or trade school and program you choose should have an outstanding reputation within the veterinarian community. You can initiate your due diligence by asking the schools you are interested in for references from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include looking on online school rating websites and speaking with the school's accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the Arizona school licensing authority if there have been any complaints or infractions involving your specific schools. As a final suggestion, phone some Sun Lakes AZ veterinarians that you may want to work for after you get your training. Find out what they think about your school selections. They might even recommend one or more colleges not on your list.

Are Internships Offered?  The best means to get practical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a professional setting. Find out if the colleges you are looking at have internship programs set up with Sun Lakes AZ veterinarians, vet hospitals or practices. Most veterinary medicine programs mandate clinical training and many provide it by way of internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the practical training, but an internship may also help build associations in the local veterinary community and help in the search for a position after graduation.

Is there a Job Assistance Program?  Finding a job after graduating from a vet tech college may be challenging without the help of a job placement program. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the programs you are considering. A low rate might mean that the teachers were unqualified to teach the syllabus or that some students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, confirm that the colleges have a job assistance program and find out what their placement rates are. A high placement rate may mean that the program has an excellent reputation within the Sun Lakes AZ vet community and has a considerable network of contacts for student placements. A low rate might mean that the training is not highly thought of by employers or that the job assistance program is a failure at placing students.

How Large are the Classes?  If the classes are larger in size, you probably will receive little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Solicit from the Sun Lakes AZ programs you are looking at what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also want to sit in on a few classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between teachers and students. Get evaluations from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, talk with the instructors and find out what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the College Located?  Of course, we previously talked about location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the topic. If you are going to drive to your vet tech classes from your Sun Lakes AZ home, you must make sure that the driving time is compatible with your schedule. For instance, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won't be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, particularly if the campus is located in or close by a large city. In addition, if you do opt to attend a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition costs especially for community and state colleges. On the other hand, attending online classes could be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible?  And last, it's important that you determine if the veterinary programs you are exploring offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate your schedule. For example, a number of students continue to work full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or at night near Sun Lakes AZ. Others might only be able to go to classes in the morning or in the afternoon. Confirm that the class times you need are available prior to enrolling. Also, determine if you can make-up classes that you might miss due to work, illness or family responsibilities. You might discover that an online program is the best solution to fit your veterinary education into your active life.

Learn More About How to Become a Veterinary Tech in Sun Lakes

Enroll in the Right Sun Lakes Vet Technologist School

Enrolling in the right veterinary technician program is a critical first step to starting a fulfilling career delivering treatment and care for pets and livestock. Students thinking about vet tech programs need to make their selection based on multiple key factors. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They typically handle administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animal patients as needed. As we have discussed, it's very important that you choose a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This goes for vet tech online programs as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to reduce your options so that you can make your final decision. And by picking the right program, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a vet tech in Sun Lakes Arizona.

 

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