Vet Technician School
How to Enroll In the Right One Near Atascadero California

Finding a veterinary technician school near Atascadero CA to fulfill your passionate desire to work with and provide medical treatment for animals might from the start feel like an enormous challenge. After all, you have to search for and enroll in a school that will provide the necessary training to ensure that you can be successful as a veterinary technician. And so that you pick the right one you must evaluate and compare each of the schools you are considering. Many potential students start their due diligence process by looking for colleges that are close to their homes. Once they have found some local schools, they determine which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although location and expense are important factors when assessing vet tech schools, they are not the only significant ones when making your assessments. Qualifications such as internship programs and accreditation should be considered also. The main point is that before making a selection, you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are assessing. We have furnished several in this article to help get you started, but before we discuss them we'll go over the various roles of vet techs and the training options offered.

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

Vet Tech Degree Options

Among the first decisions that you will have to make is if you desire to train as a veterinary technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your decision may be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to commit to your education, but the principal determiner will undoubtedly be which specialty interests you the most. What technicians and assistants have in common is that they each work under the direct supervision of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And although there are a number of functions that they can carry out within the Atascadero CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe drugs, diagnose ailments, or conduct surgical procedures. In those areas they may only provide support to a licensed vet. There are technicians and technologists that work outside of the standard veterinarian practice, such as for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let's take a look at the job functions and training requirements for each specialization.

• Vet Assistants in almost all cases will have gone through a formal training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a vet clinic or hospital, or by graduating from a certificate program at a community college or trade school. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the veterinarians and vet technicians in the completion of their duties. Normally they are not associated with more complex activities, for example assisting with surgeries. A few of their normal duties may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing examination rooms and equipment, or handling animals during exams.
• Vet Technicians go through more extensive training compared to assistants and typically obtain a 2 year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinarian counterparts of medical nurses, since their basic 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 complex activities, such as assisting with surgical procedures or providing medication. All states currently mandate that vet technicians pass a credentialing examination for either certification, registration or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are similar to vet technicians and basically carry out the same job functions. They are required to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which typically takes four years to complete. So the only real distinction between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist's more advanced level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more career opportunities, increased salaries and potential management positions. They are additionally mandated to pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.

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

Questions to Ask Veterinary Technician Colleges

By now you probably have decided on which veterinarian degree that you wish to attain, and if you want to study online or attend a program on campus. Since there are an abundance of vet community colleges, technical and vocational schools in the Atascadero CA area as well as across the United States, you need to ask some qualifying questions in order to narrow down your list of alternatives. As we discussed in our introduction, many future students start by prioritizing location and the cost of tuition. But we have previously mentioned other significant qualifiers, such as accreditation and internship programs. And of course you need to choose a program that offers the degree and specialty that you would like to earn. These and other factors are addressed in the list of questions that you should ask the vet tech programs that you are considering.

Is the Veterinary Program Accredited?  It's important that you confirm that the veterinary technician program you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As previously discussed, one of the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have gone through a rigorous screening process that ensures you will obtain a quality education. Also, accreditation is essential if you are requesting a student loan or financial aid, since many programs are not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited school is often a prerequisite for employment for many Atascadero CA area veterinarian practices and hospitals.

What is the School's Reputation?  The vet college or vocational school and program you choose should have an excellent reputation within the veterinarian community. You can begin your due diligence by asking the schools you are interested in for testimonials from the employers in their job assistance network. Other pointers include looking on internet school rating websites and speaking with the school's accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any complaints or violations regarding your targeted schools. As a final pointer, contact some Atascadero CA veterinarians that you might wish to work for after you go through your training. Ask what they think about your school choices. They might even suggest some colleges not on your list.

Are Internships Offered?  The best way to get clinical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a professional setting. Find out if the programs you are looking at have internship programs set up with Atascadero CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or clinics. Almost all veterinary medicine programs require practical training and many furnish it by means of internships. Not only will the experience be valuable as far as the practical training, but an internship can also help build associations in the local vet 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 school can be difficult without the help of a job placement program. To start with, find out what the graduation rates are for the colleges you are reviewing. A lower rate may signify that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the course of study or that a number of students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, confirm that the schools have a job assistance program and find out what their placement rates are. A high placement rate might signify that the program has an exceptional reputation within the Atascadero CA veterinary community and has a significant network of contacts for student placements. A low rate could mean that the training is not well thought of by employers or that the job assistance program is ineffective at placing students.

How Big are the Classes?  If the classes are larger, you may receive little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Solicit from the Atascadero CA programs you are looking at what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also want to attend a few classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between students and teachers. Ask for feedback from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the teachers and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the Campus Located?  Yes, we previously covered location, but there are a couple of more points to make on the topic. If you are going to drive to your vet tech classes from your Atascadero CA home, you need to make sure that the commuting time fits into 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 near or in a larger city. In addition, if you do decide to attend a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition fees particularly for community and state colleges. On the other hand, attending online classes may be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and reduce the necessity for travel.

Do the Classes Fit Your Schedule?  And last, it's imperative that you determine if the veterinarian schools you are evaluating 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 in the evenings near Atascadero CA. Some may only be able to go to classes in the morning or in the afternoon. Make certain that the class times you require are available prior to enrolling. Also, find out if you can make up classes that you may miss because of illness, work or family issues. You may find that an online college is the ideal solution to fit your vet education into your active life.

Learn More About Becoming a Vet Technician in Atascadero

Enroll in the Right Atascadero Veterinary Technologist College

Picking the appropriate veterinary technician program is a crucial first step to starting a fulfilling career delivering care and treatment for animals. Future students looking into veterinary technician programs must make their selection based on a number of key factors. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They usually handle administrative tasks and support the veterinarian with the animal patients as needed. As we have covered, it's essential that you select a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an excellent reputation within the field. This goes for vet tech online programs as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to reduce your alternatives so that you can make your final decision. And by selecting the best college, you can achieve your goal of becoming a veterinary technician in Atascadero California.

 

Atascadero Online Vet Tech Schools | Atascadero Vet Tech Schools