Veterinary Technician College
How to Find the Right One Near Concord California
Achieving your long term aspiration of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a veterinary technician program near Concord CA could initially feel like a challenging task. After all, you must find and enroll in a program that will provide the proper training to ensure that you can be successful as a veterinary technician. And so that you pick the best one you must research and compare all of the schools you have placed on your short list. When looking for vet tech schools, many potential students start by zeroing in on those that are closest to their homes. Once they have located some local colleges, they determine which ones have the cheapest tuition and hone in on those. Although location and cost are significant factors when assessing vet technician schools, they are by no means the only important ones when making your evaluations. Internship and job placement programs in addition to accreditation are just as important if not more so as location and cost. The bottom line is that before making a selection, you need to finish your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the schools you are assessing. We have provided several in this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we'll talk about the various duties of vet techs and the training alternatives offered.
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Vet Tech Training Options
One of the initial decisions that you will have to make is if you wish to train as a veterinary assistant, technician or technologist. Part of your decision might be based on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the principal determiner will undoubtedly be which specialty appeals to you the most. What techs and assistants share in common is that they each work under the immediate guidance of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And even though there are a number of tasks that they can perform within the Concord CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or carry out surgeries. In those areas they can only provide support to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work outside of the conventional veterinarian practice, for instance for animal shelters, zoos or police departments. Let's take a look at the responsibilities and education prerequisites for each specialization.
- Vet Assistants in almost all instances will have undergone a structured training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a vet clinic or hospital, or by finishing a certificate program at a community college or trade school. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the veterinarians and vet techs in the performance of their duties. Generally they are not involved with more involved tasks, for instance assisting with surgeries. A few of their usual functions may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or handling pets during examinations.
- Vet Technicians go through more extensive training compared with assistants and usually earn a two year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a fashion the veterinary counterparts of medical nurses, since their general job function is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they differ from veterinary assistants is that they are included in more complicated tasks, for example assisting with surgical procedures or providing medicine. All states currently require vet technicians pass a credentialing examination for either certification, registration or licensing.
- Vet Technologists are similar to veterinary techs and for the most part perform the same job functions. They are mandated to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which generally takes four years. Therefore the only real distinction between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist's higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more job options, higher salaries and possible management positions. They are also mandated to pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.
Veterinary technicians and technologists can specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or emergency care. Many may acquire certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Concord CA laboratories or research facilities as well.
Veterinary Technician Online Programs Offered
An alternative that might make sense for those with a hectic lifestyle or who are working full time while going to veterinarian college is to enroll in an online training program. Because the classes are provided through the internet, students can attend on their own timetable wherever a computer is accessible. The course of study is taught using several methods, including videos, slide shows and live streaming webinars. And since most vet tech and technologist degrees require clinical training, that segment can usually be fulfilled as an internship or work study program at a local Concord CA veterinarian clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in some instances reduce the cost of your education. Tuition and secondary expenses, for example for travel and study supplies, can be lower compared to more traditional classroom courses. Just make sure that the program that you enroll in is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally recognized accrediting agency. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything is provided for a comprehensive education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more independent mode, an online veterinary technician school may be the right choice for you.
What to Ask Vet Tech Schools
By now you should have selected which veterinarian credential that you wish to earn, and if you want to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, vocational and trade schools in the Concord CA area as well as across the Country, you must ask some qualifying questions to help narrow down your list of alternatives. As we pointed out in our introduction, many potential students start by concentrating on location and the cost of tuition. But we have previously pointed out other essential qualifiers, such as internship programs and accreditation. And of course you need to choose a program that offers the specialty and degree that you want to earn. These and other factors are covered in the list of questions that you should ask the veterinary technician programs that you are looking at.
Is the Veterinary School Accredited? It's important that you verify that the vet tech college you select is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As previously discussed, one of the most highly regarded 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 receive a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are applying for a student loan or financial assistance, since a large number of programs are not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited program is in many cases a requirement for employment for a number of Concord CA area vet practices and hospitals.
What is the College's Reputation? The vet college or vocational school and program you select must have an excellent reputation within the veterinary field. You can begin your due diligence by asking the colleges you are reviewing for references from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include looking on online school rating websites and contacting the school's accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any grievances or infractions regarding your specific schools. As a final pointer, contact some Concord CA vet clinics that you might want to work for after you get your training. Ask what they think about your school choices. They may even recommend one or more schools not on your list.
Are there Internship Programs? The best way to obtain clinical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a clinical environment. Ask if the programs you are reviewing have internship programs established with Concord CA veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. Almost all veterinary medicine programs mandate practical training and many furnish it through internships. Not only will the experience be valuable as far as the clinical training, but an internship can also help establish relationships in the local veterinarian community and aid in the search for a position after graduation.
Is Job Assistance Provided? Getting a job after graduating from a veterinary technician college can be difficult without the assistance of a job placement program. To begin with, ask what the graduation rates are for the programs you are considering. A lower rate may suggest that the instructors were unqualified to teach the syllabus or that a number of students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, confirm that the colleges have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A high placement rate might mean that the program has an exceptional reputation within the Concord CA veterinarian community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate might signify that the training is not well 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, you most likely will get little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Solicit from the Concord CA programs you are researching what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also want to participate in a couple of classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between students and teachers. Get evaluations from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, talk with the teachers and determine what their qualifications are as well as their methods of teaching.
Where is the College Located? Of course, we already covered location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the topic. If you are going to drive to your veterinary technician classes from your Concord CA home, you must make certain that the commuting time fits into your schedule. For example, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won't be the same as the drive during rush hour traffic, particularly if the college is located in or close by a larger 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 increased tuition costs particularly for state and community colleges. Of course taking classes online may be an option that will provide you with more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.
Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And last, it's important that you ascertain if the veterinarian programs you are considering offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For example, a number of students continue working full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or at night near Concord CA. Others might only be able to attend classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Verify that the class times you need are offered prior to enrolling. In addition, find out if you can make up classes that you might miss because of work, sickness or family emergencies. You might discover that an online school is the ideal way to fit your vet training into your hectic life.
Find Out More About How to Become a Veterinary Tech in Concord
Enroll in the Right Concord Vet Technologist College
Selecting the right vet tech school is a critical first step to starting a gratifying career providing care and treatment for pets and livestock. Future students thinking about vet tech colleges must make their determination based on a number of key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They typically take on administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animal patients when 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 profession. This goes for online vet tech schools as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for evaluating schools, you will be able to narrow down your choices so that you can make your final selection. And by picking the best program, you can achieve your goal of becoming a vet tech in Concord California.