Vet Technician Degree
How to Select the Right One Near Emeryville California

Fulfilling your lifelong dream of working with and caring for animals by enrolling in a vet tech school near Emeryville CA may initially seem like an overwhelming endeavor. After all, you need to search for and enroll in a program that will furnish the proper training to ensure that you can succeed as a vet tech. And so that you pick the best one you must evaluate and compare all of the schools you have placed on your short list. Many potential students launch their due diligence process by searching for schools that are near their homes. Once they have identified some local colleges, they ascertain which ones have the lowest tuition and focus on those. Although location and expense are significant considerations when assessing vet technician programs, they are by no means the only significant 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 main point is that before making a selection, you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the programs you are evaluating. We have furnished several within this article to help get you started, but before we review them we'll explore the different roles of veterinary technicians and the training alternatives available.

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

Vet Technician Education Options

Among the first decisions that you will need to make is if you plan to train as a veterinary technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your preference might be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the primary factor will most likely be which specialty interests you the most. What technicians and assistants have in common is that they both work under the direct direction of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And while there are many jobs that they can perform within the Emeryville CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe medications, diagnose conditions, or carry out surgeries. In those areas they may only provide assistance to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work away from the conventional vet practice, such as for animal shelters, zoos or police departments. Let's take a look at the job functions and education prerequisites for each specialty.

• Vet Assistants in the majority of instances will have gone through a structured 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 vets and vet techs in the performance of their duties. Usually they are not associated with more complicated tasks, for example assisting with surgeries. A few of their normal responsibilities may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing examination rooms and equipment, or controlling animals during examinations.
• Vet Technicians get more extensive training compared with assistants and usually obtain a two year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinary counterparts of medical nurses, since their basic job function is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they differ from veterinary assistants is that they are included in more involved tasks, for instance assisting with surgeries or providing medicine. All states presently mandate that vet technicians pass a credentialing examination for either registration, certification or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are comparable to veterinary techs and essentially perform the same job functions. They are mandated to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which usually requires 4 years to complete. So the main difference 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 potential management positions. They are additionally mandated to pass a credentialing exam for either licensing, registration or certification.

Vet technicians and technologists can specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or urgent care. Many may acquire certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in  Emeryville CA laboratories or research facilities also.

Questions to Ask Veterinary Technician Programs

By now you should have selected which veterinary degree that you would like to obtain, and if you want to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are a large number of veterinarian community colleges, trade and vocational schools in the Emeryville CA area as well as across the USA, you must ask some qualifying questions to help fine tune your list of options. As we mentioned in our introduction, many potential students start by prioritizing location and the cost of tuition. But we have already touched on other essential qualifiers, such as internship programs and accreditation. And of course you want to enroll in a program that offers the degree and specialty that you are interested in. These and other qualifications are addressed in the list of questions that you should ask the vet tech programs that you are considering.

Is the Vet School Accredited?  It's important that you verify that the vet tech program you select is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As earlier mentioned, one of the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone a thorough 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 schools. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited college is in many cases a prerequisite for employment for a number of Emeryville CA area vet clinics and hospitals.

What is the College's Reputation?  The vet trade school or college and program you enroll in must have an outstanding reputation within the vet community. You can start your due diligence by asking the schools you are interested in for references from the employers in their job placement network. Other pointers include checking with online school ranking websites and checking with the school's accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any complaints or infractions involving your targeted schools. As a final pointer, phone some Emeryville CA vet clinics that you might want to work for after you go through your training. Find out what they think of your school choices. They may even recommend some programs not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs?  The best way to get clinical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Find out if the schools you are considering have internship programs arranged with Emeryville CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or clinics. The majority of veterinary medicine programs mandate clinical training and a large number provide it by way of internships. Not only will the experience be beneficial regarding the clinical training, but an internship may also help build associations in the local vet community and assist in the search for a position after graduation.

Is Job Placement Offered?  Getting a job after graduating from a veterinary technician school can be challenging without the assistance of a job placement program. To start with, find out what the graduation rates are for the programs you are evaluating. A low rate could signify that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the syllabus or that some students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, verify that the colleges have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate could indicate that the program has an excellent reputation within the Emeryville CA vet community and has a considerable network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate might signify that the training is not highly regarded by employers or that the job placement program is ineffective at placing students.

How Big are the Classes?  If the classes are larger in size, you probably will get little or no personalized instruction from the teachers. Request from the Emeryville CA programs you are looking at what their classroom teacher to student ratios are. You may also decide to attend a few classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between students and instructors. Ask for evaluations from students concerning 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 Campus Located?  Yes, we already discussed location, but there are several more points to make on the topic. If you are going to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your Emeryville CA home, you must confirm that the commuting time is compatible with your schedule. For instance, driving during the weekend to check out the route won't be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, especially if the school is located near or in a larger city. Also, if you do choose to attend a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition charges particularly for state and community colleges. On the other hand, taking classes online could be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible?  And finally, it's important that you find out if the veterinary programs you are exploring offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For instance, a number of students continue working full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near Emeryville CA. Some might only be able to go to classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Make sure that the class times you need are available before enrolling. Also, determine if you can make-up classes that you may miss as a result of work, illness or family issues. You might discover that an online school is the best way to fit your vet education into your busy life.

Find Out More About Becoming a Vet Technologist in Emeryville

Enroll in the Best Emeryville Vet Technologist Program

Selecting the appropriate veterinary technician program is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career providing treatment and care for animals. Potential students thinking about vet tech colleges must make their decision based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They usually handle administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animals when needed. As we have covered, it's essential that you enroll in a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This goes for vet tech online schools as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for evaluating schools, you will be able to reduce your options so that you can make your final choice. And by choosing the best school, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a veterinary technician in Emeryville California.

 

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