Vet Technician Program
How to Select the Right One Near Fair Oaks California

Choosing a veterinary technician school near Fair Oaks CA to fulfill your passionate desire to help and provide medical treatment for animals may initially feel like an overwhelming challenge. But to be successful as a practicing veterinary technician, you must first locate and ultimately enroll in a program that will provide the required training and education. But just how do you approach analyzing and contrasting schools so that you can make the right choice? Many potential students start their due diligence process by looking for colleges that are near their homes. When they have found some local schools, they ascertain which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although location and cost are important considerations when comparing veterinary technician programs, they are not the only significant ones when making your comparisons. Factors such as internship programs and accreditation need to be evaluated also. The main point is that before making a selection, you need to finish your due diligence and compare all important aspects of the schools you are reviewing. We have presented several in this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we'll go over the different duties of veterinary technicians and the training options available.

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

Vet Tech Degree Options

One of the initial decisions that you will need to make is if you desire to train as a veterinary technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your determination may be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the principal determiner will most likely be which specialization appeals to you the most. What techs and assistants have in common is that they each work under the immediate guidance of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And although there are many duties that they can perform within the Fair Oaks CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or perform surgical procedures. In those areas they can only furnish assistance to a licensed veterinarian. There are technicians and technologists that work outside of the conventional vet practice, for instance for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let's take a look at the duties and training prerequisites for each position.

• Vet Assistants in the majority of instances will have undergone a formal training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a practice, 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. Usually they are not associated with more complicated activities, such as assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their usual duties may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning examination rooms and equipment, or handling pets during examinations.
• Vet Technicians receive more extensive training compared to assistants and generally obtain a two year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a fashion the veterinary equivalent of medical nurses, since their general job function is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from vet assistants is that they are involved in more complex tasks, for instance assisting with surgical procedures or administering medicine. All states presently mandate that vet technicians pass a credentialing exam for either certification, registration or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are comparable to vet techs and essentially perform the same job functions. They are mandated to attain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which typically takes four years to complete. Therefore the only real difference between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist's more advanced level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more career opportunities, higher salaries and potential management positions. They are additionally required to pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.

Veterinary techs and technologists may specialize in areas such as anesthesia, internal medicine or urgent care. Many may earn certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in  Fair Oaks CA labs or research facilities as well.

Questions to Ask Vet Tech Schools

At this point you probably have decided on which veterinarian degree that you would like to attain, and if you want to study online or attend a college on campus. Since there are a large number of veterinary community colleges, technical and vocational schools in the Fair Oaks CA area as well as across the United States, you must ask some qualifying questions in order to fine tune your list of alternatives. As we mentioned in our opening, many future students start by focusing on location and the cost of tuition. But we have already pointed out other essential qualifiers, for instance accreditation and internship programs. And obviously you need to enroll in a program that offers the specialty and degree that you are interested in. These and other qualifications are addressed in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician colleges that you are considering.

Is the Veterinary College Accredited?  It's essential that you verify that the vet tech school you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As earlier discussed, one of 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 demanding screening process that verifies you will receive a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are applying for a student loan or financial aid, since a large number of programs are not available for non-accredited programs. Last, having a certificate or degree from an accredited school is often a precondition for employment for many Fair Oaks CA area veterinary clinics and hospitals.

What is the School's Reputation?  The veterinarian vocational school or college and program you choose must have an outstanding reputation within the veterinarian community. You can begin your due diligence by asking the colleges you are looking at for endorsements from the employers in their job assistance network. Other pointers include checking with internet school ranking websites and checking with the school's accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any complaints or violations relating to your specific schools. As a final tip, get in touch with some Fair Oaks CA vet clinics that you might want to work for after you get your training. Find out what they think of your school choices. They might even recommend one or more programs not on your list.

Are Internships Offered?  The best approach to obtain practical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Ask if the programs you are looking at have internship programs established with Fair Oaks CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or practices. Most veterinary medicine programs require practical training and many provide it by means of internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the practical training, but an internship can also help build connections in the local veterinarian community and aid in the search for a job after graduation.

Is there a Job Assistance Program?  Searching for a job after graduating from a vet tech school may be challenging without the assistance of a job placement program. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the programs you are evaluating. A lower rate might indicate that the instructors were unqualified to teach the course of study or that some students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, verify that the colleges have a job assistance program and find out what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate may indicate that the college has an exceptional reputation within the Fair Oaks CA veterinarian community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A low rate may indicate that the training is not highly thought of by employers or that the job placement program is a failure at placing students.

How Large are the Classes?  If the classes are larger sized, you most likely will receive little or no personalized instruction from the teachers. Request from the Fair Oaks CA programs you are considering what their class student to teacher ratios are. You may also want to participate in a couple of classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between students and instructors. Ask for evaluations from students concerning the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the teachers and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their approaches to teaching.

Where is the Campus Located?  Yes, we previously discussed location, but there are a few more points to make on the subject. If you are planning to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your Fair Oaks CA home, you need to confirm 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 near or in a large city. In addition, if you do choose to enroll in a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition costs especially for state and community colleges. Of course taking online classes may be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and decrease the need for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible?  And finally, it's imperative that you ascertain if the veterinarian schools you are evaluating offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For instance, a number of students continue to work full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or at night near Fair Oaks CA. Others may only be able to go to classes in the morning or in the afternoon. Verify that the class times you require are available prior to enrolling. In addition, determine if you can make-up classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies. You may discover that an online college is the ideal solution to fit your veterinary training into your hectic life.

Learn More About Becoming a Veterinary Tech in Fair Oaks

Enroll in the Right Fair Oaks Vet Technologist Program

Picking the appropriate vet tech program is a crucial first step to starting a gratifying career delivering care and treatment for pets and livestock. Potential students looking into vet tech schools need to make their selection based on multiple key factors. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They usually handle administrative tasks and assist the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have discussed, it's imperative that you select a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an excellent reputation within the profession. This goes for vet tech online colleges as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for reviewing schools, you will be able to narrow down your alternatives so that you can make your final decision. And by picking the right program, you can achieve your goal of becoming a vet tech in Fair Oaks California.

 

Fair Oaks Vet Tech Colleges | Fair Oaks Veterinary Technician Schools