Vet Technician Degree Program
How to Choose the Right One Near Foster City California

Finding a veterinary technician school near Foster City CA to achieve your heartfelt desire to help and provide medical treatment for our pets may initially feel like an enormous challenge. After all, you have to find and enroll in a school that will deliver the proper training so that you can succeed as a vet tech. But just how do you approach analyzing and comparing programs so that you can make the best choice? Many potential students begin their due diligence process by searching for schools that are near their homes. After they have located some nearby colleges, they ascertain which ones have the most affordable tuition and focus on those. Although location and cost are important factors when assessing veterinary technician schools, they are by no means the only critical ones when making your evaluations. Internship and job placement programs as well as accreditation are equally important if not more so as location and cost. The bottom line is that prior to making a selection, you need to complete your due diligence and compare all important qualifications of the programs you are assessing. We have presented several within this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we'll go over the different responsibilities of vet techs and the training alternatives available.

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

Vet Technician Training Options

One of the initial decisions that you will have to make is whether you desire to train as a veterinary assistant, technologist or technician. Part of your determination might be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to devote to your education, but the main determiner will most likely be which specialty appeals to you the most. What techs and assistants have in common is that they both work under the direct guidance of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And although there are numerous duties that they can carry out within the Foster City CA veterinary practice or hospital, they can't prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or conduct surgical procedures. In those areas they may only provide assistance to a licensed veterinarian. There are technicians and technologists that work exclusive of the standard veterinarian 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 most instances will have completed a formal training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a vet clinic or hospital, 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 veterinarians and vet technicians in the performance of their duties. Normally they are not associated with more involved undertakings, for instance assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their typical functions may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning exam rooms and equipment, or controlling animals during exams.
• Vet Technicians undergo more advanced training compared with assistants and generally obtain a 2 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 general job duty is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they differ from veterinary assistants is that they are included in more complex tasks, for instance assisting with surgical procedures or providing medicine. All states presently require veterinary techs pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are similar to veterinary techs and basically perform the same job functions. They are mandated to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which typically requires four years to complete. Therefore the only real difference between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist's higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more job options, increased salaries and possible management positions. They are also mandated to pass a credentialing examination for either registration, certification or licensing.

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

Veterinary Technician Online Programs Available

An approach that might make sense for those with a busy lifestyle or who are working full time while attending veterinary college is to enroll in an online program. Since the classes are offered over the internet, students can study on their own timetable wherever a computer is accessible. The syllabus is taught using various venues, including slide shows, videos and live streaming webinars. And since most vet technician and technologist degrees require practical training, that segment can usually be fulfilled as an internship or work study program at a local Foster City CA veterinary practice or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in some instances reduce the cost of your education. Tuition and secondary costs, for instance for commuting and study materials, can be cheaper 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 certified accrediting agency. With the online classes and the practical training, everything is included for a comprehensive education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more independent manner, an online vet tech school may be the right choice for you.

Questions to Ask Veterinary Technician Programs

By now you should have selected which veterinary credential that you wish to attain, and if you want to study online or attend a college on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, vocational and trade schools in the Foster City CA area and across the Country, you need to ask some qualifying questions to help narrow down your list of options. As we pointed out in our introduction, many prospective students start by concentrating on location and tuition expense. But we have previously pointed out other important qualifiers, such as accreditation and internship programs. And naturally you want to enroll in a college that offers the degree and specialty that you are interested in. These and other qualifications are covered in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician colleges that you are reviewing.

Is the Vet School Accredited?  It's important that you make sure that the veterinary technician college you select is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As previously discussed, among the most highly respected is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Trade schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone a rigorous review process that verifies you will receive a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since many programs are not offered for non-accredited programs. Last, having a degree or certificate from an accredited program is often a precondition for employment for a number of Foster City CA area veterinary practices and hospitals.

What is the School's Reputation?  The veterinarian college or vocational school and program you enroll in must have an excellent reputation within the veterinarian field. You can initiate your due diligence by asking the schools you are looking at for endorsements from the employers in their job assistance network. Other pointers include looking on online school ranking websites and speaking with the school's accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any grievances or infractions concerning your specific schools. As a final suggestion, call some Foster City CA vet clinics that you may want to work for after you get your training. Find out what they think of your school selections. They may even recommend one or more schools not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs?  The best approach to obtain clinical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Find out if the schools you are looking at have internship programs arranged with Foster City CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or clinics. Almost all veterinary medicine programs require clinical training and many provide it through internships. Not only will the experience be valuable regarding the practical training, but an internship can also help establish relationships in the local veterinarian community and aid in the search for employment after graduation.

Is Job Placement Offered?  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 schools you are considering. A low rate could indicate that the instructors were unqualified to teach the syllabus or that some students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, verify that the schools have a job placement program and find out what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate might signify that the program has an exceptional reputation within the Foster City CA vet community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate could 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 in size, you probably will receive little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Solicit from the Foster City CA programs you are looking at what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also decide to attend a few classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between instructors and students. Get feedback from students concerning the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the instructors and determine what their qualifications are as well as their approaches to teaching.

Where is the School Located?  Of course, we already talked about location, but there are a couple of more points to make on the subject. If you are going to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your Foster City CA home, you have to make certain that the driving 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, especially if the school is located in or near a larger city. Also, if you do decide to enroll in a college 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 might be an alternative that will provide you with more flexibility and decrease the need for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible?  And last, it's imperative that you determine if the vet schools you are exploring offer class times flexible enough to accommodate your schedule. For example, a number of students continue to work full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near Foster City CA. Others might only be able to attend classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Make sure that the class times you need are offered prior to enrolling. Also, determine if you can make up classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies. You may discover that an online school is the best solution to fit your veterinary training into your busy life.

Find Out More About Becoming a Veterinary Technician in Foster City

Enroll in the Best Foster City Veterinary Technologist School

Choosing the ideal veterinary technician school is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career delivering treatment and care for animals. Future students thinking about vet tech programs need to make their determination based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They commonly take on 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 outstanding reputation within the field. This goes for online vet tech programs as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for reviewing schools, you will be able to narrow down your options so that you can make your final decision. And by choosing the ideal school, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a vet tech in Foster City California.

 

Foster City Vet Tech Programs | Foster City How To Become A Vet Tech