Veterinary Technician Degree
How to Choose the Right One Near Orinda California
Finding a veterinary technician school near Orinda CA to achieve your heartfelt desire to help and care for our pets may from the start seem like an enormous task. After all, you need to find and enroll in a school that will provide the necessary training so that you can be successful as a vet tech. But just how do you go about analyzing and comparing programs so that you can make the proper choice? When looking for vet tech schools, many potential students start by targeting the ones that are nearest to their homes. Once they have identified some area colleges, they find out which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although cost and location are important factors when evaluating vet tech schools, they are not the only important ones when making your assessments. Qualifiers such as internship programs and accreditation should be looked into also. The bottom line is that before making a selection, you need to carry out your due diligence and compare all relevant aspects of the schools you are examining. We have presented several within this article in order to help get you started, but before we discuss them we'll go over the different roles of vet techs and the training options available.
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Vet Tech Degree Options
Among the first decisions that you will have to make is whether you wish to train as a veterinary assistant, technologist or technician. Part of your decision may be based on the amount of time and money that you have to devote to your training, but the primary factor will most likely be which specialty appeals to you the most. What technicians and assistants share in common is that they both work under the direct direction of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And although there are many duties that they can carry out within the Orinda CA veterinary practice or hospital, they can't prescribe medications, diagnose ailments, or perform surgeries. In those areas they may only furnish support to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work outside of the standard veterinarian practice, for instance for animal shelters, zoos or police departments. Let's take a look at the responsibilities and education requirements for each specialty.
- Vet Assistants in almost all cases will have gone through a formal training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a practice, or by finishing a certificate program at a community college or vocational school. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the vets and vet technicians in the execution of their duties. Generally they are not involved with more involved tasks, for example assisting with surgeries. Some of their normal functions may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or controlling pets during exams.
- Vet Technicians undergo more advanced 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 vet counterparts of medical nurses, since their general job duty is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from vet assistants is that they are involved in more complex activities, for example assisting with surgical procedures or providing medication. All states presently mandate that veterinary techs pass a credentialing exam for either licensing, registration or certification.
- Vet Technologists are similar to vet technicians and basically perform the same work functions. They are required to earn a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which usually takes four years. Therefore the only real difference between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist's higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more job opportunities, increased salaries and possible management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing exam for either certification, registration or licensing.
Veterinary techs and technologists can specialize in areas such as anesthesia, internal medicine or urgent care. Many may receive certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Orinda CA laboratories or research facilities as well.
Questions to Ask Veterinary Technician Colleges
By now you should have determined which veterinarian degree that you wish to attain, and if you want to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are an abundance of vet community colleges, vocational and trade schools in the Orinda CA area as well as across the Country, you need to ask some important questions in order to fine tune your list of options. As we pointed out in our opening, many prospective students start by focusing on location and the cost of tuition. But we have previously mentioned other important qualifiers, for example internship programs and accreditation. And obviously you want to choose a school that offers the degree and specialty that you want to earn. These and other factors are addressed in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician colleges that you are looking at.
Is the Vet School Accredited? It's important that you make sure that the vet tech school you choose 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). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone a thorough screening process that confirms you will obtain a quality education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since numerous 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 many Orinda CA area vet practices and hospitals.
What is the Program's Reputation? The veterinary vocational school or college and program you enroll in must have an excellent reputation within the veterinary field. You can start your due diligence by asking the colleges you are interested in for endorsements from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include checking with internet school ranking websites and contacting the school's accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the California school licensing department if there have been any complaints or infractions regarding your specific schools. As a final tip, call some Orinda CA veterinarians that you may wish to work for after you get your training. Ask what they think about your school choices. They might even suggest some schools not on your list.
Are Internships Offered? The best means to obtain practical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Ask if the schools you are looking at have internship programs set up with Orinda CA veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. The majority of veterinary medicine programs require practical training and a large number provide it by means of internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable regarding the practical training, but an internship can also help establish relationships in the local vet community and help in the search for a job after graduation.
Is there a Job Assistance Program? Getting a job after graduating from a veterinary technician program can be difficult without the assistance of a job placement program. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the colleges you are reviewing. A lower rate could indicate that the teachers were ineffective at teaching the course of study or that some students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, verify that the schools have a job placement program and find out what their placement rates are. A high placement rate may signify that the program has an exceptional reputation within the Orinda CA veterinary community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate could mean that the training is not well regarded by employers or that the job placement program is ineffective at placing students.
How Big are the Classes? If the classes are bigger, you probably will get little or no individualized instruction from the teachers. Solicit from the Orinda CA colleges you are considering what their classroom teacher to student ratios are. You might also want to participate in some classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between students and teachers. Get evaluations from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the instructors and find out what their qualifications are as well as their approaches to teaching.
Where is the School Located? Okay, we already discussed location, but there are several more points to make on the subject. If you are going to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your Orinda CA home, you have to make sure that the driving time is compatible with your schedule. For example, driving during the weekend to check out the route won't be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, particularly if the college is located near or in a large city. Also, if you do decide to attend a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition fees especially for community and state colleges. Of course attending online classes may be an alternative that will provide you with more flexibility and reduce the need for travel.
Do the Classes Fit Your Schedule? And finally, it's important that you find out if the vet schools you are considering offer class times flexible enough to fit your schedule. For example, a number of students continue to work full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or at night near Orinda CA. Some might only be able to attend class in the morning or later in the afternoon. Make sure that the class times you need are available prior to enrolling. Also, determine if you can make up classes that you might miss because of work, sickness or family issues. You may find that an online school is the ideal solution to fit your veterinary education into your busy life.
Learn More About How to Become a Veterinary Tech in Orinda
Enroll in the Right Orinda Vet Technologist School
Picking the appropriate vet tech college is a crucial first step to beginning a gratifying career providing treatment and care for pets and livestock. Students considering veterinary technician schools need to make their determination based on several key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They commonly handle administrative duties and assist the veterinarian with the animals as needed. As we have covered, it's very important that you enroll in 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 provided in our checklist for reviewing schools, you will be able to reduce your choices so that you can make your final choice. And by choosing the best program, you can achieve your goal of becoming a veterinary technician in Orinda California.