Vet Technician College
How to Choose the Best One Near San Francisco California

Achieving your lifelong goal of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a vet tech program near San Francisco CA may initially feel like a challenging task. After all, you have to find and enroll in a program that will furnish the appropriate training so that you can succeed as a veterinary technician. And in order to pick the right one you must research and compare all of the schools you are considering. When looking for vet tech schools, many potential students start by targeting the ones that are closest to their homes. When they have found some local schools, they determine which ones have the lowest tuition and focus on those. Although expense and location are important considerations when comparing vet tech schools, they are by no means the only significant ones when making your comparisons. Internship and job placement programs as well as accreditation are just as important if not more so as location and cost. The bottom line is that prior to making a selection, you must finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent aspects of the programs you are reviewing. We have provided several within this article to help get you started, but before we discuss them we'll go over the different responsibilities of veterinary technicians and the training options offered.

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

Vet Tech Education Options

One of the first decisions that you will have to make is if you want 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 devote to your education, but the principal determiner will undoubtedly be which specialization interests you the most. What techs and assistants have in common is that they all work under the immediate guidance of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And even though there are many functions that they can perform within the San Francisco CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe medications, diagnose conditions, or conduct surgeries. In those areas they may only provide assistance to a licensed veterinarian. There are technicians and technologists that work outside of the typical vet practice, for example for animal shelters, zoos or police departments. Let's take a look at the responsibilities and training prerequisites for each position.

• Vet Assistants in most instances will have undergone a formal training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a practice, or by completing 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 execution of their duties. Normally they are not involved with more complicated undertakings, for example assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their typical functions may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or handling animals during exams.
• Vet Technicians receive more extensive training in contrast to assistants and generally acquire a 2 year Associate Degree, preferably from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the vet counterparts of medical nurses, since their fundamental job function is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from veterinary assistants is that they are included in more complicated duties, for instance assisting with surgeries or administering medicine. All states currently mandate that vet techs pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.
• Vet Technologists are similar to veterinary technicians and basically perform the same work functions. They are required to earn a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which generally requires 4 years. So the only real distinction between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist's higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more work options, higher salaries and potential management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.

Vet techs and technologists can specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or urgent care. A number may earn certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in  San Francisco CA laboratories or research facilities also.

Questions to Ask Vet Tech Programs

At this point you should have decided on which veterinarian degree that you would like to obtain, and if you prefer to study online or attend a college on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinary community colleges, trade and vocational schools in the San Francisco CA area as well as across the USA, you need to ask some qualifying questions to help narrow down your list of options. As we discussed in our opening, many future students start by concentrating on location and the cost of tuition. But we have already mentioned other essential qualifiers, such as internship programs and accreditation. And obviously you need to enroll in a program that offers the degree and specialty that you are interested in. These and other factors are reviewed in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician colleges that you are looking at.

Is the Veterinary College Accredited?  It's essential that you confirm that the veterinary technician school you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As previously mentioned, 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 an extensive screening process that ensures you will obtain a quality education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are applying for a student loan or financial aid, since numerous programs are not offered for non-accredited programs. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited college is in many cases a requirement for employment for many San Francisco CA area veterinarian clinics and hospitals.

What is the Program's Reputation?  The veterinarian college or trade school and program you choose must have an excellent reputation within the vet community. 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 checking with the school's accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the California school licensing authority if there have been any grievances or infractions involving your specific schools. As a final tip, phone some San Francisco CA veterinary clinics that you might want to work for after you go through your training. Ask what they think about your school selections. They might even recommend some colleges not on your list.

Are Internships Offered?  The best way to get clinical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a medical setting. Ask if the programs you are reviewing have internship programs established with San Francisco CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or clinics. Most veterinary medicine programs require practical training and many provide it through internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the practical training, but an internship may also help establish relationships in the local veterinary community and assist in the search for employment after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Offered?  Finding a job after graduating from a vet tech school can be challenging without the help of a job placement program. To begin with, ask what the graduation rates are for the programs you are evaluating. A low rate could mean that the teachers were ineffective at teaching the course of study or that a number of students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, verify that the colleges have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate may mean that the school has an exceptional reputation within the San Francisco CA veterinary community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A low rate might indicate that the training is not highly thought of by employers or that the job assistance program is a failure at placing students.

How Big are the Classes?  If the classes are bigger, you most likely will get little or no individualized instruction from the teachers. Request from the San Francisco CA colleges you are researching what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also decide 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 instructors and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the College Located?  Okay, we previously covered location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the subject. If you are planning to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your San Francisco CA home, you must make sure that the commuting time is compatible with your schedule. For instance, 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 near or in a large city. Also, if you do choose to enroll in a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition costs particularly for community and state colleges. Of course attending online classes may be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and minimize the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible?  And finally, it's imperative that you find out if the vet colleges you are evaluating offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate your schedule. For instance, many students continue working full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near San Francisco CA. Some might only be able to go to class in the morning or in the afternoon. Make sure that the class times you require are available prior to enrolling. In addition, determine if you can make-up classes that you might miss due to sickness, work or family emergencies. You might find that an online program is the best solution to fit your vet training into your busy life.

Learn More About How to Become a Vet Tech in San Francisco

Chosse the Best San Francisco Veterinary Technologist School

Picking the ideal vet tech program is a crucial first step to starting a gratifying career providing treatment and care for pets and livestock. Future students considering veterinary technician schools must make their determination based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They usually take on administrative duties and assist the veterinarian with the animals when needed. As we have covered, it's imperative that you decide on a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This goes for online vet tech programs as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to narrow down your options so that you can make your final choice. And by picking the best school, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a veterinary technician in San Francisco California.

 

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