Vet Technician Degree
How to Find the Right One Near Santa Maria California

Realizing your long term aspiration of working with and helping pets by enrolling in a veterinary technician college near Santa Maria CA could initially seem like a challenging undertaking. After all, you need to find and enroll in a college that will deliver the necessary training so that you can be successful as a veterinary technician. But just how do you go about assessing and comparing schools so that you can make the ideal choice? When looking for vet tech schools, many potential students begin by zeroing in on the ones that are closest to their homes. Once they have identified some nearby schools, they determine which ones have the lowest tuition and hone in on those. Although cost and location are significant concerns when comparing vet technician schools, they are not the only important ones when making your evaluations. Job placement and intership programs as well as accreditation are equally important if not more so as cost and location. The main idea is that there are questions you should be asking the vet technician schools you are looking at before you make an ultimate selection. We have provided several within this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we'll go over the different roles of veterinary technicians and the training alternatives offered.

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Vet Tech Degree Options

One of the initial decisions that you will have to make is if you wish to train as a veterinary assistant, technician or technologist. Part of your determination might be based on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the primary factor will undoubtedly 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 practicing and licensed veterinarian. And even though there are many duties that they can carry out within the Santa Maria CA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can't prescribe drugs, diagnose health issues, or carry out surgeries. In those areas they can only provide support to a licensed veterinarian. There are technicians and technologists that work outside of the conventional veterinarian practice, for example for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let's take a look at the job functions and training requirements for each specialty.

• Vet Assistants in the majority of cases will have undergone a structured training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a vet clinic or hospital, or by graduating from a certificate program at a trade school or community college. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the veterinarians and vet technicians in the execution of their duties. Generally they are not associated with more complex undertakings, for instance assisting with surgeries. Some of their regular duties may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing examination rooms and equipment, or handling animals during exams.
• Vet Technicians go through more advanced training compared to assistants and typically obtain a 2 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 fundamental job function is to assist veterinarians 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 presently mandate that veterinary techs pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.
• Vet Technologists are comparable to vet technicians and essentially carry out the same job functions. They are mandated to attain a Bachelor's Degree in veterinary technology, which usually takes four years to complete. Therefore 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 opportunities, increased salaries and potential management positions. They are additionally mandated to pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.

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

Questions to Ask Vet Tech Programs

By now you should have selected which veterinarian credential that you would like to attain, and if you prefer to study online or attend a program on campus. Since there are a large number of veterinary community colleges, vocational and technical schools in the Santa Maria CA area and across the Country, you should ask some important questions to help fine tune your list of options. As we pointed out in our introduction, many future students start by concentrating on location and the cost of tuition. But we have already touched on other significant qualifiers, for example accreditation and internship programs. And naturally you need to choose a school that offers the specialty and degree that you are interested in. These and other factors are addressed in the list of questions that you need to ask the vet tech programs that you are looking at.

Is the Veterinary Program Accredited?  It's important that you make sure that the veterinary technician school you select is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As earlier mentioned, among 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 review process that verifies you will receive a superior education. Also, accreditation is important if you are applying for a student loan or financial aid, since numerous programs are not available for non-accredited schools. Last, having a degree or certificate from an accredited school is often a prerequisite for employment for many Santa Maria CA area vet clinics and hospitals.

What is the School's Reputation?  The veterinarian college or vocational school and program you enroll in should have an outstanding reputation within the veterinarian community. You can initiate your due diligence by asking the schools you are looking at for testimonials from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include checking with online 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 grievances or infractions involving your specific schools. As a final tip, get in touch with some Santa Maria CA veterinarians that you may wish to work for after you get your training. Find out what they think of your school choices. They might even suggest some programs 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 medical environment. Find out if the schools you are considering have internship programs established with Santa Maria CA veterinarians, vet hospitals or practices. The majority of veterinary medicine programs mandate practical training and a large number provide it by way of internships. Not only will the experience be valuable as far as the practical training, but an internship may also help build connections in the local vet community and help in the search for employment after graduation.

Is there a Job Assistance Program?  Searching for a job after graduating from a vet tech college may be challenging without the help of a job placement program. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the schools you are evaluating. A lower rate may mean that the teachers were ineffective at teaching the curriculum or that a number of students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, check that the schools have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate may mean that the school has an excellent reputation within the Santa Maria CA veterinary community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A low rate could mean that the training is not highly thought of by employers or that the job assistance program is a failure at placing students.

How Large are the Classes?  If the classes are larger in size, you most likely will receive little or no individualized instruction from the teachers. Request from the Santa Maria CA colleges you are considering what their class student to teacher ratios are. You may also want to sit in on some classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between teachers and students. Ask for feedback from students relating to the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the instructors and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their approaches to teaching.

Where is the College Located?  Of course, we already discussed location, but there are several more points to make on the topic. If you are planning to drive to your veterinary technician classes from your Santa Maria CA home, you must make sure that the driving time fits into your schedule. For instance, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won't be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, especially if the college is located in or close by a larger city. In addition, if you do choose to attend a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition charges especially for state and community colleges. On the other hand, attending online classes may be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and reduce the necessity for travel.

Do the Classes Fit Your Schedule?  And last, it's essential that you find out if the veterinary programs you are considering offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For example, many students continue to work full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or at night near Santa Maria CA. Others might only be able to attend class in the morning or in the afternoon. Confirm that the class times you need are offered before enrolling. Also, determine if you can make up classes that you might miss due to illness, work or family responsibilities. You might find that an online school is the ideal solution to fit your veterinary education into your active life.

Find Out More About Becoming a Vet Tech in Santa Maria

Chosse the Best Santa Maria Vet Technologist College

Picking the ideal veterinary technician school is a crucial first step to starting a fulfilling career delivering care and treatment for pets and livestock. Students thinking about vet tech programs must make their decision based on a number of key factors. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They usually take on administrative responsibilities and assist the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have covered, it's essential that you choose a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the field. This goes for vet tech online 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 picking the right college, you can achieve your goal of becoming a vet tech in Santa Maria California.

 

Santa Maria Vet Tech Colleges | Santa Maria Veterinary Technician Schools