Veterinary technicians work with animals providing medical care and other forms of assisted care. A love of animals is the number one requirement for the job. You need to be able to handle a variety of animals that are ill or injured for the most part, providing the right diagnosis and treatment. Veterinary technicians work with veterinarians and are qualified professionals.
Individuals aspiring to a veterinary technician career will find the vet tech notes detailed below interesting and useful.
With a high school diploma in hand, you are equipped to enter formal educational instruction in veterinary technology. There are diplomas and associate’s degrees that provide training for entry level positions in the veterinary field. A bachelor’s degree provides a more advanced form of training and is generally sought once a person finds employment as a veterinary technician.
Higher education in the form of a master’s degree or PhD may be pursued by professionals seeking to expand their career choices or to move into related employment fields.
With the completion of an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree, the individual is qualified to work as a veterinary technician, but credentialing is a necessary requirement in all states and regions in America, to practice the profession.
Veterinary technicians need to make sure they choose an accredited program for study as it is a requirement for credentialing. The American Veterinary Medical Association accredits vet tech programs offered by schools and colleges.
After successful completion of the graduate program, the aspirant needs to pass the National Veterinary Technician (NVT) exam to receive credentialing. With this certification in hand, you are ready to launch your career as a veterinary technician.
Veterinary technicians are known in the United States by specific initials that include: CVT – Certified Veterinary Technician; LVT – Licensed Veterinary Technician;
RVT – Registered Veterinary Technician. Titling may vary depending on state specific regulations where the profession is practiced. NAVTA (The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America) has stated that regardless of the initials, the mandated term in use is “veterinary technician”.
Veterinary technicians work in a variety of settings that provide animal healthcare including private veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, animal shelters, zoos, research facilities, animal farms, wildlife reserves, aquariums, wildlife sanctuaries and certain state and federal government institutions.
Apart from credentialing, veterinary technicians can choose to specialize by earning veterinary technician specialty certification. This provides the individual with advanced skills in several specialized areas including: dentistry, emergency and critical care, small animal internal medicine, anesthesiology, cardiology, zoological medicine, surgery, equine veterinary nursing, oncology, nutrition, behavior, exotic animals and clinical practice. When certified, the veterinary technician carries the additional initials “VTS” with the specialization added after the initials.
Veterinary technicians take an oath like doctors generally do, dedicating themselves to helping animals and society by providing services and care for animals. They also have to abide by the veterinary profession’s code of ethics in the practice of their occupation.
The veterinary technician career is one of the most promising in the healthcare industry. Though the pay scales are not too high, they are fairly decent. But the greatest satisfaction comes from doing a job you love.
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