You can qualify to get a license to practice as a veterinary technician (vet tech) in Pennsylvania from an accredited vet tech school. Vet tech schools in Pennsylvania have to be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
The other requirement is that you have passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE)
Pennsylvania spells out in a Practice Act quite detailed rules about the degree of supervision required to enable vet techs to work. The rules detail specific tasks which veterinary technicians can carry out with varying degrees of supervision. The vet tech training colleges will provide the training which will enable these rules to be followed.
Pennsylvania has 7 colleges accredited by the AVMA to provide training for students wishing to become vet techs.
Harcum College
Harcum College was founded in 1915. It was accredited by the AVMA as a college providing vet tech training in 1974.
The curriculum offers a six semester course and covers, mathematics, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, laboratory animal science, clinical pathology, pharmacology, anesthesia, surgery, radiology, principles of medicine, animal management and nutrition, exotic animal management, advanced nursing skills, a small animals practicum, and a large animals practicum.
Students also attend two 12 week practica, at the veterinary small animals hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the large animals hospital of the same university.
Harcum College
Veterinary Technology Program
750 Montgomery Ave.
Bryn Mawr,
Pennsylvania 19010-3476
610-526-6055
http://www.harcum.edu/PS_ACD_Veterinary_Technology_632839834931406250.aspx
Johnson College
Johnson College was founded in 1912. It was accredited by the AVMA as a college providing vet tech training in 1995.
The course is made up of 4 semesters plus an internship in which students attend a vet’s practice and learn how to work under supervision in a practice.
The course includes studies of mathematics, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, parasitology, pharmacology and anesthesia, clinical pathology, surgical nursing, microbiology and immunology, radiology and an introduction to business.
Johnson College
Veterinary Science Technology Program
3427 N. Main Ave.
Scranton,
Pennsylvania 18508
570-342-6404
http://www.johnson.edu/prospective-students/programs-of-study/health-services/veterinary-technology/
Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) and Northampton Community College
The LCCC was founded in 1958. It was accredited by the AVMA as a college providing vet tech training in 1999.
The college has joined up with the Northampton Community College to provide a 2 year Associate Degree in Applied Science – Veterinary Technology. It describes the range of the curriculum in the following terms:
“Coursework will provide students with a foundation in the basic principles of animal medicine and disease, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic laboratory work, surgical assisting, anesthesia, diagnostic radiology, pharmacology, veterinary medical nursing, laboratory and exotic animal medicine, and veterinary practice management. Students will be given the opportunity to develop technical skills through multiple clinical experiences with live animals.”
Lehigh Carbon & Northampton Community Colleges
Veterinary Technology Program
3835 Green Pond Rd.
Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania 18020
610-861-5548
http://www.lccc.edu/academics/school-healthcare-sciences/veterinary-technician-aas
Manor College
The Manor College veterinary technology course was first established in 1984. It was accredited by the AVMA as a college providing vet tech training in 1992.
The curriculum, over 4 semesters, covers, “animal anatomy & physiology, Breeds and Behavior, animal nutrition, parasitology, fundamentals of chemistry, breeds and behavior, animal nutrition, parasitology, laboratory animal science, animal medicine, clinical chemistry and urinalysis, animal surgery, pharmacology/anesthesiology, and small animal dentistry. Students spend one semester on an externship in a veterinary practice.”
Manor College
Veterinary Technology Program
700 Fox Chase Road
Jenkintown,
Pennsylvania 19046
215-885-2360
http://www.manorvettech.com/index.html
The Vet Tech Institute
The Vet Tech Institute was founded in 1958. It was accredited to provide training in veterinary technology by the AVMA in 2002.
Students will be trained to carry out the following functions:
“Treat ill or injured animals by monitoring their clinical symptoms, prepare for and assist in surgery, administer, monitor, and maintain anesthesia during surgery, monitor animals recovering from surgery, perform laboratory tests by collecting and analyzing test specimens to assist the veterinarian in diagnosing conditions, take and develop radiographics using x-ray equipment, fill medications and maintain a drug inventory and log book, perform injections, administer medications and vaccines, and run IVs”
The Vet Tech Institute
Veterinary Technician Program
125 Seventh Street
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania15222
412-391-7021 or 800-570-0693
http://pittsburgh.vettechinstitute.edu/program
Sanford-Brown Institute (formerly Western School of Health and Business Careers)
The first Sanford-Brown College was established in 1866 in Illinois. There are now 30 colleges with that name across the US. The institute in Pittsburgh was accredited to teach veterinary technology in 2004.
The Sanford –Brown Institute in Pittsburgh offers an Associate in Specialized Technology Degree Program in Veterinary Technology. The 2 year course will cover “pharmacology, veterinary anesthesia topics, veterinary surgery topics, office and hospital management, animal care and health management.”
Sanford-Brown Institute (formerly Western School of Health and Business Careers)
Veterinary Technology Program
421 7th Avenue
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania 15219
412-281-2600
http://www.sanfordbrown.edu/Areas-of-Study/allied-health-technicians-and-therapists/veterinary-technology/Associate-in-Specialized-Technology-Degree-Program-in-Veterinary-Technology
Wilson College
Wilson College was founded in 1869. It was accredited to provide training in veterinary medical technology by the AVMA in 2002.
Wilson college does not offer an Associate Degree in Veterinary Technology but it does offer a 4 year Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Medical Technology (VMT). In addition to the topics covered by a standard Associate degree there is a considerable extra range of topics such as accounting, management, marketing and entrepreneurship.
Wilson College
Veterinary Medical Technology Program
1015 Philadelphia Ave.
Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania 17201
717-264-4141
http://www.wilson.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/veterinary-medical-technology/index.aspx
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