How To Become A Veterinary Technician
Do you want to be part of a veterinary healthcare team that does not require you to take eight years of training? Are you willing to assist licensed veterinarians (vets) in their everyday duty? For you to be able to do that, you have to learn how to become a veterinary technician.
Veterinary technicians assist vets in providing animal healthcare. Their role is just like what nurses do for doctors. They help vets in diagnostic tests, dental care and surgical operation. They also perform duties like injecting vaccination, taking blood samples, x-ray, urinalysis, and other laboratory test.
For you to become a veterinary technician here are some guidelines to follow.
1. Acquire an academic degree. The first step towards becoming a veterinary technician is to finish a veterinary technology program. For you to be able to take the licensing exam and certification, you should have at least obtained a two year associate degree or a four year bachelor’s degree in community colleges accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The veterinary technology program consists of surgical nursing, diagnostic procedure, clinical techniques, veterinary anatomy, technology and medicine, physiological chemistry, animal management, and hands-on clinical experience with live animals.
For admission, school requirements may differ from one another. However, most of them require high school diploma or GED. For the list of accredited schools, click here.
2. Identify your forte. Just like in other medical professions, veterinary technicians can select their field of expertise. You can choose specializations like dental care, surgical procedure, animal management, research, etc.
3. Gain valuable experience. During your on-the-job-training, make sure to cover all areas of veterinary technology. Grab the opportunity to improve your knowledge and skills. Moreover, it is important to develop your communication skills, patience, as well as your physical and emotional character because you will be expected to interact with pet owners, handle or restrain animals, and sometimes experience emotional stress due to animals that are injured, abused and dying.
4. Get a License or certification. After acquiring a degree, you have to pass a license exam to be able to practice your profession. The exam is administered by the State Board of Veterinary Examiners, and comprises of written, oral, as well as practical parts. Commonly, most of the states use the National Veterinary Technician examination.
On the other hand, if you want to work in a research setting, you should look to earn an American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) certification. AALAS composes of three different certification levels for technician capability. The AALAS certification of the lowest level is the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician. This is followed by the Laboratory Animal Technician, and then the level that is highest is Laboratory Animal Technologist. The certifications focus on animal husbandry, facility management, and animal health and welfare.
5. Look for a job. If you’re already licensed or certified, you can now apply for a job in animal clinics, hospitals, research facilities, zoos and animal centers. As you gain experience you will be expected to perform more responsibilities with less supervision.
Being a licensed or certified veterinary technician means you have acceptable knowledge in the field. It also indicates that people can trust you in handling animals and assisting vets.
If you have passion for animals, being a veterinary technician is one of the career choices for you. Knowing how to become a veterinary technician will help you on your way in providing animal healthcare, and make pet owners happy.
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