Part II: Getting Your Associate's Degree
In order to be hired as a vet tech, you'll need an associate's degree from accredited vet tech program. Accredited simply means that an organization called the American Veterinary Medical Association has taken a look at the program's quality and given it their seal of approval. Never consider a degree from a vet tech school that is not accredited by the AMVA!
Associate's degree vet tech programs are 2 years long. During this time you will be listening to lectures, doing a lot of hands-on work with real animals in a lab setting, and studying your butt off!
During this time you'll be taking lots of interesting classes that are a lot more relevant to veterinary science than anything you saw in high school. Some common courses include Lab Technology, Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, Parasitology, Clinical Management, and much more!
Your vet tech school may also have a "field placement" course, which essentially takes you out of the classroom environment and puts you to work at a real vet practice. This internship opportunity lets you put all the knowledge you've been learning to use. The staff at your school will usually help you find a clinic to do your internship at.
After 2 years, you'll have your associate's degree and you'll be ready to enter the job market! But first, you'll need to worry about...
Part III: Getting Your State License
Associate's degree vet tech programs are 2 years long. During this time you will be listening to lectures, doing a lot of hands-on work with real animals in a lab setting, and studying your butt off!
During this time you'll be taking lots of interesting classes that are a lot more relevant to veterinary science than anything you saw in high school. Some common courses include Lab Technology, Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, Parasitology, Clinical Management, and much more!
Your vet tech school may also have a "field placement" course, which essentially takes you out of the classroom environment and puts you to work at a real vet practice. This internship opportunity lets you put all the knowledge you've been learning to use. The staff at your school will usually help you find a clinic to do your internship at.
After 2 years, you'll have your associate's degree and you'll be ready to enter the job market! But first, you'll need to worry about...
Part III: Getting Your State License