A veterinary technician assists in many of the duties and procedures a veterinarian does every day. On any day you might assist in, or perform under supervision, dental procedures, apply splints and slings, administer anesthesia or medications, set catheters, draw blood, take x-rays, assist in surgery, and perform laboratory tests such as blood counts or urinalysis. You will also be involved in patient contact and counseling, and record keeping. Two of the less pleasant jobs involve cleaning up after the animals, and assisting in euthanasia.
If you like working with animals AND people equally, and want a job that offers new rewards and challenges, the job of veterinary technician might be for you. Most veterinary technicians work in private practice clinics, but your education will prepare you for employment in private and public research institutions, military service, humane societies and rescue organizations, veterinary teaching hospitals, livestock and equine facilities, diagnostic laboratories, and zoos and exotic animal facilities.
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
A veterinary technician assists in many of the duties and procedures a veterinarian does every day. On any day you might assist in, or perform under supervision, dental procedures, apply splints and slings, administer anesthesia or medications, set catheters, draw blood, take x-rays, assist in surgery, and perform laboratory tests such as blood counts or urinalysis. You will also be involved in patient contact and counseling, and record keeping. Two of the less pleasant jobs involve cleaning up after the animals, and assisting in euthanasia.
If you like working with animals AND people equally, and want a job that offers new rewards and challenges, the job of veterinary technician might be for you. Most veterinary technicians work in private practice clinics, but your education will prepare you for employment in private and public research institutions, military service, humane societies and rescue organizations, veterinary teaching hospitals, livestock and equine facilities, diagnostic laboratories, and zoos and exotic animal facilities.
How to Apply
The application process varies from school to school in Georgia. All require that you have a high school diploma, GED, or acceptable home school equivalency. Some programs allow you to take some prerequisite courses while you are in high school. Others require a rabies vaccination, proof of residency/citizenship, an essay, an interview, a minimum GPA of 2.0 in high school and preparatory courses, and scores on tests such as SAT, ACT, Compass or ASSET. Still others require a drug test, a background investigation, a physical exam to prove you can withstand the rigors of the program and job (such as lifting 50 pounds), or experience working in a veterinary facility.
What Will You Study
Veterinary technologists attend school for four years and are graduated with a B.S. in Veterinary Technology. A veterinary technician attends school on average of two to three years (for 57 to 80 credit hours) and earns an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology. Some of the course work to become a veterinary technician is transferrable should you want to progress toward a degree in veterinary technology, a veterinarian, or other similar fields.
Some general education courses in biology, math, chemistry, English, and humanities are required prior to admission. Once in the program, your science-based education will include courses in anatomy and physiology, biology, radiology, anesthesia, large and small animal medicine, pathology, practice management, veterinary economics, exotic animals, surgery, pharmacology, and clinical skills. Some courses have associated labs to provide you hands-on experience. The final semester focuses on an internship of approximately 500 hours in a supervised clinical setting during which you will improve your skills and learn the day to day workings of a veterinary technician. Future job contacts are often made during your internship. You will be evaluated by the supervisor at this clinic or facility.
How to Become a Veterinarian in Georgia
Veterinary technologists have studied at the school for four years and have a bachelor’s degree. In the field of veterinary technology.
The veterinary technician studies at the school for an average of two to three years (from 57 to 80 credit hours) and receives a degree in veterinary technology.
Some coursework to become a veterinary technician can be transferred if you want to get a degree in veterinary technology, veterinary medicine or other similar fields.
Some general education courses in biology, mathematics, chemistry, English and the humanities are required before entering.
Once enrolled in the program, your research-based education will include courses in anatomy and physiology, biology, radiology, anesthesia, large and small animal medicine, pathology, practice management, veterinary economics, exotic animals, surgery, pharmacology, and clinical skills.
You will receive a diploma in veterinary technology. You will be eligible to pass the VTNE (National Veterinary Technician Exam) required to become a Georgia Veterinary Technician.
The exam lasts three hours, contains 150 questions and costs $300. Only graduates of the accredited veterinary technician program can apply for the VTNE, so it is important that you attend an accredited school.
After completing and passing the VTNE, you get the qualification to start working. The Georgia State Veterinary Council licenses veterinary technicians. Georgia does not have the state exam required to become a veterinary technician.
Tuition to Become a Georgia Veterinary Technician
Most programs have tuition rates of approximately $100 per credit hour, with additional fees such as insurance, lab costs, and uniforms. Out of state tuition is two to three times higher. Georgia has reciprocity agreements with some surrounding states. Some schools have on their tuition and financial aid pages a “net price calculator,” a very handy tool to estimate your costs. In a few minutes, after inputting some information such as your and your parents’ financial information, and your expected living arrangements, a close estimate of your tuition will be provided. Visit each school’s website for exact tuition and fees.
To begin your job search, use your contacts and experiences made during your previous experience, and during labs and the internship. Your search is made easier with some excellent website resources.
Georgia Veterinary Technician and Assistant Association
Georgia Veterinary Medical Association
Veterinary Career Network
iHireVeterinary.com
National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America
Vet Tech Life, an online journal for veterinary technicians
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2013), employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is expected to grow 30% nationally through the year 2022. The average pay in Georgia for veterinary technologists and technicians is $27,600.
Regional average pay (click the radio button for One occupation for multiple geographical areas):
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | $28730 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | $28280 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $28540 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | $24290 |
| Gainesville, GA | $25380 |
| Savannah, GA | $28330 |
| North Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $24340 |
| Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $24050 |
| East Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $18420 |
| South Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $31800 |
Basically, everywhere in the world, the duties of a vet technician are the same: you’ll have all the responsibilities you would think a vet’s right hand man would have.
Vet technicians take care of everything the vet might need, and there are some things they have to take care of all by yourself, without the supervision of the attending vet.
Here are some of your future duties as a vet technician:
- record keeping
- emergency care (applying first aid to an animal)
- taking their body temperature and handling their bodily fluids or discharge
- taking their pulse
- taking x-rays
- applying medications, fluids and blood products following the veterinarians’ instructions
- patient communication
- administering anesthesia
There are two rather unpleasant duties you’ll also have to assist in or be in charge of, and these are cleaning after animals and administering or assisting in euthanasia.
However, you don’t need to work in a private practice, although the demand is highest in this area. You can also find work in the following areas:
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency and Critical Care
- Zoological Medicine
- Surgery
- Clinical Practice
- Nutrition
- Clinical Pathology and many more.
The conditions you have to fulfill before you apply to the colleges that have veterinary technician programs vary.
You’ll have to visit their websites for more information about the admission.
One thing is in common for all of them, though, and it is that they all require that you have a high school diploma, GED, or acceptable home school equivalency.
Some of them allow you to take some prerequisite courses while still in high school, and some require you to take a rabies vaccination, an essay, an interview or high scores on tests like SAT, ACT or Compass.
As for the actual programs and classes you’ll attend, most of them will require some prerequisite courses you may not have had the chance to attend in high school, like math, communications, biology, chemistry, humanities, or physical science.
If you haven’t taken those required by your program, you’ll have to attend them before you apply.
The course work doesn’t differ much from those in most other states. The subjects will be heavily science based like the following:
- anatomy
- physiology
- biology
- radiology
- anesthesia
- large and small animal medicine
- pathology
- practice management
- veterinary economics
- exotic animals
- surgery
- pharmacology
- clinical skills, etc.
All in all, it will take you somewhere between two to three years to become a graduate with an Associate of Science degree in Registered Veterinary Technology
Average Income for a Veterinarian in Georgia
Georgia Veterinarian
- Employment: 27,220
- Median Hourly Wage: $26.00
- Median Annual Wage: $54,140
State Average
- Employment: 4,198,560
- Median Hourly Wage: $16.96
- Median Annual Wage: $35,280
National Average
- Employment: 155,760,000
- Median Hourly Wage: $19.33
- Median Annual Wage: $35,977
Notes: Tuition & fee amounts are for both Georgia in-state residents and out-of-state students unless noted otherwise. The tuition information displayed is an estimate, which we calculated based on historical data and should be solely used for informational purposes only. Please contact the respective veterinarian school for information about the current school year.
Source: IPEDS Survey 2012-2020: Data obtained from the US Dept. of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data may vary depending on school and academic year.
What are the Best Veterinary Schools in Georgia?
Below are the best vet schools in Georgia in 2023
- Ashworth College
- Athens Technical College
- Gwinnett Technical College
- Ogeechee Technical College
- Southern Regional Technical College
- Fort Valley State University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
#1 Ashworth College
Ashworth College, located in Norcross, Georgia, offers a program for the veterinary technician in applied sciences (AAS).
In addition to the flexible online courses offered, Ashworth students will work in real life, from animal hospitals to zoos, to gain 270 hours of clinical experience.
Coursework in the four-semester program includes small livestock and maintenance, diagnostic and treatment techniques, veterinary anesthesia and surgical nursing, and the care and care of laboratory and exotic animals.
Ashworth is a very affordable program that raises the loan rate to $84. In addition to standard veterinary courses, Ashworth integrates job search training into training and offers career development services.
VTNE’s initial accreditation was in 2018, and VTNE’s first-time ratings are not yet available.
#2 Athens Technical College
Athens Technical College, located near the University of Georgia, offers a degree in veterinary technology. Students from other states are admitted only if Georgians cannot fill places in the program.
The curriculum is guided by a checklist of technical skills designed to achieve graduate success. Coursework includes such courses as veterinary clinical pathology, pharmacology, veterinary pathology and diseases.
Veterinary anesthesiology and surgical procedures; veterinary diagnostic imaging; and more. Students also undergo a clinical internship totaling 80 credits per program.
Athens also offers a variety of optional membership memberships in professional organizations such as the National Association of Veterinary Technicians of America (NAVTA) and the Association of Veterinary Technicians and Assistants of Georgia (GVTAA).
In 2018, the Technical College of Athens boasted an impressive success rate for the first time at VTNE, which was 100 percent.
#3 Gwinnett Technical College
Between 2017 and 2020, Gwinnett College of Technology in Lawrenceville, Georgia, had 89% of first-time National Veterinary Technician (VTNE) exams.
This five-semester program for the Association of Applied Sciences (AAS) provides a small class size and individual training to master the technique of the profession.
The five semesters do not include communication, social/behavioral sciences, mathematics, and the humanities / fine arts prerequisites.
Courses for veterinary technicians include veterinary medical terminology; animal anatomy and physiology; veterinary clinical procedures; pharmacology for veterinary technicians; laboratory and exotic animals for veterinary technicians; and more.
Gwinnett also created a guide on how to be a veterinary technologist to give future animal care professionals valuable insight into the work environment and what to expect from everyday life.
#4 Ogeechee Technical College
Ogeechee State College of Technology (near Savannah) awards graduates a degree of Applied Science (AAS) in Veterinary Technology and seeks to support (and engage) quality teachers with a supervisory goal for teaching.
Applicants must complete 40 documented hours of volunteer service at a veterinary hospital. Courses include general requirements in fine arts, mathematics, and behavioral sciences.
It also includes core courses such as veterinary clinical pathology; pharmacology for veterinary technicians; management of veterinary practice; veterinary anesthesiology and surgical procedures; others.
In addition, students undergo clinical internships in various districts of Georgia. From 2017 to 2020, 86 percent of its graduates passed VTNE on the first attempt, corresponding to the national average.
#5 Southern Regional Technical College
The Southern Regional Technical College in Thomasville offers a seven-semester AAS degree in veterinary technology.
Students can enroll in the program in the fall, and the program consists of a minimum of 83-semester credits.
In addition to general education credits, courses include veterinary clinical pathology; veterinary diagnostic imaging; veterinary clinical procedures; animal anatomy and physiology; laboratory and exotic animals; and more.
Students also participate in clinical practice. The program aims to develop basic skills in the profession, including identifying common parasites in animals and entering and reading diagnostic radiographs.
Students also learn how to perform intravenous catheterization of the main vein of the animal. From 2017 to 2020, 60.9% of southern regional technicians passed the VTNE for the first time.
#6 Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University in the Macon area offers a bachelor’s degree in veterinary science to people who want a college degree.
In this large-scale animal health expertise, students have the opportunity to complete a veterinary curriculum that can prepare interested entrants to veterinary school.
The program comprises 60 credits of basic bachelor’s courses and 60 hours of veterinary specialty. FVSU has a coefficient of passing VTNE for the first time 50 percent for 2018-2021.
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