Vet Technician Degree

To be completely honest, the page below contains the most up-to-date information about veterinary technician degrees, veterinary technician schools near me, and veterinary technician colleges online. All you have to do now is keep reading to learn more. On collegelearners, you’ll find postings on accredited vet tech colleges, vet tech programs, and veterinary technician schools near me. As the number of pets per home grows, so does the demand for qualified specialists to look after our furry friends. With a projected 19 percent growth rate in the profession until 20282, now is an excellent time to enroll in Penn Foster College’s program. Licensed veterinary technicians can earn an average of $35,3202 per year, and they can work in a variety of settings.:

• Small and large animal veterinary practices
• Zoos and wildlife facilities
• Humane societies or animal control facilities
• And even research facilities

Take your first steps toward a rewarding career helping animals with Penn Foster’s AVMA accredited online Vet Tech degree!

Vet Tech Specialties

Working in a veterinary clinic is an excellent place to start your new career. However, there are many more ways to put your abilities to use as a veterinary technician, and you may find yourself drawn to a certain veterinary technician specialist area. Here are a few possibilities for you to consider.

Veterinary Internal Medicine

Internal medicine in animals is a specialization that arose from the necessity for more research into animal diseases. Its main focus is on general wellbeing and preventative medicine. Chronic disease, anatomy, physiology, and non-surgical pathology issues in small to big animals are given special consideration. Cardiology and cancer are veterinary internal medicine subspecialties. Internal medicine is an excellent veterinary technician career if you enjoy research and want to have a direct impact on the quality of care.

Critical Care

Critical Care is a veterinary technician specialty worth considering. In the critical care environment, a veterinary technician is literally a vital member of the team. When every moment counts, a skilled vet tech needs to be a good decision maker and critical thinker.

During emergency procedures, a vet tech often performs the following functions:

• Replaces lost fluids intravenously
• Administers general anesthesia
• Takes radiographs and specimens
• Assists with diagnoses and treatments
• Performs invasive procedures, such as drawing blood
• Carefully monitors vital signs

Zookeeping

Zookeeping is a competitive discipline that involves caring for animals in zoos and aquariums. A vet tech assists with the care of confined exotic animals for the goals of conservation, research, public education, and recreation in this setting. In addition to everyday animal care, you may have the option to work in a zoo hospital, which handles a wide range of medical emergencies. Zoo hospitals deal with cross-species sickness, animal quarantining, and year-round health care for animals from all over the world.

Duties performed by a vet tech in a zoo are numerous. Some may include:

• Assisting veterinarians with clinical cases
• Treatments for a variety of species
• Immobilization of large and small animals
• Surgical assistance
• Medical record keeping
• Lab work

More Vet Tech Programs and Specialties

There is no question that there are many options available to a veterinary technician. Indeed, the opportunities grow greater every year advancements in technology. In addition to the specialties detailed above, other specialties you could study in your vet tech program include:

Avian Medicine

Biomedical Research

Clinical Pathology

Dentistry and Surgery

Emergency Medicine

Exotics

Large Animals

Small Animals

Clinic Supervisor

Vet Tech Programs

Veterinary technician programs teach the skills necessary to work in the fast-growing field of veterinary tech. These programs introduce the fundamentals of nursing, anesthesia, pharmacology, surgery, and other veterinary functions. Students also learn important computer, IT, and interpersonal skills.

Most schools offer veterinary technician associate degrees, which take two years to complete. Learners complete hundreds of hours of clinical experience through internships and externships. Because many vet technician programs embrace online learning, students often pay relatively low tuition rates.

Online vet tech programs lead to positions as veterinary technologists and technicians. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), vet technologists and technicians earned a median salary of $35,320 in 2019. The BLS projects jobs for these professionals to grow by 16% between 2019 and 2029, which is much faster than average. With additional education, some vet techs find positions as veterinarians.

Best Vet Tech Schools

RANK	SCHOOL	LOCATION
1	Purdue University	West Lafayette, IN
2	University of New Hampshire	Durham, NH
3	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	Alfred, NY
4	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	Delhi, NY
5	Johnson College	Scranton, PA
6	Northwestern State University of Louisiana	Natchitoches, LA
7	Vermont Technical College	Randolph, VT
8	Ogeechee Technical College	Statesboro, GA
9	Northeast Community College	Norfolk, NE
10	SUNY College of Technology at Canton	Canton, NE

What are the goals of a veterinary technician program?

Most veterinary technician programs lead to two-year associate degrees. During these programs, learners complete courses online and gain clinical experience onsite at veterinary practices, human societies, zoos, wildlife facilities, and research facilities.

Specifics vary by program, but most veterinary tech programs blend introductory veterinary coursework with business, mathematics, communications, and computer courses. For example, schools may require learners to finish college mathematics and information literacy courses before diving into more advanced vet tech courses like surgical nursing and radiography.

During their vet tech programs, students must complete at least one externship to learn practical skills. Programs usually include externships, which require at least 200 supervised clinical experience hours, in their required curricula. Vet tech program applicants must submit high school diplomas or GED certificates, and some programs require applicants to first complete prerequisite courses in biology and medical terminology.

By the end of their online vet tech programs, learners demonstrate verbal and written communication skills, computer literacy, and knowledge of pharmacology, nursing, and anesthesia techniques. Graduates meet the minimum requirements to work as veterinary technologists or technicians and, if required by the state, secure professional licensure.

FAQ

Q. What is the salary for a Veterinary Technician role?

A. Veterinary technicians have a median salary of $35,320 per year,³ and job growth is projected to increase much faster than average in the next several years.

Q. What can I do with a Veterinary Technician Associate Degree?

A. Licensed veterinary technicians can find positions in various environments such as small and large animal veterinary practices, zoos and wildlife facilities, humane societies or animal control centers, and even research facilities.

Q. How much does a Veterinary Technician Associate Degree cost?

A. Tuition costs up to $85 per credit, with the semester fee adjusting slightly based on our current offer. Visit our tuition page for the most current tuition information.

Q. Is the Veterinary Technician degree accredited?

A. Penn Foster College’s Vet Tech Associate Degree program has full accreditation with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) through their Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). Additionally, Penn Foster College is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).

Q. What Veterinary Technician skills will I learn in this degree program?

A. Skills covered in the Veterinary Technician Associate Degree Program include fundamentals of pharmacy and pharmacology, nursing, anesthesia, surgical nursing, laboratory procedures, imaging, laboratory animal procedures, avian, exotic, small mammal, and fish procedures, and other veterinary basics. College level courses also build a well-rounded skill set in areas such as computer and information literacy, written and interpersonal skills, humanities, liberal arts, math, and sciences.

Q. What are the vet tech practicum requirements?

A. There are two mandatory externship or practicums for this course. The first practicum is completed at the end of semester 2, after all academic work has been completed. Clinical Externship 1 is 200 hours over a 10 week period (though an extension can be applied on a case-by-case basis) and covers 29 skills. This first practicum focuses on cats and dogs.

Clinical Externship 2 takes place after your final semester’s academic work is complete. This externship is 250 hours long, over 18 weeks, and covers 51 skills. The last practicum covers small animals, large animals, and lab animals.

Students can review the skills requirements here.

Before beginning your externship, you’ll be required to submit the site you’d like to use for approval. If a site you want to do an externship at doesn’t meet all of the skills requirements, you are able to do your skills at different approved clinics.

Q. Does Penn Foster place students in an externship site?

A. No, Penn Foster does not place or assist in setting up placements for students. Students should locate an appropriate site in their area for externship. If you’re already employed at a clinic or site that meets the requirements, you are able to complete your practicum there as long as your employer is willing to allow you to do so.

Penn Foster has partnerships with clinics like VCA, Banfield, Blue Pearl, and more, at which students may have success in finding a placement. However, these partnerships do not guarantee placement and it is up to the discretion of the clinic whether or not they take on students.