Veterinary Technician Programs

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 27th, 2010

What kind of degree is required to become a vet tech?

The best route to becoming a vet tech is to attend an educational program that will grant you either an Associate’s Degree or a Bachelor’s Degree. There are currently over 150 vet tech programs offered at community colleges, technical schools, online universities, state schools, and private colleges throughout the United States. Be sure to locate a school that is accredited.

Learn more about veterinary technician certification.

What is the advantage of getting a bachelor’s degree over an associate’s in this field?

For most employment opportunities, an associate’s degree will be sufficient. However, for those who desire to go into Veterinary Technician Programs

management or veterinary technician education, a bachelor’s degree may be needed.

Are there typically waiting lists to get into vet tech programs?

In regards to waiting lists it truly depends on which school you’re interested in. Some states have very few vet tech programs and in these cases there are often waiting lists, especially for the public school and community college programs, which are typically less expensive. Many vet tech programs take as many as 80-100 students and still have far more applicants than space available for students.

What prerequisites are required for entry into a vet tech program?

The prerequisites for vet tech programs can also vary by school. Many schools require personal interviews, high school biology, chemistry, and algebra with a grade of a “C” or better. Some schools require a certain score on the ACT exam for entry. Other schools have their own exam students are required to pass before entering the program to ensure they have strong enough science and math skills. If their math and science skills are not rated as strong enough, they may be required to take some additional prerequisite courses prior to entering the vet tech program.

Learn more about veterinary technician jobs.

What is the typical make up of a vet tech program?

This can also vary from one program to the next but oftentimes there is a distinctive split between new high school graduates, those who have received post secondary education but cannot find a job in their field, and those who have had careers in other fields but want a change.

Vet Tech Courses

The classes included in a vet tech program are dependent on the school and on what level of degree the student is earning (associate’s or bachelor’s). Typically the following general classes are included: psychology, chemistry, economics, sociology, writing or literature, anatomy and physiology, and technical reporting.

The vet tech specific courses include:

Veterinary Medical Terminology offers a technician the opportunity to understand and bridge the gap, or translate, between medical terms and the general public.
Intro to Veterinary Technology discusses ethics, professionalism, networking, and credentialing.
Restraint courses covers basic restraint and nursing procedures in all species. This class enables the technician to position a patient in a safe manner that allows necessary tasks to be performed without injury to anyone, including the patient.
Animal Husbandry which covers the housing and nutrition of many different species and breeds of species.
Animal Nutrition evaluates the different nutritional needs of all animals.
Breeding and Behavioral Information includes the genetic influences and outcomes and the gestational periods for commonly owned animals.

Basic and advanced nursing courses which cover information on collecting blood samples, applying bandages, and placing urinary catheters just to name a few.
Diagnostic Imaging course that instructs how to perform x-rays, ultrasounds, and ECGs.
Surgery course which may include instruction of administering anesthesia (although sometimes anesthesia is a separate course). Also includes information about surgical instruments, aseptic technique and post-operative wound care.
Dentistry includes cleaning, charting, radiology and client education. This course generally covers only dog and cat anatomy, procedures and diseases of the mouth.
Clinical Pathology and Microbiology to determine abnormalities which may be contributing to the animal’s illness. This course covers several areas with which the veterinary technician will work with blood, tissue, urine, and fecal samples. Clinical pathology requires a familiarity of internal and external parasites as well as the different cells found in fluid and tissue samples.
Clinical Chemistry which exposes the student to various technologic based pieces of equipment to help the DVM to make an accurate diagnosis.
Laboratory Animal Medicine which includes the handling and restraint of lab mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs and rabbits.
Animal Disease and Pharmacology allow the veterinary technician to understand the common diseases which they may be exposed to and their treatments. Veterinary technicians are then able to explain to the owners the reason why certain diagnostic tests may be needed and the importance of a particular treatment. Understanding zoonotic diseases becomes particularly important in preventing the spread of disease to other humans.
Parasitology which includes information relating to all internal and external parasites, their life cycle, and transmission.
Comparative Animal Anatomy and Physiology discusses the anatomy and physiology of all the companion animals. Veterinary Office Procedures covers various office procedures and situations commonly found in veterinary offices as well as exposure to training on veterinary office software.