Right after high school

Is there anyone there that went to vet tech school right after high school? I'm a freshmen in college and am really considering this as a career, however i would be nervous to quit school and go for just two years and end up not liking veterinary technology as a career. I'm a biology major right now, but i'm not sure if i should continue if this is what i want to do. any advice is appreciated.
thanks,
KT

kelsey in Farmville, Virginia said: Is there anyone there that went to vet tech school right after high school? I'm a freshmen in college and am really considering this as a career, however i would be nervous to quit school and go for just two years and end up not liking veterinary technology as a career. I'm a biology major right now, but i'm not sure if i should continue if this is what i want to do. any advice is appreciated.
thanks,
KT

Well since the AVMA accredited veterinary technology programs require lots of the basic courses you have to have for other degrees as pre-requisites, there is no need to "quit school" and go immediately into a veterinary technology program. What I would recommend is looking at the requirements for a degree in veterinary technology and focus on getting the basics (english, math, etc) that you would need and while doing that either volunteer or take a job at a veterinary facility as an assistant to get some experience. This would allow you to be gaining college credits that will count towards various degree programs while getting some experience working in the veterinary medical field so that you can see if you want to go ahead and enroll in a veterinary technology program or look at some other major.

if you love animals, this is the perfect job

kelsey in Farmville, Virginia said: Is there anyone there that went to vet tech school right after high school? I'm a freshmen in college and am really considering this as a career, however i would be nervous to quit school and go for just two years and end up not liking veterinary technology as a career. I'm a biology major right now, but i'm not sure if i should continue if this is what i want to do. any advice is appreciated.
thanks,
KT

girl, if i could do it all over, i would go to medical school, be a real dr. i love what i do, but i struggle financially. You will never make over 28,000, 30,000 if you are lucky...

"If you love animals" won't pay your bills, folks. If you are lucky enough to land a job @ a clinic w/fair management & trained ancillary support, you are VERY LUCKY. but don't expect those who are that lucky to provide any sympathy for the majority of degreed & licensed vet techs who struggle through two to three clinic tries before maybe landing that good job (& $18K is the usual high wage no matter how many decades that vet magazines tell you that the average wage is $11.50 or $14 hourly!) Most of my classmates gave up w/bullied & ridiculed for "wasting your money getting a degree when you could have been trained on site like we were" third clinic. They applied all their medical knowledge to the human profession (& yes, some nursing is also overburdened but @ least some people respect you versus even your vet boss insulting you).

I LOVE working with animals. I went to school in NY for veterinary technology right out of highschool. We had to do an internship between the 1st and 2nd year, and I loved it. I learned soooo much and could not wait to graduate so I could start working. And that is exactly what I did. 5 years later I like my job but EVERYDAY wish I had stayed in school and went to become a Veterinarian. If you love animals and working with them is what you wish to do as a career, my best advice is go for DVM if you can. Becoming a RVT/LVT/CVT is fun and exciting when its new, and of course there are always areas you can specialize in, however when it comes down to it you may feel limitted in what you can do as I do now.
Oh and as far as the money that many people are concerned about, I have worked both in NY and in TX two states with very different cost of living and let me tell you if you are dedicated, work your butt off and prove yourself you will make decent money.
Being an asset to your veterinary practice is key. Learning and pushing yourself everyday to become better is what will make you money and your boss wont want to let you go! And of course it's the best feeling knowing your good at your job, the animals are getting the best care possible, and others think so too!

SarahB_LVT in Temple, Texas said: I LOVE working with animals. I went to school in NY for veterinary technology right out of highschool. We had to do an internship between the 1st and 2nd year, and I loved it. I learned soooo much and could not wait to graduate so I could start working. And that is exactly what I did. 5 years later I like my job but EVERYDAY wish I had stayed in school and went to become a Veterinarian. If you love animals and working with them is what you wish to do as a career, my best advice is go for DVM if you can. Becoming a RVT/LVT/CVT is fun and exciting when its new, and of course there are always areas you can specialize in, however when it comes down to it you may feel limitted in what you can do as I do now.
Oh and as far as the money that many people are concerned about, I have worked both in NY and in TX two states with very different cost of living and let me tell you if you are dedicated, work your butt off and prove yourself you will make decent money.
Being an asset to your veterinary practice is key. Learning and pushing yourself everyday to become better is what will make you money and your boss wont want to let you go! And of course it's the best feeling knowing your good at your job, the animals are getting the best care possible, and others think so too!

This is very true, being an asset to your clinic is very important for earning a decent wage. There are lots of "decent techs" out there who struggle but if you prove your worth to your practice, it will be reflected in what you make.

SaraB, did you get registered here in Texas?

"if you work your butt off, you will make good wages"? . . . or you will be ridiculed for your abilities & work ethic & overloaded worse than a coal mine donkey. Yes, there are good clinics w/fair managers/owners, but those are few & far between. Most job openings are in terrible places w/bullying bosses & a gang, not a team, as coworkers. I graduated w/honors, was a "decent tech" & coworkers unloaded work on me constantly, making jokes about it behind my back (they even got me blamed me for their mistakes that happened on my day off!) by entering my initials into the computer system. My veterinary boss was so unfair & clueless that he never even checked (or asked associate veterinarians about what was going on). GOOD FOR YOU, oh vet techs, working in a decent facility! MOST OF US DON'T, WON'T, CAN'T because those places rarely have job openings. It would be nice if our own kind were somewhat sympathetic, but then, I've noticed that most veterinarians don't like people very much & really hate their staff (or the fact that they need to pay their workers when their attitude is that of ye olde plantation owners). Should I expect different from successful vet techs?

pebcle,
It could be your personality, work ethic or something of that nature if you are finding this problem EVERYWHERE that you work. It could also be your choices in clinics to hire on with.

I have worked for many different practices when I was doing relief work and didn't see a big problem with vets not liking their staff. I also didn't see a huge problem with staff not working as a team. I also speak to many many veteriary technicians, assistants and other hospital staff in my position as a member of the executive board for my state's veterinary technician association and have not heard this kind of complaint frequetly.

Cindy D., RVT

SaraB, did you get registered here in Texas?

I will be taking the Texas State exam this Friday. So I will then be registered in Texas. ( If I pass of course =) )

Pebcle

Man, I am sorry to hear that you work for a praactice like that. And Yes i do know what it is like to be "overloaded" like taking care of 6 parvo cases at the same time by myself for example. I have also worked for Docs that can be "bullying" and some just will push you to see how far they can go before you snap. My first boss was an old school vet and he made people cry almost everyday. I finally stood up to him and respectfully of course told him I know how to do my job but if he didnt think I was capable he could do it himself.... I didnt get fired anyway lol. But our relationship changed after that day. He didnt bug or bully me and in fact I became one of his fav techs.
I have never worked in Ohio so I have no idea what veterinary practices are like but I can't imagine it being any worse than NY.
If your practice is shady and doing things you don't believe in I would think you might be able to find a better place to work. Especially if you are a "decent tech" as you say.
Even where I work there are occasonally people I dont get along with, and don't even work well with just because our working habits are not even close to the same. But its my job so I learn to work effectively with them. Doesn't mean I have to like them or see them outside of work, I do have to be professional though. You will always have your lazy people that wait around for someone else to do it, or the people who love to point fingers because they don't want to admit to their mistakes. As long as you don't fall into that mess, all I have to say is what goes around comes around and people eventually get what they deserve.

I can empathize with just about everyone on this message board...most especially Pebcle, most notably because I'm also from Cleveland and have been experiencing the SAME exact kinds of problems she/he has. Whilst I'm not agreeing totally with her/his statements, I can attest to how hard it is around here to find a job that allows for any kind of self-sustainability. The economy here is so bad that very, very, very few hospitals are hiring. Most are either hanging onto [mediocre at best] techs or hiring on high schoolers who are willing to work for minimum wage. I've been largely unemployed for the past year, I've had some work...one was in a hospital in one of the "shady" areas Peb mentioned, but since it's so hard to find any work here, you take what you can get. And I've also been on that wrong side of "The Wolfpack."
I also agree with SarahB in that it doesn't take long to get bored with this profession. And once a tech reaches that point it's good luck trying to find anything else. This profession is a catch 22. You study so hard, and have an unbelievably specialized training that other fields look at it as no real work experience. There's a stigma against animal medical professionals in human medicine. Vets/techs are looked at as being flunkees in medical/nursing school, that we are no more than HooDoo VooDoo Witch-Doctors. In fact, the reverse is true. On a daily basis, we have to provide medical care to as many as 7 different species in one day, and our patients can't tell us what's wrong with them.
It is such a rewarding career, to be the voice and helping hand to something that can't otherwise help itself. This is not a job you do for the money, because there is none. I refuse to go to nursing school because I hate people, but do keep in mind that you don't become a tech because you hate people, we are in service to people. A love for animals isn't always incentive enough either. So, it truely is buyer beware. Thanks.

I work in a small clinic in town. We also have lazy people showing up for a check. They spend more time on their cell phones with boyfriends than working. Comin to work on time is not an option for these girls, they come to work to get on computers and stay on facebook, myspace, leave early and sit while some people work their butt off. Does the bosss care? No!!!! Our partime people are no better, they show up to sit and do homework or give their relatives animals baths for free. But they won't bahte a clients dog.

I am so grateful for those people who talk about some of the miserable conditions working @ a veterinary clinic. When I graduated in 1991, there was no internet for people to tell their side(s) while schools perpetrated the lie(s) about salary & that "veterinarians are waiting eagerly for your skills." I was 52 when I tried to crawl out of the hell hole where I worked for 12 + years, & they fired me one week after I tended a professional two week notice to blacklist me as a "disgruntled ex employee," which is what veterinarians do to cover their butts if we report all the medical & pharmaceutical irregularities that we witness. DVM had a story last year about a Chihuahua that was injured @ a clinic (acknowledged as fact) but the vet tech who was a witness & testified that it was the doctor himself who injured the dog was fired & labeled a "disgruntled ex employee" IN PRINT. The "court" wouldn't decide the case, & the vet's only regret was that now it would always make his reputation questionable. I LOVED the job, the challenges, the ongoing education, the work! BUT like most people, I have to support myself on my wages, & all I ever asked is focused & competent coworkers (not bullies practicing petty grievances), guidance & instruction (not a whip across my back), recognition & reassurance (not ridicule for money & time saving ideas because I wasn't one of the "in crowd." Funny that months later an "in crowd" person would have the same idea & get rewarded). Veterinary technology was & is the perfect hand in glove occupation for me, but the "corporate culture" would destroy anyone w/a moral compass & a habit of excellence like I have. @ 58 I find myself financially destitute w/no career, & I still have nightmares about that abusive workplace.

i swear i wish i could go to high schools or junior colleges and tell people what this job REALLY is about. i mean sure some people have a good experience, but i think 95% of us that went to school for it now wish we could take it all back. its not petting animals all day or playing with puppies. and i agree that vets are miserable people for the most part. the pay sucks, there are little to NO benefits, and you rarely get paid vacations or days off. for someone with kids this is a nightmare! DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It all really depends on what you want, it is true that Vet Techs don't make the big bucks, but their job is very rewarding. They are the ones who are mostly hands on with the animals. The vets try, but with the number of patients and clients they have to juggle, their vet techs really are the voices of the animals that they treat. Unfortunately, there are a lot of petty people and co-workers can be sub-par, but if you truly care for the animals you see every day, then that look on their face when you make them well again is totally worth it. A vet tech's job is dirty: cleaning cages, giving meds, bathing, grooming, drawing blood, running lab work (in some larger clinics), and the hours can be long with no benefits. If you are looking for a job that will keep you financially well off for the rest of your life, this is not the path for you. But if you don't mind working long hard shifts for little pay with amazing creatures, then I'd advise you to consider it. If you truly want to know what it is like, most vet clinics will allow you to shadow there for a day, or you may apply for a job as kennel help to get the feel of what the clinic environment is like.

I did not expect "big bucks" in veterinary technology, but I expected to have a career w/which I could support myself. I'm surprised to see how many vet techs who post on this forum are financially independent. I did not expect abusive work environment created by lack of leadership, lack of basic management considerations, & lack of business sense from veterinary owners/bullying coworkers. I wanted a workplace where employees work together to make the business thrive. I got overloaded worse than a coal mine donkey w/untrained & unqualified understaffing & overscheduling. This is a medical degree, & I am always astonished @ people who can't focus on that fact. You will be required to fill the shoes of an anesthesiologist, radiologist, surgical nurse, pre & post op, dental technician, pharmacy tech, labratory tech, w/all office skills . . . & probably kennel & groom duties, too. All this w/out a living wage & no respect personally or professionally? In fact, your degree will bring resentment. & above all, don't have a personality, either!

kelsey in Farmville, Virginia said: Is there anyone there that went to vet tech school right after high school? I'm a freshmen in college and am really considering this as a career, however i would be nervous to quit school and go for just two years and end up not liking veterinary technology as a career. I'm a biology major right now, but i'm not sure if i should continue if this is what i want to do. any advice is appreciated.
thanks,
KT

You will acquire all kinds of skills that can be applied to any number of human medical fields when learning veterinary technology. So many of my classmates were back in community college for two year degrees in a specific area after working for a few years @ 2-3 veterinary clinics for inadequate pay & inexplicably abusive treatment by on site vet assistants and/or veterinarians.

I was very passionate about becoming a vet tech 10 years ago. I went to veterinary nursing school and was the top of my class, loved it and passed my licensing exam with a high score. I have tried every type of small animal practice and have excelled in dentistry, emergency and critical care and even got promoted to be practice manager. All I can say is that I am indescribably disappointed in my career choice. Since there are no unions, vet techs are almost always exploited because they care so much about pets. They are underpaid, underappreciated, often work many hours with little compensation for their hard work. Vet techs are very frequently exposed to many job hazards (many illegal)without protection because employers prey on your willingness to be self-sacrificing because of your passion for love of animals and medicine. I always knew it would not be a high paying career but I’ve seen so many fellow vet techs get screwed over by hospitals (e.g. job related injuries) because there are no unions. I’ve had many jobs in both large and small hospitals in 3 states and it’s the same everywhere and the best technicians usually leave the field after working in it for about 4-5 years due to burn out and frustration. I wish that I could still love my career, but employers don’t take this career seriously. I strongly discourage anyone from entering this field until unions organize and develop into something similar to nurses unions in human hospitals today. Like many others, I have given up and plan to leave the field, because I too can no longer stand the exploitation.

Being a vet tech has its ups and downs. The ups are the animals. The downs is the rest of it. Most vets never appreciate their techs, they underappreciate them all the time. I went to vet tech school super exicted, graduated super excited, started working super excited. That was me back then. Now I feel like if maybe i will never find the right place that appreciates me and gives me credit for the fact that I did pay a whole crapload of money to learn technical skills. I go to working interviews where instead of making you feel like the educated technician that one is, they have assistants showing you how to put cathethers and how monitor anesthesia. They want to make you feel stupid. Then you are let go for dumb crap. Employees are so hard to deal with sometimes. That you just have to keep repeating in your head the animals are your number one priority. I think I am done being a vet tech, at least thats how I feel most of the time.

Although my location is currently NZ I was a licensed VN for 20 years in the States. Reading through these posts it becomes very obvious why some have had a bad experience. It has everything to do with attitude!

kelsey in Farmville, Virginia said: Is there anyone there that went to vet tech school right after high school? I'm a freshmen in college and am really considering this as a career, however i would be nervous to quit school and go for just two years and end up not liking veterinary technology as a career. I'm a biology major right now, but i'm not sure if i should continue if this is what i want to do. any advice is appreciated.
thanks,
KT

I would continue as a Bio major and get a job as a receptionist or kennel person at an animal hospital and see if it is the right job for you. If it is then change majors and career paths.

www.missionvet.com/k9%20conditions/parvo.htm

Nicole you are burned out. I agree with some of what you are saying. As a vet tech who owns an animal hospital I have a few points to make. I agree that vet techs are underpaid but they are underpaid because the profit in animal hospitals is not near as much as people think. All of my employees are awesome and deserve more then they are getting paid. I know it, they know it but the money just is not their. Even veterinarians are underpaid when you consider how much other professions that require the same type and amount of schooling pay.

As far as laws that hospitals are breaking I am not sure what you are speaking of so I can't comment.

www.missionvet.com/k9%20conditions/parvo.htm