Better chance to become a vet assistant thru online courses or applying at an animal office?

Hi,

My name is Nisha. I'm 25 years old from Ohio and i have a question about becoming a vet assistant. I really want to become a Vet Tech. But i would like to start out as a vet assistant. I've heard from a few friends that they've gone to their local vet office and wanted to do volunteer work. They were able to and soon asked if they'd like to work for the company. Now they are both vet assistants. I've also heard that online course or going to college to get knowledge to become a vet assistant is also a good route. I'm really not sure which one would be a better choice... going to college to get the knowledge for being a vet assistant OR applying to a local animal office/shelter to get the experience and knowledge for a vet assistant position?

Any advice would be appreciate it =)

I would say that you should research the laws in your state because they are all different. Going to school was helpful to me because i had no skills and I learned so much. However it was very expensive and I found out later that I could have worked as an assistant for 3 years and then taken a 4 month class for much less and gotten licenced. But it all depends on what the veterinary board laws are in your state. In cali its getting harder and harder to become a licenced technician

Before putting time and money into a degree program in veterinary technology, getting some experience as a veterinary assistant is a very good idea. This will allow you to figure out if you really like the job once you see what it's like and having a job in a veterinary clinic is necessary to take any of the AVMA approved online veterinary technology degree programs.

And don't let people convince you that you don't need an education. No matter the current laws, as of 2010 the people who own the National Veterinary Technician Exam will no longer allow people to "grandfather in" (have worked in the field x number of years but don't have a degree) to take the test and it is required to become a credentialed technician.

I would not, however, waste my money on the online veterinary assistant certification programs if you want to be a technician because they will not count towards your degree program. They also aren't well-recieved by veterinarians because the vast majority of them aren't in any way overseen by a veterinary professional to ensure that the information is correct/accurate.

I AM FROM ARKANSAS AND IN SPRINGDALE AND HARRISON THEY HAVE A 72 HR COURSE WITH 24HR CLINICALS TO BECOME A VET ASSISTANT. IT ONLY TAKES ABOUT A MONTH AND 1/2.

YOU CAN GO PETRAALLIEDHEALTH.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Just understand that this course will not allow you to sit for the National Veterinary Technician Exam, nor is it accredited by any veterinary medical association so the quality of the material presented may be very poor. There is not even a trained credentialed veterinarian nor veterinary technician listed as associated with the courses. RN's DO NOT have specialized training in the medical care of animals just as veterinary technicians aren't trained in the medical care of humans.

If you wish to take courses in veterinary assisting, I would strongly recommend that you take ones from an educational institute that has an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program or on that has the accredidation of a state veterinary medical association.

Your best online associate Degree Program in Veterinary Technology is threw Penn Foster College. They are approved threw AVMA and offer a payment plan. I worked as a kennel assistant, then moved up to vet assistant while working on my degree.

I'm not sure that I would say that Penn Foster is the "best" online program. There are other AVMA accredited online programs like Cedar Valley in Lancaster, TX which has had it's online accredidation longer and has had an accredited on-site program much longer. There is also San Juan College in New Mexico that has an accredited online program which is less expensive than most and the director of that program has been a directory for accredited veterinary technology programs for more than 20 years. A couple of his instructors have also been teaching in accredited veterinary technology programs for more than 15 years.

Cindy, you might be right .. all I was saying that Penn Foster is the best online program because they have a payment plan. I checked into the others and they needed a FASA, which I have but didn't qualify for any federal aid. Plus the Director of the Veterinary Technician Program is a DVM graduate from the Univerisity of Tennessee, one of the best Veterinaian colleges in the United States .... It all depends on what your finanical situation is and what suites your needs the best.

I'm in Washington State & unsure what would be better for my area. Renton Technical College has a Vet Assist program, but I don't know if they are AVMA accredited. I like the suggestion about working as a kennel assistant while working on a degree. Where would I look to find out about the Vet Board Laws here in Washington? How would I go about finding which schools in King County are AVMA accredited?

First you need to understand that you are mixing up two different things.
A veterinary assistant program is a certificate program and not a degree program. There are no AVMA accredited veterinary assisting programs and a veterinary assisting program will not prepare you to sit for the credentialing exams to be a veterinary technician in any state.

Veterinary assisting is an entry-level position and there are no educational or training requirements in any state in the US for that position.

Veterinary technology programs that are AVMA accredited are 2-3 year college degree programs. You can find a list of AVMA accredited program in Washington here: www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_programs/washington.asp There are also distance education programs that are AVMA accredited and you can find them through the AVMA website.

For rules governing credentialing of veterinary technicians in Washington, you can go here: www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Professions/Veterinarian/Documents/VetTechApp.http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/laws/wsr/2009/21/09-21-022.htm

apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-935

Washington licenses veterinary technicians so you would have to meet their requirements for licensure before you could work as a veterinary technician. But you could take a job as a veterinary assistant for hands-on experience and to determine if you really like the work.

cejonasson in Kent, Washington said: I'm in Washington State & unsure what would be better for my area. Renton Technical College has a Vet Assist program, but I don't know if they are AVMA accredited. I like the suggestion about working as a kennel assistant while working on a degree. Where would I look to find out about the Vet Board Laws here in Washington? How would I go about finding which schools in King County are AVMA accredited?

The Renton PIMA program is an accredited AVMA Vet Tech program as of last year (2009). The Washington state laws/licensing regs are at www.doh.wa.gov

REIANON FLOYD in BERRYVILLE, Arkansas said: I AM FROM ARKANSAS AND IN SPRINGDALE AND HARRISON THEY HAVE A 72 HR COURSE WITH 24HR CLINICALS TO BECOME A VET ASSISTANT. IT ONLY TAKES ABOUT A MONTH AND 1/2.

I am very interested in this program if you could email me some more information on this program and how i get started please let me know my email is dum_blonde_05@hotmail.com

I think it depends on the hospital. I prefer experience over school. But having said that being a lic Vet tech is never a bad idea. Why don't you do both. Get a job as a vet assistant while you go to school to become a RVT.

CindyRVT in Henderson, Texas said: I'm not sure that I would say that Penn Foster is the "best" online program. There are other AVMA accredited online programs like Cedar Valley in Lancaster, TX which has had it's online accredidation longer and has had an accredited on-site program much longer. There is also San Juan College in New Mexico that has an accredited online program which is less expensive than most and the director of that program has been a directory for accredited veterinary technology programs for more than 20 years. A couple of his instructors have also been teaching in accredited veterinary technology programs for more than 15 years.

hi im anna i just moved to Usa becasue of my boyfriend i see that you have a wide knowledge on this subject...your emails helped me a lot understand the situation of veterinary jobs in Usa i come from Europe and im already veterinary surgeon with like 2 years of experiance the problem is that my diploma is very european(i can work everywhere in Europe)but its not recognized here...and it gonna be a long way to see it done...including great cost unfortunately....so i would have start liek vet tech or assistent...do you think i have any chance to find a job in my field as vet assistet(what i undersytand none degree is officially requiered to do this job)or vet tech?of course first of all i would be interested in volunteering to get familiar with american standarts

Anna,
Yes, you could most likely get a job as a veterinary assistant however veterinary technicians are licensed in Georgia with specific education and testing requirements.
Good luck! And welcome to the US.

Thisbelljar in kent, Ohio said: Hi,

My name is Nisha. I'm 25 years old from Ohio and i have a question about becoming a vet assistant. I really want to become a Vet Tech. But i would like to start out as a vet assistant. I've heard from a few friends that they've gone to their local vet office and wanted to do volunteer work. They were able to and soon asked if they'd like to work for the company. Now they are both vet assistants. I've also heard that online course or going to college to get knowledge to become a vet assistant is also a good route. I'm really not sure which one would be a better choice... going to college to get the knowledge for being a vet assistant OR applying to a local animal office/shelter to get the experience and knowledge for a vet assistant position?

Any advice would be appreciate it =)

Check this out. it might help. <a href="www.unitedhealthschools.com/programs.aspx/Veterinary-Assistant/28">veterinary assistant schools</a>

CindyRVT in Henderson, Texas said: Before putting time and money into a degree program in veterinary technology, getting some experience as a veterinary assistant is a very good idea. This will allow you to figure out if you really like the job once you see what it's like and having a job in a veterinary clinic is necessary to take any of the AVMA approved online veterinary technology degree programs.

And don't let people convince you that you don't need an education. No matter the current laws, as of 2010 the people who own the National Veterinary Technician Exam will no longer allow people to "grandfather in" (have worked in the field x number of years but don't have a degree) to take the test and it is required to become a credentialed technician.

I would not, however, waste my money on the online veterinary assistant certification programs if you want to be a technician because they will not count towards your degree program. They also aren't well-recieved by veterinarians because the vast majority of them aren't in any way overseen by a veterinary professional to ensure that the information is correct/accurate.

So how can you get a job in vet office if you want to become a vet tech

So I did a vet assistant program online and got my certificate but how and what do I do to get a job.

Watch the news paper and Craigs list for job openings. Make a list of hospitals and fax resumes. If there is a hospital in particular that you want to work at see if you can volunteer their. Hopefully they get to know you, like you and if a position opens you can apply.

www.missionvet.com

if i take the penn foster vet ass program will i be accredited since i live in cleveland ohio

No. No state in the US has requirements for credentialing or recognizes credentialing of veterinary assistants so you will not be "accredited" or "credentialed" by the state. In fact, in Ohio the appropriate title as defined in the statutes is "veterinary aide". The veterinary assisting programs are voluntary vocational training certificate programs and the certificates are only recognized by the entity that offers the program.

You might be mistaking "veterinary assistant" with "veterinary technician" and those are two different things. The state of Ohio registers veterinary technicians and requires that a person be registered in order to work as a veterinary technician. There are also certain duties that are limited to performance only by an RVT. In order to be registered, you must have a degree in Animal Health Technology (also called veterinary technology)from an AVMA accredited program, have passed the VTNE, applied for registration with the Ohio Veterinary Licensing Board and have passed a background check.

www.ovmlb.ohio.gov/rvtreq.stm
codes.ohio.gov/oac/4741-1
codes.ohio.gov/orc/4741

Hi, I would like to be a vet tech, but I'm a mom and I work so I was wondering if any of you knew of any cheap online programs? Also, what are the requirements in Texas to be one?

abiggers in Amarillo, Texas said: Hi, I would like to be a vet tech, but I'm a mom and I work so I was wondering if any of you knew of any cheap online programs? Also, what are the requirements in Texas to be one?

There are several AVMA accredited online programs to earn your degree in veterinary technology as well as several on-site programs in Texas. You can find a list of schools through www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_distance_learning.asp.

Currently in Texas you can be registered (credentialed) as a veterinary technician through the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. The requirements are that you have a degree in veterinary technology from an AVMA accredited program, pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam and pass the state veterinary technician board exam. You can find links with information on this through secure.tvma.org/RVTs_and_CVAs/registered_vet_tech.phtml

While you can currently work as a veterinary technician in Texas without this degree, that is very likely to change in the near future. The Texas Veterinary Medical Association and the Texas Association of Registered Veterinary Technicians are both looking at pushing new legislation to legally require licensure of technicians in the state and to limit the use of the title only to those who are credentialed as veterinary technicians in the state.

If you have more questions, please feel free to contact myself or one of the other board members of the Texas Assoc. of Reg. Vet. Technicians. www.tarvt.org I will be out of the country for 2 weeks, but if you email I will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.

Cindy
cindyd@tarvt.org

CindyRVT in Henderson, Texas said: Anna,
Yes, you could most likely get a job as a veterinary assistant however veterinary technicians are licensed in Georgia with specific education and testing requirements.
Good luck! And welcome to the US.

hi i am ut i am 9 i want to become a vet do u know how hard it is if you do tell me it is my lifes dream tohave a farm good combo hu i like your name it is some ones in my family:)

REIANON FLOYD in BERRYVILLE, Arkansas said: I AM FROM ARKANSAS AND IN SPRINGDALE AND HARRISON THEY HAVE A 72 HR COURSE WITH 24HR CLINICALS TO BECOME A VET ASSISTANT. IT ONLY TAKES ABOUT A MONTH AND 1/2.

i am interested in becoming a vet assistant if you could please email me more information on this program at joy29-7@hotmail.com please and thank you.

Cindy,
You seem to know a lot about the process and such. I am also in Texas and looking into becoming a Vet Tech. I currently work full time and cannot change that because I have to pay my bills, but I was looking into some online programs. I am interested in Penn Foster because they are accredited by the AVMA now and they have a payment plan. I am also looking at Cedar Valley here in Dallas and San Juan. What are your thoughts? I already have some college under my belt.
Any info/ thoughts you have, especially since you are in Texas like me, would be helpful!
Thanks so much!

yes i know too much about the process...painfully...especially recognizing my diploma of vet.surgeon...i think its a very good idea and the only possiblility in some states to become vet tech because if you dont have paper you are stuck beetween paragraphs...and you can not do anything...-in states requiring license of vet tech...and just work like vet assistent and clean up dog poop-it does naot have any future!!!!including wages...the vet tech are paid minimum double or even triple...invest in your future or you gonna be stuck cleaning dog poop forever...dont wait do it...it gonna repay itself quickly...any accredited school by Avma will be good...and better call Avma and make sure that school has really all required accreditation and its fully accredited not provisionally and temporary...because sometimes they have lesser significance accreditation but NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT....as far as i know Penn Foster has it but better make sure because situation can change every year..and they nt gonna tell you THEY LIE A LOT...call Avma make sure