laws are slowly changing doctors putting a boundary between vet tech and vet assist

Dale in New Baltimore, Michigan said: My daughter just graduated from Vet Tech Institute with a Vetinarian Technican degree. There is a definite difference between the two. The Vet Tech is entitled to more responsiblities and assists the Vetinarian. Just like a Nurse would to a doctor. I believe the board exams are for Vet Tech's only. My suggestion to you would be to get the Vet Tech degree if you love the field. You'll be much better off the the Vet Assistant.

State laws differ in some states vet assistants can hardly do anything. In other states a vet assistant can do almost everything a licensed tech can do.

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

Does any one know the starting rate of pay for new grad and are there many jobs needing reg vet tech

My question is for Cindy. I am curently enrolled in the Vet-Tech program at Midland College in Midland Texas. However the college is suggesting to cut the program due to funding cuts. My question is where can I find more information about the potential law requiring Vet-Techs to be registered in order to practice? There is a board meeting being held April 19th that we (the past and present students) would like to speak at with this information.

Tammy,
Myself and Maris (also on the TARVT executive board) will be hosting a chat on VSPN tonight at 8pm. We will be covering results of the survey that recently went out to RVTs in Texas about support for licensure and also talking about what licensure would mean. If you aren't a member of VSPN, you can contact Nanette through the VSPN website www.vspn.org to setup a login and membership.

If you can't make the chat tonight, email me and I will be glad to discuss it with you. I am on TVMA's Technician Oversight Committee as well as their RVT Licensure Task Force so I have plenty of first hand information.

Cindy
cindyd@tarvt.org

Is it true that you can take one class through AHAA and then take a vet tech exam? My husband has a a Bachelor's degree in biology but with the economy he has been working at an animal hospital as an assistant. He knows everything he needs to know for the test from college and on the job training. His boss old him that he could take a short class online through AHAA and then take the tech exam to be a certified technician, but I'm not finding any info to support this. Anyone have any ideas or helpful link s for me? Thanks.

No, it is not true. Illinois requires that you be a graduate of an AVMA accredited veterinary technology degree program in order to sit for the credentialing exams. That state requires that you be licensed to work as a veterinary technician, though the title granted is "certified veterinary technician".

www.idfpr.com/dpr/WHO/vet.asp

AAHA promotes an AVMA accredited veterinary technology degree program which offers online courses, however it is far from a "short class". It is a 2 year degree program.
But this program has been around for many years (I finished the on-site program through that college almost 20 years ago) and isn't offered by AAHA. devtp.aahanet.org/eweb/

Despite having worked on the job, it's unlikely that your husband knows everything that he needs to know--from personal experience and the experience of many many people who started out on-the-job and then earned their degree. There is much more taught in this 2 year degree program than is typically learned on the job...in fact you won't get exposed to most of it on the job unless you work in a very special situation such as at a veterinary teaching hospital.

Well the doctors let him do many things he is not really supposed to do since he's not certified. He has taught new certified techs at his work how to do many of the things they are supposed to know how to from the schooling that they have no clue about. He knows all about the meds (usages, dosages, treatments, etc) how to do many different procedures, and even knows how to monitor during anesthesia. He catches the certified techs at his work messing up about once a week and he has been right each time. The techs at his work who have just taken the test along with the doctors that he could pass it with out schooling, but it's not seeming possible due to laws.

Thanks for the info though. I will share it with him.

I know doctors who let all sorts of people perform tasks that they aren't legally allowed to perform. It doesn't mean that they are qualified, knowledgeable or experienced enough to truly do them well, just that the doctor has that little regard for the law and his patients.

There is a new study guide for the VTNE exam for vet techs and students. You do not have to be a student to use this. You can find it at www.vettechprep.com

loridvm in Glendale, Arizona said: There is a new study guide for the VTNE exam for vet techs and students. You do not have to be a student to use this. You can find it at www.vettechprep.com

Cool idea - an interactive study guide with practice exams. The 60-day subscription is about $150. "VetTechPrep guarantees that you will pass the VTNE." Be sure to check out user reviews before dropping any moolah. I am usually wary of "guarantees" of any kind (caveat emptor) since death and taxes are the only certainties I know....

VSPN also offers a VTNE prep course and it's less than that if you are currently enrolled in a vet tech program or graduated from one in the last 6 months.

I was told by a vet that they pay their CVT's more than their RVT's and that I should make sure to go to a college that makes me a CVT. But when I asked a college I was looking into if their program would make me a CVT or an RVT they told me that it depends on the state I'm in (Texas). I was thinking maybe the vet I talked to was meaning to say "vet assistant" instead of "RVT". Any thoughts?

I'm betting that the vet you tallked to got the titles wrong. There are no CVTs in Texas. There are Registered Veterinary Technicians, which are the one's with a college education, and there are Certified Veterinary Assistants's which are people who either have done on-the-job training and watched videos then taken a certification exam through the Texas Veterinary Medical Assoc. or have taken a certification through any number of online programs or schools (not a degree program). And there are also veterinary assistants with only on-the-job training.

If you have any questions about the veterinary technician profession in Texas, please feel free to email me at cindyd@tarvt.org I'm the president of the Texas Assoc. of Registered Veterinary Technicians.

CindyRVT in Henderson, Texas said: I know doctors who let all sorts of people perform tasks that they aren't legally allowed to perform. It doesn't mean that they are qualified, knowledgeable or experienced enough to truly do them well, just that the doctor has that little regard for the law and his patients.

and it's so much cheaper too!

Ellen in Saint Louis, Missouri said: I have recently decided to up to vet tech school and will start in August. I also recently got hired at a vet clinic and have noticed a big difference between the vet assistants and vet techs. I've been told that I will be moved up to vet assistant from receptionist when I start school. In St. Louis its becoming normal practice to only hire vet assistants if they are in school to become vet techs. The assistants basically pay their dues in this way and do a lot of laundry, cleaning cages and cleaning the clinic in general, taking the admitted animals out to do their business, etc. Its a dirty job that I'll only be doing for 16 months to a year. Vet tech school is definitely worth it, but a word of advice: if you decide to go to school, make sure the school is accredited. You can't take your boards and become licensed otherwise and that is crucial. Don't go to a vet tech program that is not accredited-it will be a waste of your time and money. Good luck!

Don't go to an online school either. Check with the board of veterinary medicine in your state. Most of them require butt in the seat class. No online. I made that mistake and now I am in a 2 year accredited college because the online class said they are accredited (which they are) but none of the classes transferred and the state does not recognize online schooling for vet tech. They wouldn't even accept recommendations from the vet I have worked with for the last 15 years. They want the classes.

Don't just assume that all online programs are not accredited. All states that credential veterinary technicians accept degrees from AVMA accredited veterinary technology degree programs and there are around 9 of those that are online programs. So it is possible to earn a degree through a "distance-education" and be able to sit for the credentialing exams in any state. You just have to know which accreditation to look for because all online schools will list accreditations but unless they show that they are accredited by the AVMA they aren't what you want.

A list of AVMA accredited distance-education programs can be found on the AVMA website: www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_distance_learning.asp

If you go to vet tech school, which I recommend, I would stay away from private institutions. I don't know how they justify charging what they do for a two year degree knowing the salary of a vet tech. Just speaking from experience. I love what I do, but the amount of student loan debt I have doesn't make it feel worth it. If there is a community college that offers the program do it there.

Hey Jackie,
What school did you go to?

I've always wanted to work with animals and had planned to be a vet tech. When I was 19 an accident occurred in my home on a military post. I was convicted and sent to federal prison for assualt. Is it possible for me to still be come certified as a vet tech in Oklahoma? Any info would be great.

That is a question that you are going to have to take up directly with the state veterinary licensing board in Oklahoma.