Veterinary Technician Training is Essential to Licensure
Under the laws governing veterinary technician practice, no person can practice in the field unless they are a registered veterinary technician, which means they not only have their degree through veterinary technician training at an accredited school, but they also have passes the exam that gave them the license to practice.
Schools
Veterinary technician training begins at an accredited veterinary or veterinary technician school. The way the school achieved accreditation is through the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA.) This association has guidelines that every veterinary school in the country must abide by in order to maintain their accreditation. A Council on Education which is an arm of the association sends representatives to do periodic reviews of all veterinary schools, checking records, text books, classrooms, laboratories and professors. As long as everything meets the guidelines, then accreditation is renewed. If there are issues, the school must present a plan to fix the problems within a given time period. If they are not fixed, then the school can lose accreditation.
Veterinary technician training does not require a prerequisite in order to obtain acceptance to the school except for a high school diploma or equivalent. Once enrolled, the student may choose to pursue a two year or four year degree. A four year degree ensures that a student whose ambition it is to go on to veterinary school after undergraduate studies are completed will have the prerequisites required for that highly competitive and vigorous field of study.
Classes and Duties
Veterinary technician training requires that students take a heavy load of science related courses. Many schools offer online and night courses so that students who want to continue in their current careers while taking a part time course load are able to do so. Some of the science courses required in veterinary technician training are biology, microbiology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology. More specific courses are animal medical techniques, animal diseases and animal husbandry. Surgical principals and anesthesia are also taught, since the veterinary technician will assist the veterinarian during surgery. In addition, radiography, for the taking and developing of X-rays, hematology, for the drawing of blood, and other courses are taken during the training.
Veterinary technicians are not able to prescribe medication, perform surgery or diagnose illnesses. Otherwise, they are able to do many of the tasks that the veterinarian is able to perform. They can work at veterinary clinics, deal with livestock, work in zoos and animal shelters, or work for the military or breeders.