What are the responsibilities of a veterinary technician?
- Monday Nov 9,2009 08:01 PM
- By diddy
- In Others
I am thinking of going to school to be a veterinary technician. I am looking for any certified vet techs out there to give me some feedback on what the course work is like, what responsibilities you have once you are in the work environment, and what the average salary is. Thank you!
Average Salary, Feedback, Vet, Veterinary Technician, Work Environment
One Comment
Most states in the US require that you have a 2-year degree from an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited veterinary technology degree program. You can find a list of these programs through the AVMA website http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vette…
Courses covered include veterinary anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, diagnostic modalities such as radiology and ultrasonography, animal care in a hospital setting, nursing care, surgical assisting, laboratory procedures, medical terminology, etc
The daily workload can vary greatly depending on the type of practice you work in and the area of the country you are in. Most often the workload will be variable in any practice–some days will be like a wild rollercoaster ride while others are so boring and slow that you have a hard time staying awake.
A very general list of things that a veterinary technician would do would include collecting patient histories, collect biological samples (blood, urine, feces, etc), running diagnostic tests, monitoring and medicating hospitalized animals, assisting in surgery, administering and monitoring anesthesia, performing dental cleanings, providing treatment for outpatients as prescribed by the attending veterinarian, filling prescriptions, answering client questions on preventative medicine, disease processes, medications, etc, maintaining inventory, caring for surgical and medical equipment such as anesthesia machines, taking radiographs, entering medical records, etc.
Pay and benefits generally are low and make it hard to get by. You have to really pick and choose your jobs in order to make a comfortable living. I was single and working as a "well-paid veterinary technician" for many years and still had a hard time just making ends meet. Licensed veterinary technicians average about $17 per hour, but you have to take into account the cost of living in the states where technicians are licensed. In states where licensure is not practiced the pay even for credentialed technicians is lower than that.
I enjoy my job, but I don’t just recommend it to everyone. It takes a certain type of personality to really do well and enjoy the profession. I always recommend that anyone interested in veterinary technology take a job or volunteer at a veterinary facility and really see what the work (and workload) is like. It is a stressful job and the daily load can vary from looking for something to stay busy to running yourself silly for 2 hours past the time you were supposed to get off.
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