Is veterinary technician school right for you?

As a child, did you prefer nursing injured birds to playing with teddy bears? Was your neighbor's cat the main guest at your tea parties? Do you do your happy dance every time you see a dog—even as an adult?

If this sounds like you, then there’s no doubt you’ve wondered about working in a veterinary clinic.

The time and expense of earning a doctorate of veterinary medicine scares off a lot of animal lovers who consider a veterinary career, but there is another way. Consider attending veterinary technician school for a quicker, more affordable path to your dream of working with animals.

What is a workday like for a veterinary technician?

Veterinary technicians­—or “vet techs”—are kind of like nurses for veterinary medicine. At your own vet clinic, your vet tech may walk you and your pet into the examination room, take vital signs or ask about preliminary concerns before the veterinary doctor arrives to do the full exam.

Depending on the clinic, a vet tech may take on all the above for his or her animal patients, plus

• Blood tests
• Urinalysis
• X-rays
• Anesthesia administration
• General monitoring
• Surgery prep and aftercare
• Dental care

Who makes a good vet tech?

A good vet tech must love animals, of course! But it takes so much more than that to be successful in the role. Administering medical care while comforting pets and reassuring pet parents can be stressful. A vet tech must tap into a wide range of skills and maintain a good bedside manner with every pet and every parent—as well as the veterinarian—every single workday.

The most successful vet techs are often recognized as being

• Patient
• Precise
• Detail-oriented
• Observant
• Compassionate
• Objective

What are the requirements for becoming a vet tech?

A vet tech must have formal medical training. Education from a school that’s accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association may lead to better opportunities.

An accredited vet tech school will offer coursework in pharmacology, biology, animal husbandry, animal physiology and other specialties. Supporting that curriculum will be current research, up-to-date lab processes and modern surgical procedures.

Vet tech schools online can provide core instruction that’s affordable and on a flexible schedule. The online vet tech school at Ashworth College is an associate degree program that offers the coursework above plus real-world clinical experience. You can start doing your happy dog dance while getting school credit starting with your very first semester!