What is the certification and licensure given to a veterinary technician?

• Certification is mandatory for Veterinary Technicians after the completion of their two year of three year degree education.
• After graduation from accredited programs, students are then allowed to take the Veterinary Technician certification examination conducted at the state level. However, it is observed that the regulations to appear for this exam differ with every state.
• To attain certification licensure candidates have to pass an examination that tests the candidates on their oral, practical and written skills. After passing this examination, candidates become registered; certified or licensed that is given by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AAMA also gives certification for candidates who have completed distance education in this field. Passing the examination provides assurance to employers that the technician is qualified to be employed to a veterinary clinic.
• Those interested in work in the research sector, must obtain certification by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences which demands the educational achievements combined with experience in an animal laboratory. This exam is divided into three sections – animal husbandry, animal welfare and health and facility management.
• The lowest level of certification in this field is Assistant Laboratory Technician (ALAT) followed by the Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) and the highest certification is the Laboratory Animal Technologist (LAGT).

What is the remuneration package for a Veterinary Technician?

• Salaries of a Veterinary Technician vary largely with experience in the industry, educational qualifications, and type of job and also geographical location of employment.
• The average median salary of a Veterinary Technician is calculated to be $29,710 for a year while the lowest ten percentile of professionals earn up to $20,500 annually, the highest ten percentile of Veterinary Technicians receive an income of $44,030 per year.
• Experience is an important determinant while quoting the salary for a Veterinary Technician. A Veterinary Technician with experience of less than one year in the industry earns a salary ranging from $17,344 – $32,087 per annum. On the other hand Veterinary Technicians with experience of one to five years earn salary ranging around $19,397 – $40,547 annually.
• It is observed that a Veterinary Technician who is employed with a hospital gets paid between $19,465 and $50,174 annually whereas the same professional employed in local and state government clinics receive a salary ranging around $33,064 – $42,441 per annum. A Veterinary Technician who is self employed earns around $22,640 – $28,781 for a year.
• Geographical location of employment plays a vital role in determining the salary of any professional. A Veterinary Technician employed in the state of Georgia earns salary ranging from $19,458 – $39,866. Comparatively, a Veterinary Technician employed in the state of Texas receives salary ranging around $19,333 – $46,540 annually.
• Apart from the traditional salaries, these professionals are also given benefits which include paid sick leaves, heath and life insurance facilities.

What are the various functions of a veterinary technician?

A Veterinary Technician performs a varied number of duties and responsibilities as part of his position in the vet care clinic. Following are some of the duties and responsibilities expected by a Veterinary Technician:

Duties:

• The primary duty of a Veterinary Technician is to provide in-patient care which includes giving medications, performing assisting treatments, cleaning, feeding and walking the animals whenever required.
• It forms the duty of this professional to induce anesthesia into animals and to oversee the recovery and cleanliness of the anesthesia equipment.
• It is the duty of the Veterinary Technician to provide surgical assistance to veterinarians with the surgical preparation, cleaning and sterilizing and maintaining all the surgical instruments and equipment.
• Another important duty of these professionals is to assist the doctor with the patient’s appointment schedules by preparing a report of the vital medical history of the animal to ensure there is smooth flow of appointments inside the clinic.
• It forms the duty of a veterinarian technician to prepare and gather sampling requested tests by reading and recording results when required.
• They are involved in administering blood products, medication and other fluids based on the veterinarian’s prescription.
• It is the duty of a Veterinary Technician to analyze the behavior of animals and record information about their weight, signs of pain and diet.

Responsibilities:

• It is the responsibility of the Veterinary Technician to attend physical examinations which will help them in determining the nature of illness for animals.
• They are held responsible for performing anesthesia, sterilizing equipments and assist in vaccinating the animals.
• The primary responsibility of this professional is to maintain and operate equipments such as radiographic, electrographic and radiographic etc.
• They are responsible for maintaining treatment reports which includes the progress and post treatment data.
• It forms the responsibility of a Veterinary Technician to provide maintenance service of all the inventory equipment, clinical supplies and other pharmaceuticals.
• They are held responsible for the proper functioning of anesthetic machines before and during the treatment process and also of the cardiac and breathing apparatus.

What are the skills needed for this job?

Apart from educational qualifications, these professionals need to develop skills and abilities to work and excel in their profession. Educational requirements are just a minute part of the profession whereas their skills prove more beneficial. It’s the passion of the candidate which helps him to move to the higher level rather than educational qualifications. Following are some of the skills and abilities required by a Veterinary Technician:

Skill Set:

• Management Skills: Veterinary Technicians must have the ability to participate in facilitating management utilization resources by making use of print and electronic media using appropriate medical terminology and abbreviations.
  Ability to take decisions: A Veterinary Technician must develop the ability to effectively contribute to the clinic which will provide maximum benefits it their clients, faculty and patients.
• Communication Skills: This professional must be able to communicate well in all formats such as non-verbal, electronic, written and oral. He must be friendly with the patients as well the owner at the same time drawing a line of professionalism.
• Administration Skill: A Veterinary Technician is also given a set of administrations operations to perform and as such he is expected to effectively and safely administer the prescribed drugs to their patients.
• Accuracy: A Veterinary Technician must have the ability explain accurately about the prescribed drugs to clients.
• Knowledge of Equipment: This professional must a considerate knowledge of the usage of all the laboratory equipment as much of their job deals with working in laboratories assisting the veterinarians.

An overview of the job of a Veterinary Technician:

Veterinary Technicians are professionals who provide assistance to veterinarians with animal care. They are appointed to perform frequent clinical operations and laboratory tests such as taking blood samples, providing medication, dispensing and other medical tests all under the supervision of a veterinarian. These professionals must be familiar with a variety of diagnostic equipment which helps in providing specialized nursing care for injured or ill animals. Veterinary Technicians are responsible for maintaining a record of an animal’s medical history including its weight, behavior, food intake, diet and other symptoms which help in diagnosing and developing a treatment for the animal’s illness. A Veterinary Technician must communicate the animal’s illness to the animal’s owner. They extend their assistance to the veterinarian in improving the quality care given to the patients. Further, these professionals report their activities directly to the head technician or the head of the veterinary clinic.

Depending on the clinic, a Veterinary Technician may be asked to work either in front of the office or back with the clinical sector or a mix of both. Apart from this, he must be willing to assist the veterinarian in any operation as and when required. This professional may also be called on to feed, care and water the caged animals in the hospitals. Much of the activities of a Veterinary Technician are spent on disinfecting and cleaning animals by providing them a healthy environment. Sometimes, they may also be called on to provide technical assistance to the veterinarians helping them during surgical operations. After the completion of the surgery, a Veterinary Technician is involved in administering medication to animals and providing them with post-operative treatment. The job outlook for Veterinary Technicians is bright with the employment opportunities expected to grow faster through the year 2014.

How is a veterinary technician trained?

There are certain set of educational qualifications to gain entrance into this field. It might not demand very great qualifications, but a minimum number when compared to other professions. Following are the educational qualifications required to become a Veterinary Technician:

Educational Requirements:

• Those interested to work as a Veterinary Technician must start preparing for this field in high school itself by taking up subjects such as biology, science and math courses. College education would focus of the care for animals within a laboratory or clinical setting.
• The minimum qualification for entry-level positions in this field requires a four year bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technician program. A two-year associate degree from a reputed college may also prove useful to become a Veterinary Technician.
• All Veterinary Technician courses and programs must be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) wherein they teach students in laboratories and clinical labs by using live animals.
• It is always recommended to take up an accredited course as it allows to students to obtain credentials. There are about 20 schools that offer a bachelor’s degree Veterinary Technician program. Online tests may also be helpful however; there are a limited number of colleges which offer this option.
• Students who are interested to take up research studies related to this field or who prefer to work in large veterinary hospitals require atleast two years of experience.
• Internship programs of training programs taken up during the last semester of bachelor’s education with experienced veterinarians will prove helpful as it enables the students to showcase their talent thus, becoming easy to move up to the higher posts of this field.