Some Advice Concerning Veterinary Technician Training

There are a few different options as regards veterinary technician training. Deciding which is the best option for you should be one of your first priorities as you get into this career. This is a field that, while not wildly lucrative, allows you to make a fairly decent income while helping animals and being involved in interesting medical work. Getting well trained in the field is the first step toward finding the job you want and designing the career you want.

There are two basic options as far as the degree you can peruse in becoming a veterinary technician. You need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each and when they are appropriate so that you can judge whether your situation warrants one or the other.

Associate’s Degrees

Associate’s degrees in veterinary technology are offered mostly at community colleges and technical schools. They may also be offered at veterinary schools and career colleges. These degrees take two years to complete and are a common degree for veterinary technicians to hold. In fact, this is the most common level of veterinary technician training.

The advantages of this kind of program are that they are fairly short, are often fairly manageable financially (especially if you get some kind of financial aid), and they are considered adequate training by most employers. Associate’s degrees also fulfill most state requirements for becoming certified, registered, or licensed as long as the schools are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Getting this type of degree has few disadvantages in a general sense. The reasons not to pursue an Associate degree (i.e. to go for a more advanced degree) only apply here if you are looking for types of work that require you to be especially qualified. This can include some veterinary technology jobs with supervisory roles, specialized jobs dealing with wildlife, and so on.

Bachelor’s Degrees

Bachelor’s degrees are four year degrees. These are not as common in the veterinary technology field, however a number of programs do offer them. They often deal with animal science on a broader scale but include all the information you would get in a veterinary technology two year Associate’s degree program.

The Advantages of these degrees, as suggested above, are that they may qualify an individual for more wide ranging or specialized types of work with animals. For instance, if you’re interested in a job with the forestry service doing wildlife conservation (which may also involve care and treatment of injured animals for instance) a Bachelor’s degree, owing to it’s in depth focus, may be a more appropriate degree to consider.

It should be noted that even these more specialized jobs often do hire individuals with Associate’s degrees, so they may not be absolutely necessary. However Bachelor’s degrees may put you ahead of other job applicants when applying for these types of positions.

The disadvantages or reasons not to get a Bachelor’s degree here are that they take more time and cost more. And more time spent in school often means you have to wait longer before getting into the workforce. Again, financial aid can help this situation out and make both the tuition and living expenses while you are in school much more manageable.

These are some factors you may want to take into consideration when planning your veterinary technician training. You should select the appropriate degree for you interests and longer term career goals. There is no reason to get a more advanced degree when a more short term one will suffice perfectly well. On the other hand, a Bachelor’s degree may open a few doors with some employers that an Associate’s degree won’t open as easily, so getting better educated may prove wise in the long run.