Veterinary Technician Career
A Veterinary Technician is tasked to provide assistance to licensed Veterinary Doctor in giving proficient care for animals. A Vet Tech also offers support to the clients in different needs. It is a profession where one would be nursing and caring animals, and can be a very fulfilling career for animal lovers.
Career Prospects
According to research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Veterinary Technicians are highly in demand not only in hospitals and clinics but also in different veterinary-related areas. You can check for opportunities in this career in fields other than a clinical practice:
• Military Service;
• Biomedical research;
• Teaching;
• Industrial sales and services;
• Zoo and wildlife animal care;
• Veterinary supply sales;
• Food safety examination;
• Animal management and humane treatment;
• Support in diagnostic laboratory settings;
• Drug and food businesses; and,
• Society animal care.
Tasks of a Veterinary Technician
The tasks of a Veterinary Technician are often similar to that of a Veterinary Doctor. A Vet Tech is a credentialed and licensed professional who can accomplish some tasks in his own capacity, too. A Vet Tech is expected to:
• Carry out works like managing medicine by means of oral or shot, overseeing anaesthesia, getting blood samples and tests and tissue samples;
• Execute patient-care measures like obtaining the blood pressure and pulse rate, cleaning of teeth, covering of wounds and the like;
• Help a veterinary doctor throughout surgical measures;
• Execute administrative affairs of the clinic, if necessary;
• Manage patient appointments and surgery schedules;
• Record inventory of medicines, apparatus and materials; and,
• Ensure the maintenance of animal habitation.
Specializations of Veterinary Technicians
Since the career of a Veterinary Technician is very broad, a lot of Vet Techs today chose to focus in a definite specialization. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) states that there are schools called Academies that help of veterinary technicians to get proper, expert teaching, testing and recognition in an area. These accredited academies consist of areas of expertise in anesthesia, dental expertise, internal medicine, behavior, crisis and critical care, equine veterinary tending and zoological medicine. These include:
• Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians
• Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists
• Academy of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care Technicians
• Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians
Association of Veterinary Technicians
One good thing of being a Veterinary Technician is the fact that available affiliations are not only limited in America but also in other countries like Canada. In some cases, accreditation and affiliation will be recognized even across state borders. There are many organizations formed locally and provincially for veterinary technicians that currently exist in United States as well as in Canada. The NAVTA gives its affiliates proper education, social activities and employment in order to help in their career development.
Salary Viewpoint
A career in Veterinary Technology can be a lucrative one, and is said to be a well-paid profession. Salary surveys say that Vet Techs enjoy higher than average levels of income, compared to the country’s mean earning statistics. The starting salary for a newly-registered veterinary technician is usually about $25,000 per year, varying from $20,500 to $30,500. This is applicable mostly for the Vet Techs who are employed in private or clinical practice. An accredited veterinary technician with more than 20 years of practice is expected to gain a standard income of about $36,000 per year with wages arraying from $28,000 to $43,000. Vet Techs in research and pharmaceutical facilities, and those working for the federal government, are said to earn the highest, at about $43,000 annually.