An Animal Hospital Serving Maryland

The vet tech is to the pet hospital or clinic, what the nurse is to the human hospital, its backbone. Without at least one or two well trained vet technicians, the veterinarian's job becomes that much more difficult. Veterinary technicians are tasked with providing the critical and ongoing care to all types of animals, wherever their careers may take them. From the farm to the zoo to the lab, to the veterinary clinic, it's all in a day's work.

The vet's assistant may choose to pursue such technical specialties as radiology technician, ekg technician or equine vet tech. The majority of new graduates from vet tech schools decide upon general practice, serving the healthcare needs of all types of animals. Let's explore briefly, 5 aspects of the curriculum a typical animal technician prospect has to complete to be certified. The weeks listed are the days the average full-time student take to complete that Stage.

The medical assistant certification curriculum is designed to educate prospects as to what are the essential skills needed for a career as a veterinary assistant. This curriculum is published by the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE). The AVTE was founded in 1973 to promote professional education to veterinary technology students in the United States and Canada.

Step 1 - Office Etiquette and hospital procedures - 3 weeks

Learn effective client communication skills, the do's and don't's of patient admitting and discharging, and why the bond between humans and animals play such an importance in the veterinary profession.

This is the stage where the vet tech trainee learns to handle medical records and certificates, safety measures and precautions, inventory and restocking procedures, as well as the computer skills needed in a veterinarian's office.

Finally, you will also obtain rudimentary knowledge of veterinary laws and legalities.

Step 2 - A Learning to restrain animals - 3 weeks

Veterinary technology is nothing unless it can be used to heal animals. Animals don't make cooperative patients and must often be restrained. You'll learn, among other things, the differences of various forms of physical and psychological restraint techniques and the handling of fractious patients, and restraint methods used during the physical examination and the administration of injections and venipuncture.

Step 3 - Vet technicians examination room procedures - 2 weeks

Here you'll learn examination room protocol including patient background and physical examination procedures. Topics covered include general cleaning and disinfecting, obtaining and documenting the patient's history and their main complaint. Most veterinary technician programs teach physical examinations prep, bandaging, parasite identification, basic anesthetics, spaying and neutering, permanent identification techniques, euthanasia and emergency support at this point.

Step 4 - All about the drugs, Pharmacy and Pharmacology - 2 weeks

Veterinary tech schools would be incomplete without teaching the basics of handling and administering animal medications. The proper prescription labeling and packaging of medications, the correct way to store biological and therapeutic agents, and the efficient performance of inventory control will be included. You will be taught to recognize general types and groups of drugs and the difference between prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Step 5 - Surgical preparation and assisting - 5 weeks

The vet tech must master surgery preparation since it comprises such a large portion of the tasks the pet hospital is called upon to perform each day. Preparation of surgical equipment and supplies, sterilization procedures, and the identification of common instruments and suture materials are all part of a day's learning. Since veterinary surgery is such a critical component of animal healthcare, the vet tech program places heavy emphasis on its successful completion.

We just touched upon 5 of the areas a student who wishes to become a vet tech can expect to receive instruction in. That is just touching the surface however. There are several more areas of proficiency the new graduate will walk away with. Small animal nursing, laboratory procedures, and veterinary radiology and ultrasounds are just a few.

Couple this extensive education and the natural love for animals that drew they to the career field in the first place, and you'll see that the new vet tech has chosen a career that will bring him or her satisfaction for years to come.