Become a Vet Tech | Vet Tech Schools Harrisonville MO

How to Select a Veterinary Technician School near Harrisonville Missouri

Harrisonville MO vet tech diagnosing puppy Realizing your long term aspiration of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a vet tech program near Harrisonville MO might at first feel like a daunting undertaking. After all, you need to find and enroll in a school that will deliver the necessary training so that you can be successful as a veterinary technician. But just how do you approach reviewing and contrasting programs so that you can make the correct selection? Many aspiring students start their due diligence process by searching for schools that are close to their homes. Once they have located some nearby schools, they find out which ones have the lowest tuition and hone in on those. Although cost and location are important concerns when evaluating vet tech programs, they are not the only critical ones when making your evaluations. Qualifiers such as internship programs and accreditation should be considered as well. The main idea is that there are questions you ought to be asking the vet technician schools you are reviewing before you make an ultimate choice. We have furnished several within this article in order to help get you started, but before we discuss them we’ll discuss the various roles of veterinary technicians and the training alternatives available.

The Role of a Veterinary Technician in Harrisonville MO

cat with cone after surgery in Harrisonville MO One of the first decisions that you will need to make is if you plan to train as a veterinary assistant, technician or technologist. Part of your decision might be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your education, but the primary determiner will undoubtedly be which specialty appeals to you the most. What techs and assistants share in common is that they all work under the immediate guidance of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And while there are numerous jobs that they can perform within the Harrisonville MO veterinary clinic or hospital, they can’t prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or conduct surgeries. In those areas they can only furnish assistance to a licensed vet. There are technicians and technologists that work away from the conventional veterinarian practice, such as for animal shelters, zoos or law enforcement. Let’s take a look at the duties and training requirements for each position.

Vet Assistants in the majority of cases will have gone through a structured training program, either as an intern or apprentice in a vet clinic or hospital, or by completing a certificate program at a trade school or community college. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the veterinarians and vet technicians in the execution of their duties. Normally they are not involved with more complex tasks, for instance assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their normal functions may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or controlling animals during exams.
Vet Technicians undergo more advanced training compared with assistants and generally earn a 2 year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the vet equivalent of medical nurses, since their general job duty is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from vet assistants is that they are involved in more complex functions, for instance assisting with surgical procedures or providing medication. All states presently mandate that vet technicians pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.
Vet Technologists are comparable to veterinary technicians and basically perform the same job functions. They are required to attain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which usually takes four years. Therefore the only real distinction between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist’s higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more work options, increased salaries and possible management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.

Vet technicians and technologists may specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or emergency care. Some may obtain certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Harrisonville MO labs or research facilities as well.

Online Vet Tech Schools Offered in Harrisonville

student attending online vet tech school in Harrisonville MO An approach that might make sense for those with a busy schedule or who are working full-time while attending veterinarian college is to enroll in an online program. Since the classes are provided over the internet, students can study on their own schedule wherever a computer is available. The syllabus is taught using several venues, including slide shows, videos and live streaming webinars. And since many veterinary technician and technologist degrees require practical training, that segment can normally be completed as an internship or work study program at a local Harrisonville MO veterinarian clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, can in many instances decrease the cost of your education. Tuition and secondary expenses, such as for commuting and study supplies, can be cheaper compared to more traditional classroom programs. Just make certain that the program that you select is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally recognized accrediting organization. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything is included for a comprehensive education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more independent mode, an online vet tech school may be the perfect option for you.

Things to Ask Harrisonville MO Veterinary Technician Schools

Questions to ask Harrisonville MO vet tech schools At this point you should have selected which veterinarian credential that you wish to earn, and if you want to study online or attend a program on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, technical and vocational schools in the Harrisonville MO area as well as across the Country, you must ask some relevant questions to help fine tune your list of alternatives. As we pointed out in our opening, many future students start by concentrating on location and tuition expense. But we have previously mentioned other important qualifiers, for instance accreditation and internship programs. And obviously you need to enroll in a program that offers the degree and specialty that you want to earn. These and other qualifications are reviewed in the checklist of questions that you should ask the veterinary technician schools that you are considering.

Is the Vet College Accredited? It’s imperative that you confirm that the veterinary technician program you enroll in is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As earlier stated, one of the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone an extensive review process that ensures you will get a quality education. Also, accreditation is essential if you are applying for a student loan or financial aid, since many programs are not offered for non-accredited schools. Last, having a certificate or degree from an accredited program is frequently a precondition for employment for many Harrisonville MO area veterinary practices and hospitals.

What is the College’s Reputation? The vet college or vocational school and program you enroll in must have an outstanding reputation within the vet community. You can initiate your due diligence by asking the schools you are looking at for testimonials from the employers in their job assistance network. Other pointers include looking on internet school rating websites and contacting the school’s accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the Missouri school licensing authority if there have been any complaints or violations relating to your specific schools. As a final tip, call some Harrisonville MO vet clinics that you may wish to work for after you receive your training. Find out what they think about your school selections. They may even recommend one or more programs not on your list.

Are Internships Offered? The best approach to get practical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a medical environment. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have internship programs established with Harrisonville MO veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. The majority of veterinary medicine programs mandate practical training and a large number furnish it through internships. Not only will the experience be beneficial as far as the clinical training, but an internship can also help establish associations in the local vet community and assist in the search for a position after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Provided? Getting a job after graduating from a vet tech program may be difficult without the assistance of a job placement program. To start with, ask what the graduation rates are for the colleges you are considering. A low rate may mean that the teachers were unqualified to teach the curriculum or that some students were unhappy with the program and quit. Next, confirm that the schools have a job assistance program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate may indicate that the college has an exceptional reputation within the Harrisonville MO veterinarian community and has a considerable network of contacts for student placements. A low rate might indicate that the training is not well thought of by employers or that the job assistance program is a failure at placing students.

How Big are the Classes? If the classes are larger in size, you most likely will receive little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Request from the Harrisonville MO colleges you are researching what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You may also decide to sit in on a couple of classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between students and teachers. Ask for evaluations from students relating to the quality of instruction. Also, talk with the instructors and find out what their qualifications are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the School Located? Of course, we already covered location, but there are several more points to consider on the topic. If you are planning to drive to your veterinary technician classes from your Harrisonville MO home, you have to make sure that the commuting time fits into your schedule. For example, driving during the weekend to check out the route won’t be the same as the drive during rush hour traffic, particularly if the school is located near or in a large city. Also, if you do choose to attend a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition costs especially for community and state colleges. On the other hand, attending classes online could be an option that will give you more flexibility and minimize the necessity for travel.

Do the Classes Fit Your Schedule? And finally, it’s important that you ascertain if the vet colleges you are exploring offer class times flexible enough to accommodate your schedule. For instance, many students continue to work full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or at night near Harrisonville MO. Others might only be able to go to class in the morning or later in the afternoon. Verify that the class times you need are available before enrolling. Also, find out if you can make up classes that you might miss because of illness, work or family responsibilities. You may find that an online college is the ideal solution to fit your vet training into your hectic life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Harrisonville MO?

If you have decided to attend a Veterinary Technician Program in the Harrisonville Missouri area, then you may find the following information about the location of your school campus interesting and informing.

Harrisonville, Missouri

Harrisonville was founded in 1837 upon land donated to Cass County by Congress for county purposes, and was named for Congressman Albert G. Harrison, who was instrumental in obtaining the land grant.[8] The area suffered greatly during the American Civil War, though Harrisonville was one of the few places exempted in Union General Thomas Ewing's notorious General Order No. 11 (1863), which ordered the depopulation of three entire Missouri counties and part of a fourth.[9]

In 1972, Harrisonville was the site of escalating tensions between a handful of would-be hippies—mostly Vietnam veterans—and town elders, which culminated in a brief rampage by 25-year-old Charlie "Ootney" Simpson. In the town square, in plain view of onlookers, he killed two police officers and a bystander before shooting himself. The victims were officers Donald Marler and Francis Wirt and local businessman Orville Allen. His motivation turned out to be personal, not political; he had saved money to buy a farm, but the seller had recently backed out of the deal, and Simpson had used the money to bail his friends out of jail.[10]

Harrisonville is located at 38°39′13″N 94°20′49″W / 38.65361°N 94.34694°W / 38.65361; -94.34694 (38.653592, -94.346915).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.01 square miles (25.93 km2), of which 9.88 square miles (25.59 km2) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2) is water.[2]

Select the Best Vet Tech Program near Harrisonville MO

Harrisonville MO vet tech holding dog Picking the right veterinary technician college is a crucial first step to starting a gratifying career providing care and treatment for animals. Future students considering vet tech programs must make their determination based on several key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in veterinary clinics and hospitals and animal shelters. They commonly take on administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have discussed, it’s imperative that you enroll in a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an excellent reputation within the profession. This applies to vet tech online programs as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for reviewing schools, you will be able to narrow down your options so that you can make your final decision. And by selecting the right school, you can achieve your goal of becoming a vet tech in Harrisonville MO.