Become a Vet Tech | Vet Tech Schools North Haverhill NH

How to Enroll In a Veterinary Technician Program near North Haverhill New Hampshire

North Haverhill NH vet tech diagnosing puppy Fulfilling your long term aspiration of working with and helping animals by enrolling in a veterinary technician college near North Haverhill NH may initially seem like a challenging undertaking. After all, you have to search for and enroll in a school that will deliver the necessary training to ensure that you can succeed as a veterinary technician. But just how do you go about reviewing and comparing programs so that you can make the best selection? Many future students launch their due diligence process by searching for schools that are near their homes. Once they have identified some area schools, they ascertain which ones have the lowest tuition and focus on those. Although location and cost are significant factors when evaluating vet tech schools, they are by no means the only important ones when making your assessments. Qualifiers such as accreditation and internship programs need to be evaluated as well. The main idea is that there are questions you need to be asking the vet tech programs you are considering before you make a final choice. We have provided several in this article in order to help get you started, but before we discuss them we’ll talk about the varied roles of vet techs and the training options available.

The Role of a Veterinary Technician in North Haverhill NH

cat with cone after surgery in North Haverhill NH One of the initial decisions that you will have to make is if you wish to train as a veterinary technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your decision may be based on the amount of time and money that you have to commit to your training, but the principal factor will undoubtedly be which specialization interests you the most. What techs and assistants have in common is that they each work under the direct supervision of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And even though there are many jobs that they can carry out within the North Haverhill NH veterinary practice or hospital, they can’t prescribe drugs, diagnose health issues, or conduct surgeries. In those areas they can only provide assistance to a licensed veterinarian. There are technicians and technologists that work exclusive of the conventional vet practice, for instance for animal shelters, zoos or law enforcement. Let’s take a look at the job functions and education prerequisites for each specialty.

Vet Assistants in almost all cases will have gone through a structured training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a practice, or by graduating from a certificate program at a vocational 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. Generally they are not associated with more complex tasks, for instance assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their regular functions may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning examination rooms and equipment, or handling animals during examinations.
Vet Technicians get more extensive training in contrast to assistants and typically obtain a 2 year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a fashion the veterinary equivalent of medical nurses, since their fundamental job duty is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they vary from veterinary assistants is that they are engaged in more complex functions, for instance assisting with surgeries or administering medication. All states currently require veterinary technicians pass a credentialing exam for either certification, registration or licensing.
Vet Technologists are similar to vet techs and essentially perform the same work functions. They are required to attain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which usually takes four years to complete. So the only real distinction between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist’s more advanced level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more job opportunities, higher salaries and possible management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing exam for either registration, certification or licensing.

Veterinary technicians and technologists can specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or emergency care. A number may obtain certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in North Haverhill NH laboratories or research facilities as well.

Online Veterinary Technician Programs Offered in North Haverhill

student attending online vet tech school in North Haverhill NH An option that might be a solution for those with a busy lifestyle or who are working full time while attending veterinary college is to enroll in an online program. Since the classes are offered through the internet, students can study on their own schedule wherever a computer is available. The course of study is taught using multiple venues, including videos, slide shows and live streaming webinars. And since the majority of vet technician and technologist degrees require clinical training, that segment can normally be carried out as an internship or work study program at a local North Haverhill NH veterinarian clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, can in some instances lower the cost of your education. Tuition and secondary expenditures, for instance for traveling and study supplies, can be cheaper compared to more traditional classroom courses. Just make certain that the program that you enroll in is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally certified accrediting organization. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything is provided for a complete education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more self-reliant fashion, an online veterinary technician school may be the right option for you.

What to Ask North Haverhill NH Vet Tech Programs

Questions to ask North Haverhill NH vet tech schools At this point you should have determined which veterinary degree that you want to earn, and if you want to study online or attend a program on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, vocational and trade schools in the North Haverhill NH area as well as across the USA, you need to ask some relevant questions to help fine tune your list of alternatives. As we pointed out in our introduction, many potential students start by prioritizing location and the cost of tuition. But we have previously pointed out other essential qualifiers, for example accreditation and internship programs. And of course you need to select a college that offers the specialty and degree that you would like to earn. These and other qualifications are reviewed in the list of questions that you should ask the veterinary technician colleges that you are reviewing.

Is the Veterinary School Accredited? It’s important that you confirm that the veterinary technician program you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As earlier stated, among the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone a demanding screening process that ensures you will receive a quality education. Also, accreditation is essential if you are applying for a student loan or financial assistance, since many programs are not available for non-accredited programs. Last, having a degree or certificate from an accredited college is in many cases a precondition for employment for many North Haverhill NH area veterinarian clinics and hospitals.

What is the School’s Reputation? The vet college or vocational school and program you choose must have an outstanding reputation within the veterinarian community. You can initiate your due diligence by asking the schools you are reviewing for endorsements 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 New Hampshire school licensing department if there have been any grievances or violations involving your targeted schools. As a final suggestion, get in touch with some North Haverhill NH veterinarians that you might want to work for after you receive your training. Find out what they think of your school choices. They may even suggest some schools not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs? The best way to obtain clinical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have internship programs established with North Haverhill NH veterinarians, vet clinics or hospitals. The majority of veterinary medicine programs require clinical training and many provide it by means of 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 veterinary community and aid in the search for a position after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Provided? Getting a job after graduating from a vet tech college may be challenging without the assistance of a job placement program. To start with, ask what the graduation rates are for the schools you are evaluating. A low rate may signify that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the syllabus or that a number of students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, verify that the schools have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate could mean that the school has an outstanding reputation within the North Haverhill NH vet community and has a significant network of contacts for student placements. A low rate might mean that the training is not highly thought of by employers or that the job placement program is ineffective at placing students.

How Big are the Classes? If the classes are larger in size, you may get little or no personalized instruction from the teachers. Find out from the North Haverhill NH schools you are looking at what their class teacher to student ratios are. You might also want to sit in on a few classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between students and instructors. Ask for feedback from students concerning the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the instructors and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their approaches to teaching.

Where is the School Located? Yes, we previously covered location, but there are several more points to make on the topic. If you are going to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your North Haverhill NH home, you must 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 college is located near or in a larger city. In addition, if you do choose to attend a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition charges particularly for state and community colleges. Of course attending online classes may be an alternative that will provide you with more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And last, it’s important that you find out if the veterinary schools you are evaluating offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For example, a number of students continue to work full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or in the evenings near North Haverhill NH. Others may only be able to go to classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Confirm that the class times you need are offered before enrolling. Also, find out if you can make up classes that you may miss as a result of sickness, work or family responsibilities. You might discover that an online school is the ideal solution to fit your vet education into your active life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near North Haverhill NH?

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

Haverhill, New Hampshire

Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2010 census.[1] Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the district of Mountain Lakes. Located here are Bedell Bridge State Park, Black Mountain State Forest, Kinder Memorial Forest, and Oliverian Valley Wildlife Preserve. It is home to the annual North Haverhill Fair, and to a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges. The village of North Haverhill is the county seat of Grafton County.[2]

Settled by citizens from Haverhill, Massachusetts, the town was first known as Lower Cohos. It was incorporated in 1763 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, and in 1773, became the county seat of Grafton County. Haverhill was the terminus of the old Province Road, which connected the northern and western settlements with the seacoast. By 1859, when the town had 2,405 inhabitants, industries included 3 gristmills, 12 sawmills, a paper mill, a large tannery, a carriage manufacturer, an iron foundry, 7 shoe factories, a printing office, and several mechanic shops.[3] The town is home to the oldest documented covered bridge in the country still standing—the Haverhill-Bath Bridge, built in 1829.

The village of Woodsville, named for John L. Woods of Wells River, Vermont, was once a very important railroad center. Woods operated a sawmill on the Ammonoosuc River, and developed a railroad supply enterprise following the establishment of the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. The village of Pike was settled by future employees of the Pike Manufacturing Company, which was once the world's leading manufacturer of whetstones.

Pick the Ideal Vet Tech School near North Haverhill NH

North Haverhill NH vet tech holding dog Picking the right vet tech college is an important first step to starting a gratifying career providing care and treatment for pets and livestock. Students thinking about veterinary technician programs must make their selection based on a number of key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They typically take on administrative tasks and assist the veterinarian with the animal patients as needed. As we have covered, it’s imperative that you select a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the field. This goes for vet tech online schools as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for evaluating schools, you will be able to narrow down your choices so that you can make your final selection. And by picking the best college, you can reach your goal of becoming a vet tech in North Haverhill NH.