Become a Vet Tech | Vet Tech Schools Greencastle PA

How to Find the Right Vet Tech Program near Greencastle Pennsylvania

Greencastle PA vet tech diagnosing puppy Achieving your long term goal of working with and helping pets by enrolling in a vet tech school near Greencastle PA could initially feel like a challenging undertaking. After all, you need to find and enroll in a school that will provide the necessary training so that you can succeed as a veterinary technician. But just how do you tackle assessing and comparing schools so that you can make the proper selection? Many future students begin their due diligence process by looking for colleges that are near their homes. Once they have found some area schools, they find out which ones have the cheapest tuition and hone in on those. Although location and expense are important considerations when evaluating vet technician schools, they are not the only significant ones when making your assessments. Qualifications such as internship programs and accreditation should be considered as well. The point is that there are questions you should be asking the veterinary technician schools you are looking at before you make a final choice. We have presented several in this article to help get you started, but before we discuss them we’ll go over the varied duties of veterinary technicians and the training options available.

The Function of a Vet Tech in Greencastle PA

cat with cone after surgery in Greencastle PA Among the first decisions that you will need to make is whether you plan to train as a veterinary assistant, technologist or technician. Part of your decision might be predicated on the amount of time and money that you have to commit to your education, but the primary determiner will undoubtedly be which specialization appeals to you the most. What technicians and assistants have in common is that they all work under the immediate supervision of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And even though there are a number of tasks that they can carry out within the Greencastle PA veterinary practice or hospital, they can’t prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or carry out surgeries. In those areas they can only provide support to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work outside of the standard veterinarian practice, such as for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let’s take a look at the duties and training requirements for each specialization.

Vet Assistants in most cases will have gone through a formal training program, either as an apprentice or intern 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 vets and vet techs in the performance of their duties. Usually they are not associated with more involved undertakings, for instance assisting with surgeries. A few of their usual functions may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or handling animals during examinations.
Vet Technicians receive more advanced training compared with assistants and usually acquire a two 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 function is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they vary from vet assistants is that they are included in more complex duties, such as assisting with surgeries or providing medicine. All states presently mandate that vet techs pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.
Vet Technologists are comparable to vet techs and for the most part carry out the same job functions. They are required to attain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which usually requires 4 years. So the only real difference between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist’s higher 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 certification, registration or licensing.

Vet techs and technologists may specialize in areas such as anesthesia, internal medicine or urgent care. A number may obtain certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Greencastle PA labs or research facilities as well.

Veterinary Technician Online Programs Offered in Greencastle

student attending online vet tech school in Greencastle PA An option that may make sense for those with a busy schedule or who are working full-time while attending veterinary school is to enroll in an online training program. Because the classes are provided through the internet, students can study on their own timetable wherever a computer is available. The course of study is taught using various methods, including videos, slide shows and live streaming webinars. And since the majority of veterinary tech and technologist degrees require practical training, that part can typically be carried out as an internship or work study program at a local Greencastle PA veterinary clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in many instances decrease the cost of your education. Tuition and secondary expenditures, for instance for commuting and study materials, can be lower compared to more conventional classroom programs. Just make sure that the program that you select is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally certified accrediting organization. With the online courses and the practical training, everything is furnished for a complete education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more independent mode, an online veterinary technician school may be the ideal option for you.

Things to Ask Greencastle PA Veterinary Technician Colleges

Questions to ask Greencastle PA vet tech schools By now you should have determined which veterinarian credential that you want to earn, and if you prefer to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, vocational and trade schools in the Greencastle PA area as well as across the United States, you must ask some important questions to help fine tune your list of alternatives. As we discussed in our opening, many future students start by concentrating on location and the cost of tuition. But we have previously mentioned other essential qualifiers, such as accreditation and internship programs. And of course you need to choose a college that offers the degree and specialty that you are interested in. These and other factors are covered in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the vet tech colleges that you are reviewing.

Is the Vet Program Accredited? It’s imperative that you make sure that the veterinary technician school you enroll in 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 rigorous screening process that ensures you will obtain a quality education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since many programs are not obtainable for non-accredited programs. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited program is often a precondition for employment for a number of Greencastle PA area veterinarian clinics and hospitals.

What is the School’s Reputation? The veterinarian vocational school or college and program you choose should have an excellent reputation within the veterinarian community. You can begin your due diligence by asking the colleges you are reviewing for testimonials from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include checking with online school rating websites and checking with the school’s accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the Pennsylvania school licensing authority if there have been any grievances or infractions regarding your targeted schools. As a final pointer, get in touch with some Greencastle PA vet clinics that you may wish to work for after you go through your training. Ask what they think about your school selections. They may even suggest one or more colleges not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs? The most effective approach to get clinical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a medical environment. Find out if the colleges you are reviewing have internship programs established with Greencastle PA veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. Almost all veterinary medicine programs require clinical training and a large number furnish it by means of internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the practical training, but an internship may also help develop relationships in the local vet community and aid in the search for employment after graduation.

Is Job Placement Provided? Getting a job after graduating from a vet tech college may be difficult without the help of a job placement program. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the programs you are considering. A low rate could mean that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the course of study or that a number of students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, check that the colleges have a job assistance program and find out what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate might signify that the school has an outstanding reputation within the Greencastle PA veterinarian community and has a considerable network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate could mean that the training is not highly regarded by employers or that the job placement program is a failure at placing students.

How Large are the Classes? If the classes are larger sized, you most likely will receive little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Find out from the Greencastle PA programs you are looking at what their classroom teacher to student ratios are. You might also want to attend some classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between teachers and students. Get evaluations from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, talk with the instructors and find out what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the College Located? Okay, we previously talked about location, but there are a few more points to make on the topic. If you are planning to drive to your vet tech classes from your Greencastle PA home, you must make certain that the commuting time fits into your schedule. For example, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won’t be the same as the drive during rush hour traffic, especially if the school is located near or in a larger city. Also, if you do decide to enroll in a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition fees particularly for state and community colleges. On the other hand, attending classes online may be an option that will provide you with more flexibility and minimize the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And last, it’s important that you determine if the veterinarian programs you are exploring offer class times flexible enough to accommodate your schedule. For example, many students continue working full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near Greencastle PA. Others may only be able to go to classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Confirm that the class times you require are offered before enrolling. Also, determine if you can make-up classes that you may miss as a result of sickness, work or family emergencies. You might find that an online college is the ideal way to fit your veterinary education into your hectic life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Greencastle PA?

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

Greencastle, Pennsylvania

Greencastle was founded in 1782 by John Allison from the Barkdoll House. The town was named after Greencastle, County Donegal, Ireland.[4] It was originally composed of 246 lots. By 1790 there were about 60 houses in Greencastle, homes to approximately 400 people. The town of Greencastle had grown by the mid-nineteenth century to 1,125 residents.

In 1845, following the succession crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement, Sidney Rigdon (one of the three main contenders along with James Strang and Brigham Young for leadership of the Latter Day Saints following the death of Joseph Smith) took his followers to Pennsylvania and formed a Rigdonite Mormon settlement at Greencastle. This settlement had approximately 200 followers.[5] They founded the New Jerusalem settlement between Greencastle and Mercersburg, published the Conochoheague Herald newspaper in Greencastle,[6] and made plans for the construction of a temple. The Rigdonite Mormon settlement at Greencastle only lasted a few years; some former Rigdon followers went to Utah to join Brigham Young, while William Bickerton, who had opposed Rigdon's move to Greencastle, would eventually reorganize the remaining Pennsylvania branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in Pittsburgh as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite).

Early in the Civil War, Greencastle and neighboring Franklin County communities raised the 126th Pennsylvania Infantry. In the summer of 1863, the war touched close to home when Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia invaded southern Pennsylvania in what became known as the Gettysburg Campaign. From mid-June to early July, those residents of Greencastle who had not fled to safety lived under Confederate rule. On July 2, concurrent with the Battle of Gettysburg in neighboring Adams County, Captain Ulric Dahlgren's Federal cavalry patrol galloped into Greencastle's town square, where they surprised and captured several Confederate cavalrymen carrying vital correspondence from Richmond.[7][8] After the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee's army began its retreat to Virginia on July 4 and 5. He sent John D. Imboden's cavalry to escort a large wagon train carrying Confederate wounded. The train, nearly 18 miles (29 km) in length, wound its way through the streets of Greencastle, where a few men of the town attacked the wagon train with axes and hatchets. They succeeded in disabling several wagons before Confederate cavalry chased them away.

Pick the Right Veterinary Technician Program near Greencastle PA

Greencastle PA vet tech holding dog Enrolling in the appropriate veterinary technician college is a crucial first step to starting a fulfilling career delivering treatment and care for animals. Students thinking about vet tech programs need to make their selection based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in animal hospitals, veterinary clinics and animal shelters. They usually handle administrative duties and support the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have discussed, it’s essential that you decide on a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This applies to vet tech online programs as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to narrow down your options so that you can make your final decision. And by selecting the right program, you can reach your goal of becoming a vet tech in Greencastle PA.