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How to Pick a Veterinary Technician School near Lewistown Pennsylvania

Lewistown PA vet tech diagnosing puppy Realizing your long term goal of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a veterinary technician school near Lewistown PA may initially seem like a daunting task. After all, you have to locate and enroll in a program that will furnish the necessary training to ensure that you can be successful as a vet tech. But just how do you tackle evaluating and comparing colleges so that you can make the proper choice? Many future students begin their due diligence process by searching for campuses that are near their homes. After they have found some nearby schools, they find out which ones have the most affordable tuition and hone in on those. Although location and expense are significant concerns when evaluating veterinary technician programs, they are by no means the only significant ones when making your evaluations. Factors such as accreditation and internship programs need to be looked into as well. The main idea is that there are questions you need to be asking the vet technician schools you are evaluating before you make an ultimate decision. We have provided several in this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we’ll talk about the various duties of vet techs and the training alternatives available.

The Job of a Vet Tech in Lewistown PA

cat with cone after surgery in Lewistown PA One of the first decisions that you will have to make is if you desire to train as a vet technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your decision may be predicated on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the principal determiner will most likely be which specialty interests you the most. What technicians and assistants share in common is that they both work under the direct supervision of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And even though there are many tasks that they can perform within the Lewistown PA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can’t prescribe drugs, diagnose health issues, or carry out surgical procedures. In those areas they may only furnish assistance to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work outside of the typical veterinarian practice, for instance for zoos, animal shelters or police departments. Let’s take a look at the job functions and training prerequisites for each position.

Vet Assistants in the majority of cases will have gone through a formal training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a vet clinic or hospital, or by graduating from a certificate program at a community college or vocational school. As the name implies, their job function is to assist the vets and vet techs in the execution of their duties. Normally they are not involved with more complicated activities, for example assisting with surgeries. Some of their typical duties may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing exam rooms and equipment, or handling pets during examinations.
Vet Technicians get more extensive training compared with assistants and generally acquire a two year Associate Degree, preferably from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinary equivalent of medical nurses, since their fundamental job duty is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they vary from veterinary assistants is that they are engaged in more involved duties, such as assisting with surgeries or providing medicine. All states presently mandate that veterinary technicians pass a credentialing exam for either certification, registration or licensing.
Vet Technologists are similar to vet technicians and for the most part perform the same job functions. They are required to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which normally requires four years to complete. Therefore the main difference between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist’s higher level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more career opportunities, higher salaries and possible management positions. They are additionally mandated to pass a credentialing exam for either licensing, registration or certification.

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

Vet Tech Online Programs Offered in Lewistown

student attending online vet tech school in Lewistown PA An option that may make sense for those with a hectic lifestyle or who are working full-time while going to veterinarian school is to enroll in an online training program. Because the classes are provided over the internet, students can attend on their own schedule wherever a computer is accessible. The educational program is taught using various venues, including slide shows, videos and live streaming webinars. And since most veterinary tech and technologist degrees require clinical training, that segment can typically be fulfilled as an internship or work study program at a local Lewistown PA veterinary practice or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in some instances reduce the cost of your education. Tuition and supplementary costs, such as for travel and study supplies, may be more affordable compared to more conventional classroom programs. Just be sure that the program that you choose is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally recognized accrediting agency. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything is furnished 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 choice for you.

What to Ask Lewistown PA Vet Tech Colleges

Questions to ask Lewistown PA vet tech schools By now you probably have selected which veterinary degree that you would like to earn, and if you want to study online or attend a program on campus. Since there are a large number of veterinary community colleges, trade and vocational schools in the Lewistown PA area and across the Country, you need to ask some qualifying questions in order to fine tune your list of options. As we pointed out in our opening, many future students start by concentrating on location and tuition expense. But we have previously mentioned other essential qualifiers, for example accreditation and internship programs. And naturally you want to choose a school that offers the degree and specialty that you are interested in. These and other qualifications are addressed in the list of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician programs that you are reviewing.

Is the Vet College Accredited? It’s essential that you confirm that the vet tech program you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As previously stated, one of the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Trade schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have gone through a rigorous review process that ensures you will get a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since many programs are not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, having a degree or certificate from an accredited college is often a requirement for employment for many Lewistown PA area veterinarian clinics and hospitals.

What is the College’s Reputation? The veterinarian college or trade school and program you choose must have an excellent reputation within the veterinary community. You can begin your due diligence by asking the schools you are reviewing for references from the employers in their job placement network. Other suggestions include looking on online school ranking websites and checking with the school’s accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the Pennsylvania school licensing department if there have been any complaints or infractions concerning your specific schools. As a final recommendation, get in touch with some Lewistown 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 Internships Offered? The best way to get practical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a medical environment. Find out if the colleges you are considering have internship programs established with Lewistown PA veterinarians, vet hospitals or clinics. Most veterinary medicine programs mandate practical training and a large number furnish it by way of internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the clinical training, but an internship may also help build connections in the local veterinary community and assist in the search for employment after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Offered? Searching for a job after graduating from a veterinary technician college may be difficult without the assistance of a job placement program. To start with, ask what the graduation rates are for the schools you are considering. A lower rate could mean that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the curriculum or that a number of students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, check that the schools have a job assistance program and find out what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate might indicate that the college has an excellent reputation within the Lewistown PA veterinarian community and has a significant network of contacts for student placements. A lower rate may indicate that the training is not highly regarded by employers or that the job assistance program is a failure at placing students.

How Large are the Classes? If the classes are bigger, you may get little or no one-on-one instruction from the teachers. Request from the Lewistown PA programs you are researching what their class teacher to student ratios are. You might also decide to participate in some classes (if practical) to monitor the interaction between teachers and students. Get feedback from students regarding the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the teachers and determine what their qualifications are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the Campus Located? Okay, we previously talked about location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the topic. If you are going to drive to your veterinary technician classes from your Lewistown PA home, you have to confirm that the commuting time fits into your schedule. For instance, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won’t be the same as the drive during rush hour traffic, especially if the college is located in or close by a larger city. In addition, if you do decide to enroll in a school in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition charges particularly for community and state colleges. Of course taking classes online might be an alternative that will provide you with more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And finally, it’s essential that you determine if the vet colleges you are looking at offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate your schedule. For example, many students continue working full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or at night near Lewistown PA. Some might only be able to attend class in the morning or in the afternoon. Make sure that the class times you require are available before enrolling. Also, find out if you can make up classes that you might miss due to sickness, work or family emergencies. You may discover that an online program is the ideal way to fit your vet education into your hectic life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Lewistown PA?

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

Lewistown, Pennsylvania

Lewistown is a borough in the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States.[3] It is the principal city of the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Mifflin County.[4] It lies along the Juniata River, 61 miles (98 km) northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; in 1940, 13,017; and in 2000, 8,998. The population was 8,338 at the 2010 census. Of the four communities in the United States named "Lewistown", this borough is the largest.

The borough was incorporated in 1795 and was named for William "Bill" Lewis, a Quaker and a member of the legislature, who was responsible for the designation of the borough, which was then known as the Village of Ohesson, as the county seat of Mifflin County.

Early roads crisscrossed the region, but it was the eventual construction of the Pennsylvania Canal and the railroads that followed that truly positioned Mifflin County as an economic force in the state.

Select the Ideal Vet Tech Program near Lewistown PA

Lewistown PA vet tech holding dog Picking the appropriate veterinary technician program is an important first step to starting a rewarding career providing care and treatment for animals. Students considering veterinary technician schools must make their determination based on several key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists work in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They typically take on administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have discussed, it’s very important that you enroll in a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This applies to vet tech online colleges as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to reduce your choices so that you can make your final decision. And by choosing the right program, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a vet tech in Lewistown PA.