Become a Vet Tech | Vet Tech Schools Grosse Pointe MI

How to Choose a Veterinary Technician Program near Grosse Pointe Michigan

Grosse Pointe MI vet tech diagnosing puppy Achieving your long term goal of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a veterinary technician college near Grosse Pointe MI could initially seem like a challenging endeavor. After all, you must search for and enroll in a school that will furnish the proper training to ensure that you can succeed as a vet tech. But just how do you go about reviewing and contrasting schools so that you can make the proper selection? Many potential students begin their due diligence process by looking for schools that are near their residences. Once they have located some area colleges, they find out which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although expense and location are significant considerations when evaluating veterinary technician programs, they are not the only critical ones when making your evaluations. Factors such as internship programs and accreditation need to be looked into as well. The point is that there are questions you should be asking the vet technician programs you are evaluating before you make a final choice. We have provided several in this article to help get you started, but before we review them we’ll discuss the varied responsibilities of vet techs and the training options offered.

The Job of a Vet Tech in Grosse Pointe MI

cat with cone after surgery in Grosse Pointe MI One of the initial decisions that you will need to make is whether you plan to train as a vet technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your preference might be dependent on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the principal factor will probably be which specialty appeals to you the most. What technicians and assistants have in common is that they both work under the immediate supervision of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And although there are many tasks that they can perform within the Grosse Pointe MI veterinary practice or hospital, they can’t prescribe drugs, diagnose conditions, or perform surgical procedures. In those areas they can only provide assistance to a licensed veterinarian. There are technologists and technicians that work away from the typical vet practice, such as for zoos, animal shelters or police departments. Let’s take a look at the duties and education requirements for each specialization.

Vet Assistants in the majority of cases will have gone through a structured training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a vet clinic or hospital, or by finishing a certificate program at a vocational 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. Normally they are not involved with more complicated activities, for example assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their typical responsibilities may include working at the front desk, cleaning and preparing examination rooms and equipment, or controlling pets during exams.
Vet Technicians receive more advanced training compared with assistants and normally obtain a two year Associate Degree, preferably from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinary counterparts of medical nurses, since their basic job function is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they vary from veterinary assistants is that they are involved in more complex activities, such as assisting with surgeries or providing medication. All states presently mandate that vet techs pass a credentialing examination for either licensing, registration or certification.
Vet Technologists are similar to vet technicians and for the most part perform the same job functions. They are mandated to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which normally takes 4 years to complete. So the main 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 technicians and technologists may specialize in areas such as anesthesia, internal medicine or emergency care. A number may earn certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Grosse Pointe MI labs or research facilities as well.

Online Vet Tech Programs Offered in Grosse Pointe

student attending online vet tech school in Grosse Pointe MI An alternative that may be a solution for those with a hectic lifestyle or who are working full-time while attending vet college is to enroll in an online program. Since the classes are made available through the internet, students can study on their own schedule wherever a computer is available. The educational program is taught using multiple venues, including slide shows, videos and live streaming webinars. And since most veterinary tech and technologist degrees require practical training, that part can usually be carried out as an internship or work study program at a local Grosse Pointe MI veterinary clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in some instances reduce the cost of your education. Tuition and supplementary expenses, such as for traveling and study materials, can be more affordable compared to more standard classroom courses. Just confirm that the online school 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 included for a complete education. So if you are disciplined enough to learn in this more independent mode, an online vet tech program may be the perfect option for you.

Questions to Ask Grosse Pointe MI Veterinary Technician Schools

Questions to ask Grosse Pointe MI vet tech schools By now you should have determined which veterinary degree that you want to obtain, and if you want to study online or attend a school on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, technical and vocational schools in the Grosse Pointe MI area and across the United States, you should ask some relevant questions in order to fine tune your list of options. As we pointed out in our introduction, many future students start by prioritizing location and the cost of tuition. But we have already touched on other important qualifiers, such as internship programs and accreditation. And naturally you want to choose a program that offers the specialty and degree that you want to earn. These and other qualifications are reviewed in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician programs that you are considering.

Is the Veterinary School Accredited? It’s imperative that you verify that the vet tech college you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As earlier discussed, among the most highly regarded is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Vocational schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have gone through a rigorous screening process that ensures you will receive a quality education. Also, accreditation is important if you are applying for a student loan or financial assistance, since numerous programs are not offered for non-accredited schools. Last, having a degree or certificate from an accredited program is in many cases a requirement for employment for many Grosse Pointe MI area veterinary clinics and hospitals.

What is the College’s Reputation? The veterinary college or vocational school and program you enroll in should have an exceptional reputation within the vet community. You can begin your due diligence by asking the colleges you are looking at for testimonials from the employers in their job placement network. Other suggestions include checking with online school rating websites and contacting the school’s accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the Michigan school licensing department if there have been any complaints or infractions concerning your specific schools. As a final suggestion, phone some Grosse Pointe MI veterinarians that you might want to work for after you get your training. Find out what they think about your school choices. They may even recommend one or more programs not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs? The best approach to obtain practical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a professional environment. Find out if the programs you are looking at have internship programs set up with Grosse Pointe MI veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. Almost all veterinary medicine programs require practical training and a large number furnish it through internships. Not only will the experience be valuable regarding the practical training, but an internship can also help develop associations in the local veterinarian community and help in the search for employment after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Offered? Finding a job after graduating from a vet tech school can be challenging without the help of a job placement program. To start with, ask what the graduation rates are for the colleges you are evaluating. A lower rate could indicate that the teachers were ineffective at teaching the course of study or that some students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. Next, verify that the colleges have a job placement program and find out what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate might signify that the school has an excellent reputation within the Grosse Pointe MI veterinary community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A low rate may mean that the training is not highly regarded 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 receive little or no personalized instruction from the teachers. Find out from the Grosse Pointe MI colleges you are looking at what their class student to teacher ratios are. You might also want to attend a few classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between students and teachers. Get evaluations from students concerning the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the instructors and find out what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the College Located? Of course, we already talked about location, but there are a few more points to make on the subject. If you are planning to drive to your veterinary technician classes from your Grosse Pointe MI home, you must confirm that the driving time is compatible with your schedule. For example, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won’t be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, especially if the school is located near or in a larger city. Also, if you do choose to enroll in a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be higher tuition charges especially for community and state colleges. Of course attending classes online may be an option that will give you more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Do the Classes Fit Your Schedule? And last, it’s important that you determine if the vet programs you are exploring offer class times that are sufficiently flexible to fit your schedule. For example, many students continue to work full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near Grosse Pointe MI. Some may only be able to attend class in the morning or in the afternoon. Make certain that the class times you require are offered before enrolling. Also, determine if you can make up classes that you might miss as a result of work, illness or family responsibilities. You might discover that an online college is the ideal solution to fit your veterinary training into your active life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Grosse Pointe MI?

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

Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe is a waterfront city adjacent to Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The municipality covers just over one square mile and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census.[7] It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe Farms, and on the south by Lake Saint Clair. Grosse Pointe is about eight miles (13 km) east of downtown Detroit, accessible by Jefferson Avenue or several other cross streets. Grosse Pointe is one of five similarly named municipalities in northeastern Wayne County, and is often called "The City" or Grosse Pointe City.

Together with "The Park" and "The Farms", "the City" comprises part of the southern Pointes, which are older and more densely populated than the northern Pointes (Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores). It became heavily populated between 1910 and 1930 as one of Detroit's first commuter suburbs; in the previous century, Grosse Pointe was home to cottages, resorts, farms, and widely spaced lakefront mansions. Grosse Pointe ("the City"), Grosse Pointe Farms, and Grosse Pointe Park make up the Grosse Pointe South High School district. Downtown Grosse Pointe, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," is considered by many to be the central downtown for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail properties.

Grosse Pointe was incorporated as a village in 1880, but at that time also included what is now Grosse Pointe Farms. The community was divided along its present lines in 1893 over issues of allowing the sale of alcohol. It was incorporated as a city in 1934.[8]

Pick the Right Veterinary Technician Program near Grosse Pointe MI

Grosse Pointe MI vet tech holding dog Selecting the appropriate veterinary technician college is an important first step to starting a gratifying career delivering care and treatment for pets and livestock. Students thinking about veterinary technician colleges must make their decision based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in animal hospitals, veterinary clinics and animal shelters. They commonly take on administrative responsibilities and support the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have covered, it’s very important that you decide on a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the profession. This goes for online vet tech colleges as well. By asking the questions included in our checklist for assessing schools, you will be able to narrow down your alternatives so that you can make your final choice. And by choosing the ideal program, you can achieve your goal of becoming a vet tech in Grosse Pointe MI.