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How to Find the Right Veterinary Technician Program near Athens Ohio

Athens OH vet tech diagnosing puppy Fulfilling your lifelong dream of working with and helping animals by enrolling in a veterinary technician college near Athens OH may at first seem like a daunting task. After all, you need to find and enroll in a school that will deliver the appropriate training so that you can be successful as a vet tech. But just how do you tackle analyzing and contrasting colleges so that you can make the proper choice? Many potential students launch their due diligence process by searching for campuses that are close to their residences. When they have located some nearby schools, they determine which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although location and cost are important concerns when assessing vet tech programs, they are by no means the only important ones when making your evaluations. Factors such as accreditation and internship programs should be looked into also. The main idea is that there are questions you should be asking the vet tech programs you are evaluating before you make an ultimate choice. We have furnished several in this article to help get you started, but before we discuss them we’ll explore the different responsibilities of vet techs and the training options available.

The Responsibilities of a Vet Tech in Athens OH

cat with cone after surgery in Athens OH One of the first decisions that you will need to make is whether you desire to train as a veterinary technician, assistant or technologist. Part of your preference might 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 specialty interests you the most. What technicians and assistants share in common is that they all work under the immediate guidance of a licensed and practicing veterinarian. And although there are a number of tasks that they can perform within the Athens OH veterinary clinic or hospital, they can’t prescribe medicines, diagnose ailments, or perform surgeries. In those areas they may only provide assistance to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work outside of the standard vet practice, such as for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let’s take a look at the job functions and education requirements for each specialty.

Vet Assistants in the majority of cases will have gone through a structured training program, either as an apprentice or intern in a practice, 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 execution of their duties. Usually they are not involved with more complicated activities, for example assisting with surgical procedures. A few of their normal duties may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning examination rooms and equipment, or controlling pets during exams.
Vet Technicians go through more advanced training compared to assistants and typically earn a 2 year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a sense the veterinarian counterparts of medical nurses, since their fundamental job duty is to assist veterinarians with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from veterinary assistants is that they are included in more involved duties, for example assisting with surgeries or administering medicine. All states currently require veterinary techs pass a credentialing examination for either certification, registration or licensing.
Vet Technologists are comparable to vet techs and basically perform the same job functions. They are required to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which normally takes 4 years. So the main distinction between a vet technologist and a technician is the technologist’s more advanced level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more job options, higher salaries and possible management positions. They are additionally mandated to pass a credentialing examination for either certification, registration or licensing.

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

Online Vet Tech Schools Offered in Athens

student attending online vet tech school in Athens OH An alternative that might make sense for those with a hectic lifestyle or who are working full-time while attending veterinarian school is to enroll in an online program. Because the classes are provided over the internet, students can study on their own schedule wherever a computer is available. The syllabus is taught using multiple venues, including videos, slide shows and live streaming webinars. And since the majority of veterinary tech and technologist degrees require clinical training, that segment can normally be completed as an internship or work study program at a local Athens OH veterinary clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in some instances lower the cost of your education. Tuition and supplementary expenditures, such as for traveling and study materials, may be lower compared to more standard classroom programs. Just be sure that the program that you select is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally certified accrediting agency. With the online classes and the clinical training, everything is provided for a complete education. So if you are dedicated enough to learn in this more independent mode, an online veterinary technician school may be the ideal option for you.

Questions to Ask Athens OH Vet Tech Schools

Questions to ask Athens OH vet tech schools At this point you probably have decided on which veterinary degree that you wish to attain, and if you intend to study online or attend a college on campus. Since there are an abundance of veterinarian community colleges, trade and vocational schools in the Athens OH area and across the United States, you need to ask some qualifying questions to help fine tune your list of alternatives. As we discussed in our introduction, many potential students start by concentrating on location and the cost of tuition. But we have already mentioned other important qualifiers, for example accreditation and internship programs. And naturally you want to select a school that offers the degree and specialty that you want to earn. These and other factors are covered in the checklist of questions that you need to ask the veterinary technician schools that you are looking at.

Is the Veterinary School Accredited? It’s essential that you confirm that the vet tech college you choose is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. As earlier mentioned, among the most highly respected is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Trade schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have undergone a thorough screening process that confirms you will get a superior education. Also, accreditation is necessary if you are requesting a student loan or financial assistance, since a large number of programs are not offered for non-accredited colleges. And finally, having a degree or certificate from an accredited program is frequently a prerequisite for employment for many Athens OH area vet practices and hospitals.

What is the Program’s Reputation? The veterinarian college or vocational school and program you choose should have an outstanding reputation within the veterinarian community. You can start your due diligence by asking the schools you are interested in for endorsements from the employers in their job assistance network. Other suggestions include checking with online school rating websites and speaking with the school’s accrediting organizations as well. You can ask the Ohio school licensing department if there have been any complaints or violations regarding your specific schools. As a final tip, contact some Athens OH veterinarians that you may want to work for after you go through your training. Find out what they think about your school selections. They may even recommend one or more colleges not on your list.

Are Internships Offered? The best approach to obtain clinical hands on training as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have internship programs established with Athens OH veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. Most veterinary medicine programs require clinical training and many furnish it through internships. Not only will the experience be invaluable relative to the clinical training, but an internship can also help establish associations in the local vet community and aid in the search for a position after graduation.

Is Job Assistance Provided? Searching for a job after graduating from a vet tech college may be challenging without the help of a job placement program. First, find out what the graduation rates are for the programs you are reviewing. A low rate might mean that the instructors were ineffective at teaching the syllabus or that some students were disappointed with the program and quit. Next, verify that the colleges have a job placement program and find out what their placement rates are. A high placement rate might mean that the college has an outstanding reputation within the Athens OH veterinarian community and has a substantial network of contacts for student placements. A low rate may mean that the training is not well thought of by employers or that the job placement program is ineffective at placing students.

How Large are the Classes? If the classes are bigger, you most likely will receive little or no individualized instruction from the teachers. Request from the Athens OH programs you are researching what their class teacher to student ratios are. You might also want to participate in 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 teachers and determine what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the School Located? Yes, we already discussed location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the topic. If you are planning to commute to your veterinary technician classes from your Athens OH home, you have to make sure that the driving time fits into your schedule. For instance, driving during the weekend to investigate the route won’t be the same as the commute during rush hour traffic, especially if the college is located close by or within a larger city. In addition, if you do choose to enroll in a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition charges especially for state and community colleges. Of course taking online classes may be an alternative that will give you more flexibility and decrease the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And finally, it’s important that you determine if the vet schools you are evaluating offer class times flexible enough to fit your schedule. For example, many students continue to work full time and can only go to classes on the weekends or at night near Athens OH. Some might only be able to go to classes in the morning or later in the afternoon. Verify that the class times you require are offered prior to enrolling. Also, determine if you can make-up classes that you may miss as a result of work, illness or family issues. You may find that an online college is the ideal way to fit your vet training into your hectic life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Athens OH?

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

Athens, Ohio

Athens is a city in and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio, United States. Athens is most widely known as the home of Ohio University, a large public research university with an enrollment of more than 36,800 students across all campuses. Located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Columbus, Athens is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. The official population of Athens in the 2010 U.S. Census was 23,832, with a daytime population of over 40,000 [6]

Athens is located in what was once the eastern region of two major Native American mound-building groups, the Adena culture from c. 1000 BC to 200 AD and the Ohio Hopewell tradition, c. 300 BC to 700 AD.[8][9] By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Shawnee, an Algonquian tribe, were the primary tribe of Native Americans living in what would become Athens County. According to a 1794 map by Thomas Kitchin, no settlement existed in the Athens area during the time immediately prior to the founding of the city.[10]

The first permanent European settlers arrived in Athens in 1797, more than a decade after the United States victory in the American Revolutionary War. In 1800, the town site was first surveyed and plotted, but it was not incorporated as a village until 1811. In the meantime, Ohio had become a state in 1803. Ohio University was chartered in 1804, the first public institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory. Previously part of Washington County, Ohio, Athens County was formed in 1805, named for the ancient center of learning, Athens, Greece. Ohio University in Athens was established with the first federal endowment of an educational institution in the United States. In July 1787, the Congress of the Confederation gave to the Ohio Company of Associates "two townships of good land for the support of a literary institution" in the newly created Northwest Territory.[11] During The First Session of the Second Territorial General Assembly, held in Chillicothe from November 23, 1801 to January 23, 1802, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the "American Western University" at Athens. The act was approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory on January 9, 1802.[12] However, no university with the name of American Western University would be established. Ohio became a state in 1803 and on February 18, 1804, the state legislature passed an act establishing the "Ohio University" in the town of Athens.[13] Athens received city status in 1912, following the 1910 census showing the population had passed 5,000 residents, the requirement for city status in Ohio.

Enroll in the Best Vet Tech Program near Athens OH

Athens OH vet tech holding dog Choosing the right veterinary technician program is an important first step to starting a fulfilling career providing care and treatment for pets and livestock. Future students looking into veterinary technician schools need to make their determination based on multiple key factors. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in vet clinics, animal hospitals and animal shelters. They commonly take on administrative responsibilities and assist the veterinarian with the animal patients when needed. As we have covered, it’s essential that you select 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 reduce your choices so that you can make your final selection. And by selecting the ideal college, you can reach your goal of becoming a vet tech in Athens OH.