Become a Vet Tech | Vet Tech Schools Newtown Square PA

How to Choose a Vet Tech School near Newtown Square Pennsylvania

Newtown Square PA vet tech diagnosing puppy Achieving your lifelong aspiration of working with and caring for pets by enrolling in a veterinary technician school near Newtown Square PA might initially seem like a challenging undertaking. After all, you must find and enroll in a program that will provide the proper training so that you can succeed as a veterinary technician. But just how do you approach reviewing and contrasting schools so that you can make the correct choice? Many potential students start their due diligence process by looking for schools that are near their residences. After they have identified some local colleges, they find out which ones have the cheapest tuition and focus on those. Although cost and location are significant concerns when comparing veterinary technician programs, they are by no means the only significant ones when making your assessments. Qualifications such as internship programs and accreditation need to be evaluated also. The main idea is that there are questions you need to be asking the vet technician programs you are looking at before you make a final choice. We have provided several in this article in order to help get you started, but before we review them we’ll go over the various duties of veterinary technicians and the training options offered.

The Job of a Veterinary Technician in Newtown Square PA

cat with cone after surgery in Newtown Square PA Among the first decisions that you will have to make is whether you plan to train as a vet assistant, technician or technologist. Part of your preference may be predicated on the amount of time and money that you have to invest in your training, but the main factor will undoubtedly be which specialty appeals to you the most. What technicians and assistants share in common is that they both work under the immediate supervision of a practicing and licensed veterinarian. And while there are numerous jobs that they can carry out within the Newtown Square PA veterinary clinic or hospital, they can’t prescribe medicines, diagnose health issues, or carry out surgeries. In those areas they can only furnish assistance to a licensed vet. There are technologists and technicians that work away from the standard vet practice, for example for zoos, animal shelters or law enforcement. Let’s take a look at the job functions and training prerequisites for each position.

Vet Assistants in most instances will have completed a formal training program, either as an intern or apprentice 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 technicians in the performance of their duties. Normally they are not involved with more complex tasks, such as assisting with surgeries. Some of their usual functions may include working at the front desk, preparing and cleaning exam rooms and equipment, or handling animals during examinations.
Vet Technicians get more extensive training in contrast to assistants and normally obtain a 2 year Associate Degree, ideally from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program. They are in a fashion the veterinarian equivalent of medical nurses, since their general job duty is to assist vets with diagnosing and treating animal patients. Where they stand apart from veterinary assistants is that they are engaged in more complicated duties, for instance assisting with surgeries or providing medicine. All states currently mandate that veterinary technicians pass a credentialing examination for either registration, certification or licensing.
Vet Technologists are similar to vet technicians and essentially carry out the same work functions. They are mandated to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in veterinary technology, which normally takes 4 years to complete. Therefore the main distinction between a vet technician and a technologist is the technologist’s more advanced level of education. But with an advanced degree comes more career opportunities, higher salaries and possible management positions. They are also required to pass a credentialing examination for either registration, certification or licensing.

Veterinary techs and technologists can specialize in areas such as internal medicine, anesthesia or urgent care. Many may receive certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) to work in Newtown Square PA laboratories or research facilities as well.

Veterinary Technician Online Schools Offered in Newtown Square

student attending online vet tech school in Newtown Square PA An option that might be a solution for those with a hectic schedule or who are working full time while going to veterinary school is to enroll in an online training program. Because the classes are made available through the internet, students can attend on their own timetable wherever a computer is available. The syllabus is taught using multiple methods, including videos, slide shows 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 Newtown Square PA veterinarian clinic or hospital. Distance learning, as it is also called, may in many instances decrease the cost of your education. Tuition and supplementary expenditures, for example for commuting and study supplies, may be cheaper compared to more standard classroom courses. Just make sure that the online school that you choose is accredited, either by the AVMA or another nationally certified accrediting organization. With the online courses and the clinical training, everything is included for a comprehensive education. So if you are dedicated enough to learn in this more independent manner, an online veterinary technician program may be the ideal choice for you.

Questions to Ask Newtown Square PA Veterinary Technician Schools

Questions to ask Newtown Square PA vet tech schools At this point you should have determined which veterinary degree that you would like to obtain, 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 Newtown Square PA area as well as across the USA, you should ask some qualifying questions to help fine tune your list of options. As we pointed out in our introduction, many potential students start by concentrating on location and tuition expense. But we have already pointed out other significant qualifiers, such as internship programs and accreditation. And naturally you want to enroll in a college that offers the specialty and degree that you want to earn. These and other factors are reviewed in the list of questions that you should ask the vet tech schools that you are reviewing.

Is the Vet College Accredited? It’s essential that you confirm that the veterinary technician college you select is accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization. As previously stated, among the most highly respected is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Trade schools and colleges that are accredited by the AVMA have gone through an extensive screening process that ensures you will receive a superior education. Also, accreditation is important if you are requesting a student loan or financial aid, since many programs are not available for non-accredited colleges. And finally, having a certificate or degree from an accredited school is in many cases a precondition for employment for a number of Newtown Square PA area veterinarian practices and hospitals.

What is the School’s Reputation? The veterinarian 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 schools you are interested in for endorsements from the employers in their job assistance network. Other pointers include looking on online school ranking websites and contacting the school’s accrediting agencies as well. You can ask the Pennsylvania school licensing authority if there have been any grievances or infractions relating to your targeted schools. As a final tip, get in touch with some Newtown Square PA veterinary clinics that you may want to work for after you go through your training. Ask what they think of your school choices. They may even recommend one or more schools not on your list.

Are there Internship Programs? The best means to get clinical hands on experience as a vet tech is to work in a clinical setting. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have internship programs set up with Newtown Square PA veterinarians, vet practices or hospitals. Most veterinary medicine programs require practical training and a large number furnish it through internships. Not only will the experience be beneficial as far as the clinical training, but an internship can also help build connections in the local veterinarian community and assist in the search for a job after graduation.

Is there a Job Placement Program? Finding a job after graduating from a veterinary technician program can be challenging without the assistance of a job placement program. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the schools you are evaluating. A lower rate might suggest that the instructors were unqualified to teach the curriculum or that some students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. Next, check that the colleges have a job placement program and ask what their placement rates are. A higher placement rate could signify that the school has an outstanding reputation within the Newtown Square PA veterinarian community and has a significant network of contacts for student placements. A low rate may signify that the training is not highly thought of 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 personalized instruction from the teachers. Request from the Newtown Square PA colleges you are considering what their classroom student to teacher ratios are. You might also want to attend some classes (if practical) to observe the interaction between students and instructors. Get evaluations from students relating to the quality of instruction. Also, speak with the teachers and find out what their backgrounds are as well as their methods of teaching.

Where is the College Located? Of course, we already covered location, but there are a couple of more points to consider on the topic. If you are planning to drive to your vet tech classes from your Newtown Square PA home, you have to make certain 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 decide to attend a college in another state or even outside of your County of residence, there may be increased tuition costs especially for community and state colleges. Of course attending online classes could be an alternative that will provide you with more flexibility and minimize the necessity for travel.

Is the Class Schedule Flexible? And last, it’s imperative that you ascertain if the veterinarian colleges you are looking at offer class times flexible enough to accommodate your schedule. For example, a number of students continue to work full time and can only attend classes on the weekends or in the evenings near Newtown Square PA. Others may only be able to attend class in the morning or later in the afternoon. Confirm that the class times you need are available before enrolling. Also, determine if you can make-up classes that you might miss because of illness, work or family emergencies. You might find that an online school is the ideal solution to fit your vet training into your busy life.

Enrolling in a Vet Tech School near Newtown Square PA?

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

Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

The first mention of the township was in 1684, when Thomas Norbury and John Humphrey were appointed collectors of the "Levie for the cort house and Prison for ye Township of Newtowne".[4] Newtown Square was the name used for the townstead with the majority of early settlers being Welshmen. These Welsh "Friends" (Quakers) needed a road to facilitate their journey to meeting, the only established road at the time being Newtown Street Road, which ran north and south. As such, in 1687, an east-west road was laid out (Goshen Road) so the Friends could attend either Goshen or the Haverford Friends Meeting. By 1696, these friends had become numerous enough to hold their own meeting in Newtown and continued to meet in a private home until the completion of the Newtown Square Friends Meetinghouse in 1711. In the 18th century, Newtown was basically a farming community. Blacksmith and wheelwright shops emerged on the main arteries to service horse and buggy travelers. Taverns and inns were also opened to accommodate local patrons as well as drovers taking their livestock to the markets in Philadelphia.

During the Revolutionary War, Newtown township was visited several times by foraging parties of the British Army. On Goshen Road, west of Newtown Square, were the outpost and headquarters of General Potter.[5]

During the 19th century a number of mills sprang up along Crum Creek (the western border) and Darby Creek (in the northeast corner of the Township). These included saw mills, paper mills, shingle mills, and a woolen factory. In the Darby Creek area a number of tenement houses were built as well as a general store to service the needs of the mill workers.

Select the Ideal Vet Tech College near Newtown Square PA

Newtown Square PA vet tech holding dog Selecting the right veterinary technician school is a critical first step to starting a rewarding career delivering care and treatment for animals. Students looking into vet tech colleges need to make their determination based on multiple key issues. Veterinary technicians and technologists are employed in animal hospitals, veterinary clinics and animal shelters. They typically take on administrative responsibilities and assist the veterinarian with the animals when needed. As we have covered, it’s essential that you enroll in a veterinary medicine program that is both accredited and has an outstanding reputation within the field. This applies to online vet tech schools as well. By asking the questions provided in our checklist for evaluating schools, you will be able to reduce your alternatives so that you can make your final choice. And by choosing the right program, you can reach your goal of becoming a vet tech in Newtown Square PA.