Here's a question from a reader that ties to Emily's questions from a few days ago.
Hello my name is Nicole and I'm currently trying to decide whether I want to go to Vet Technician school or straight into Veterinarian school. My main question is if I were to go to Veterinary Technician school would this take years off if I wanted to later on go to Veterinary School?
If you haven't already, go back and read my response to Emily from earlier this week, as it may help in your decision. I've also answered similar questions over the years, so searching keywords in this blog may give you more information.
The simple answer is, no being a veterinary technician does not reduce the amount of time you spend in veterinary school. At least that's true in the US, and I can assume in most other countries (I only know the US system). One of my classmates was a technician before she entered vet school, and she did the same program as the rest of us. The education and subjects are indeed very similar, so having gone through tech school may make vet school easier since you've learned much of it. However, vets go into much more detail, especially on diagnosing and treating cases, so it's not a completely comparable education. If you wanted to do both, you'd spend 2-3 years becoming a technician, then another four in vet school.
Having first worked as a tech may help your chances of being accepted into vet school, as this kind of experience and training is certainly something the admissions department considers and values. You may also find that even though the pay is less, so is the debt and the pressure. This is often a better option for some people, and one in which they find significant personal satisfaction.
