All About Veterinary Technicians

Today we have a first on my blog.  A guest post!  I thought this was a very worthwhile topic, and I hope you find it informative.

Veterinary technicians are not exactly veterinarians, but they’re the next best thing to them. They’re involved in the provision of medical care to animals, and they’re qualified professionals who have had academic and on-the-job training in looking after animals and birds. In general, the tasks and responsibilities of a vet tech include:

·       *   Assisting veterinarians in all that they do.

·       *  Helping with surgeries and routine examinations.

·       *  Administering medication, intravenously or otherwise.

·       * Conducting lab tests and knowing how to read the results of these tests.

·       * Providing overnight care for animals that have had surgeries and need to be kept in the hospital for observation.

·       * Working X-ray machines to diagnose animals with broken bones.

·       * Talking to clients and explaining surgeries and other medical procedures to them.

·       * Teaching clients how best to care for and cope with their animals.

·       * Helping with training animals – they teach obedience classes for pets.

·       * Some vet techs specialize in animal behavior and are involved with behavioral testing at veterinary practices.

·       * Some vet techs treat minor injuries and small wounds in the absence of a veterinarian and in emergencies.

If you want to become a veterinary technician, you must be prepared to:

·         * Enroll in and complete a two or four-year degree program. It could be an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, but it is necessary that you attend college before you’re allowed to take the certification examination.

·         * Apply for and pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). This exam spans four hours and will test your abilities in prepping animals for surgery, nursing, animal pharmacology, lab procedures and other topics pertinent to veterinary science.

·         * Apply for an internship position at a veterinary practice or hospital.

·         * Apply for a job with a veterinarian who practices independently or with a larger hospital, depending on your location and options. 

Most vet techs go on to specialize in one particular field of care – you could choose to study critical care, internal medicine, dentistry, equine care or anesthesia to extend your repertoire, boost your chances of success, and earn a higher salary. If you’re looking for jobs and hoping to reach out to other vet techs, joining the National Association of Veterinary Technicians is your best bet. This association helps not just with jobs, but also with continuing education and career development.  

According the BLS, the median salary of vet techs is around $29,000. Vet techs in research earn more than their counterparts who choose to stay on in general practice. 

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Tina Marconi, she writes on the topic of vet tech online . She welcomes your comments at her email id: tinamarconi85[@]gmail[.]com.

Questions From A Prospective Vet Student, Part 3

Here are the last set of Jasmine's questions.

If I was able to become a practicing vet, I would like to own my own private practice. Would you be able to give me a general idea as to what that would be like and what are the odds of really being able to "be my own boss" and direct my own clinic? 

Owning your veterinary practice is a lot of very hard work, and you don't get any training in this as a veterinary student.  You will need to secure business loans of around $300,000-500,000 (US) or more for even a small practice. Having strong business skills and training is important to being a business owner, as many private practices go bankrupt because the owner isn't a good businessperson.  You will spend a large portion of your day and week managing aspects of the business and not being a doctor, and this may not be enjoyable for you. Another downside is that veterinary practices are no longer a good retirement plan, as many older vets are finding it very difficult to sell their practice and retire.

All of that being said, being a practice owner can be satisfying.  Doing so gives you the best opportunity to make a high salary (though it requires good business skills), and certainly more than an associate vet.  You can also have the freedom to pick your methods of practice, products, medications, designs and so on.  All aspects of it are completely in your control.  And odds of starting a practice are good if you have good credit.  Odds of maintaining profitability and staying open are another story.

Also, was your ability to handle the bloody and gory aspects of surgery acquired over time or were you already able to stomach that sort of thing? I'm not too squirmish about the sight of blood, but a few of the pictures in your blog were a little disturbing (like the protruding eye on the poor pup that ended up needing to be removed)... 

I actually used to have a weak stomach before I started working for a veterinarian.  When I first started seeing surgery and blood, I passed out a couple of times.  But I knew that I wanted to be a vet and would have to get over it.  So I just stuck with it and eventually I started being able to handle it.  This tolerance didn't happen overnight, and it took a few years to really get used to it. Some people never develop that ability, and it's pretty important for a vet.  You have to be able to handle blood, pus, maggots crawling through skin, broken bones poking through flesh, ruptured eyes, draining abscesses, and many other disgusting things.  The variety of gross sights is one of the reasons why you should work for a veterinarian before considering a career in the field. If you find that you can't handle seeing these things or handle dealing with a pet in pain, then this isn't the right career choice for ou.

Jasmine, thanks for all of the questions!

Questions From A Prospective Vet Student, Part 2

Continuing the answers to Jasmine's questions, here are the next ones....

Also, I am undeclared in regards to what my major and minor are at the moment, and I was wondering what would be the preferred major in order to benefit me most if I did pursue becoming a vet? I have a strong love for English as well, I might take English as my minor, but I'm not sure if that is recommended for this type of career... Are there many areas where a minor in English would be useful? 

I can only really speak from experience with US veterinary schools, but I would imagine that in other countries it would be the same or similar.  Honestly, your major doesn't completely matter.  In the US the admissions office looks at whether or not you have taken and passed specific courses, and don't look at your overall major.  Each veterinary school will have slightly different entry requirements, so you should check with each one you plan to apply to.  Since most of the required courses are in the fields of biology, chemistry, and mathematics,certain majors definitely make it easier to take these courses.  The most common majors are Biology and Animal Science, as the requirements for these majors will already have you taking most or all of the courses you need for entry into vet school.  However, I've known vets who majored in non-science disciplines in college, and even some who didn't receive a final undergraduate degree.  Even if you had an English major, as long as you took the required courses it wouldn't negatively affect your application to vet school, though it would take longer to make it through college since you would be taking so many courses outside of your major.

If you have a strong interest in English, you could consider trying to drive your career towards the veterinary publishing industry.  There are dozens of veterinary journals on the market, some strictly research-based and others intended more for general practice and as veterinary-specific news magazines.  Many of the editors are also veterinarians, as are the reporters and especially the consultants.  Moving in this direction would potentially take you out of daily practice, especially if you ended up as an editor, but would rely heavily on your English skills and may be something you would enjoy.  Even if you don't end up in publishing, good written and oral communication skills will benefit you greatly in daily practice and should never be underestimated.  If you really love English, I would encourage you to pursue at least a minor, simply for your personal satisfaction and enjoyment.

Tomorrow we finish Jasmine's questions.

Questions From A Prospective Vet Student, Part 1

Jasmine recently emailed me with quite a lot of questions.  Over the next few days I'll try and address them.  Here's the first part!

I am currently a first year student at the University of Alberta, enrolled in the faculty of science. All my life I have had a strong love for the well-being of animals of all shapes and sizes, and have a firm belief in the proper ethical treatment of animals. The past year I have been wondering what type of road I would take to the career that would have major involvement with the proper treatment and health of all animals. I have established some sort of path for myself where I'd like to get into the 4 year DVM program at the University of Calgary to become a practicing veterinarian, as well as take part in a project such as PETA for the ethical part of how animals are treated. Would something like this be possible? Or would the workload of being a veterinarian be too much to juggle without the extra curricular?

Let's start here.  First, just be aware that there are many vets who have poor opinions of PETA because of the often questionable practices of this group.  There's also a difference between "animal rights" and "animal welfare", so be aware of the distinction and where you stand.  As part of veterinary training you'll be dealing with livestock and production facilities for farm animals.  There are some debates on treatment of various aspects of poultry, swine, and beef production and you'll have to deal with this yet still make it through these aspects of veterinary college.

Attending veterinary school is a full-time job by itself, and leaves little time for anything else if you really want to put your full effort into it.  That being said, you can't be in school or studying 24/7. Depending on what kind of project or activity you're involved in, you do have time to do other things, as long as school is still your priority.  Also, there are often extra projects and reports you will be required to do as part of class, and you can do a project like this for credit.

And are there any activities I can participate in such as volunteering at a clinic to better prepare myself for what's to come? Or any courses I should consider taking this early on in my university experience that would greatly benefit my decision as to whether I would choose to become a veterinarian or not?

First and foremost I would recommend finding a job at a local veterinary practice. If you want to find out what day-to-day life as a veterinarian is like, there simply is no other way.  You'll get to see the hard cases, the gross and disgusting things, and the long hours required.  Courses in anatomy and physiology will help get you into the medical mindset, as well as see if you can handle the degree and detail of knowledge that you will learn in vet school.  But above everything else, you should learn about the daily life and trials of a vet, and this can only really come from working for one.  Some veterinary schools also require experience working in the field prior to acceptance in vet school, so check the requirements of where you'll b applying.  You can also consider volunteering at an animal shelter, though this isn't always directly related to veterinary medicine.

Tomorrow, more of Jasmine's questions.

Puppy Graduation

One of my regular readers posted this comment on my entry about Training Techniques...

I would really urge you to find a good trainer rather than rely on books.
The reason for this is because it takes allot of time and patients to really help a dog learn. A good trainer creates a plan and then re-enforces your training again and again and again. ( notice I said your training)Most of this is about training you and you pass that onto the dog.

I think that's an excellent point, and one I also believe in.  In my own practice I always recommend group training classes rather than books.  First, socialization is vitally important to a dog's development.  You need to do this in a controlled setting with proper guidance and training.  Failure to socialize your puppy by four months old (yes, studies have shown it needs to be by this young) then you could risk behavioral issues for the rest of the dog's life.  Also, as Rockjdog pointed out, learning proper training can take a lot of time and the classes are as much about training the owner as about training the dog.  So yes, I firmly believe that if given a choice someone should pick a class rather than a book.

And I try to practice what I preach.  My own puppy, Yvaine, has been in a group puppy class for the last eight weeks.  I started her at 10 weeks old, and this past weekend she graduated.

My wife went to the classes with her and continued the training at home.  Yes, I know the basics of dog training and could do much of it myself.  But we really wanted to give Yvaine the best chance for great behavior, and knowing what I know of mental development in dogs we decided to enroll her.  It's been a great bonding experience for Yvaine and my wife and a great start in good behavior.

Fleaces And Other Random Things

Today is just a few quick and simple comments and answers.  The first one is probably only going to be found amusing by my veterinary colleagues.

Today one of my associate doctors was talking about looking for "flea dirt" with one of our techs.  For those who don't know, flea dirt is the little black specks you will see on the skin in pets who have active fleas.  These specks are the feces of the fleas and is pretty distinctive.  Since it's flea feces, we know that the fleas are actively feeding.  As she was discussing this, I mentioned something about flea season and she heard "flea seas..."  Her mind immediately related this to flea feces, and she coined a new term...FLEACES.  So in our clinic from now on we're going to call flea dirt fleaces.  Anyone else can feel free to use this term, as she's hoping it will catch on.

Now a couple of quick questions from reader Cindi...

In a current blog post, you mention about vetting hamsters.
Do you charge the same for a hamster, as you do a dog?

Yes, I do.  The office visit charges cover the basic costs of an exam and the vet's initial time and knowledge.  Since a hamster visit takes the same time as an average dog visit and I'm doing the same basic exam, I charge the same.  My skills and expertise are worth the same regardless of which species I'm seeing on a given visit.

Second, do you pay yourself/clinic for you personal animal care?

I manage my location but don't own it.  Part of the employment agreement with the practice owners is that we get basic preventative care (vaccines, blood tests, fecal exams, and so on) completely covered for up to three pets.  For any further pets or for any services beyond the basics, we pay out-of-pocket with a 15% discount.  So yes, I do pay for much of my own personal pet care, including heartworm and flea prevention.

What many people don't realize is that most veterinary practices are incorporated.  Because the practice is a corporation (even if it is a single location with a single owner), the business is financially separate from the owner's finances.  If the owner or an employee doesn't provide for care or services, then in effect they are denying the corporation it's rightful revenue.  Practice consultants recommend that the practice owner pay themselves a set salary rather than just relying on pure profits. 

Hope this answers your questions, Cindi.

And don't forget everyone...fleaces!

Pushing The Boundaries Of What We Can Do

Back in December, The News & Observer (based out of Raleigh, North Carolina) published an article describing bone marrow transplants in dogs.  I found it interesting for many reasons.  First, I hadn't heard of this being done in dogs.  Second, it was being done at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, my alma mater.  Here are a few quotes.

Dr. Steven Suter of the N.C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine is scheduled to perform the surgery Feb. 2 in Raleigh. Suter started the canine bone marrow transplant program about two years ago with machines donated by the Mayo Clinic.
Since then, 36 lymphoma-afflicted dogs have gone through the procedure. The survival rate for dogs that undergo traditional chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma is less than 2 percent.

Although some dogs relapse within months of the surgery, 60 percent of dogs that have left the hospital have survived so far. The longest surviving N.C. State dog had the surgery 22 months ago. There haven't been enough transplants or enough time to pinpoint a cure rate, Suter said.
Although N.C. State was the first vet school in the nation to provide the transplants in a clinical setting, dogs have undergone bone marrow transplants for decades. If not for canine research, human bone marrow transplants would not be as commonplace as they are today.
"The dog has been the transplant model for close to 35 years," Suter said.

It's the last part that really got my mind thinking.  When dealing with my exotic patients I run into the problem that we often can't run lab tests because of the size of the patient.  For example, it's hard to safely collect a sufficient blood sample from a hamster.  We have normal lab ranges for the various common values, but it's difficult to get enough blood to run.  So we have the capability to do it, but are limited by our patients.

Really, that's true of many things in veterinary medicine.  We have capabilities that go beyond what we commonly see.  And that make sense, because any surgical or medical procedure is performed on animals before humans are ever involved.  So virtually regardless of what human doctors and surgeons do, theoretically vets can do these things because they were first done on animals.  For example, we commonly know about kidney transplants in humans.  Did you know that this can also be done in cats?  Here's an article on the surgery with some great and detailed pictures.

So why don't we do these procedures more commonly?  In my opinion it simply comes down to money.  In human medicine most of the costs of such therapy is covered by insurance.  People pay only a fraction of what it actually costs.  But in veterinary medicine very few people have pet insurance so the entire cost of the procedure must be paid out-of-pocket, and this can be substantial.  Bone marrow transplants in dogs?  It runs around $20,000.  And the vast majority of pet owners simply can't afford this kind of money.  Of the rare ones who could, few of them would spend it for a pet.  However, there are certainly those who will, and I admire them.

From the above article:

Gibson and his wife, Rebecca, are planning for Potter's medical care to cost about $20,000, including pre-surgery treatments and travel costs. Working with a website that raises money to help pay for canine cancer treatments, they have set up a fund to collect money to help with the cost.
Gibson, 30, a lawyer, figures about 10 percent of what they need will be donated. "We're just going to put the rest together," he said.
Potter, who received his diagnosis in October, seemed healthy one day and was stricken with terribly swollen lymph nodes the next. Doing nothing was never an option.
Gibson realizes that some people will not understand the couple's financial dedication to their dog. If Potter were older, they might make a different decision.
But with a successful transplant, he said, "we could have Potter for another 10 years." 

But even though this seems like a lot of money, it's still a fraction of the cost of the same procedure in humans, which can run $100,000-200,000. Veterinary medicine is still a huge bargain compared to human medicine.  And veterinarians are just as capable of performing complicated and extensive treatments and surgeries as their human colleagues are.  So really there should be no more limits on what we can do medically and surgically with animals than there are on humans.  Hopefully we will reach a point in the near future where pet insurance will be more common and viable, and we can start seeing these treatments performed more commonly.  Such care can significantly improve the health and lifespan of our furry, feathered, and scaled friends.