A Labor of Love (Of Animals): Veterinary Technicians
What's the Difference?
The difference between a veterinarian and a veterinary technician is comparable to the difference between a doctor and an orderly in the human world of medicine. Veterinary technicians take care of the everyday work at veterinary hospitals and clinics such as giving shots, cleaning out kennels, and carrying out other tasks for the veterinarian.
Veterinarian Technician Schools
You can become a veterinary technician in as little as 2 years. There are 116 accredited veterinary technician programs in the U.S., and a few of them are even distance-learning programs, so that you can continue to work in your current job while earning your degree.
Vet Techs Can Expect Many Opportunities
Although the opportunities to become a veterinarian are expected to grow about as fast as average through 2014, vet tech jobs are expected to grow much faster than average, because this is an area of great need. Aside from the veterinary hospitals and veterinary clinics where the majority of veterinary technicians work, they are also often hired for boarding kennels to take care of basic animal health care issues.
The Final Word on Vet Techs
Becoming a veterinary technician is not only a great career in and of itself, but it also makes getting into veterinarian school to become a veterinarian much easier as well, because your knowledge will already be much greater than those you are competing with to get into the program. In short, if you want to be working with animals for the long term, becoming a veterinary technician could be the perfect career for you.
Sources:
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
