Preparing for Your Career While Still in High School

It is never too early to start preparing for your career. If you are still in high school, you can take college prep courses in science and mathematics. Courses in biology, chemistry, and physics will be very helpful. It’s also important to do well in English courses and it is important to be computer literate. It’s also important to maintain a strong GPA. All of these things will help you get into a veterinary school.

College Preparation for a Career As a Veterinarian

Maintaining a high GPA in college is just important as it was in high school. Many veterinary schools of medicine will require a GPA of 3.5. To get into a veterinary school will require a bachelor of science degree with courses in science, mathematics, and English. Mathematics courses might include algebra, trigonometry, calculus, or statistics. Science courses that you will need to take will include general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, general physics, general biology, and possibly zoology. Some veterinary schools will also require courses in microbiology, genetics, and humanities and social sciences.

Admission Testing

Taking the proper courses and maintaining a high GPA are a necessity but you will also have to take an admission test to get into a veterinary school of medicine. Veterinary schools will require some type of standardized admission test. Most schools will require a test known as the GRE, or Graduate Record Examination general test. There are some schools that will require you to pass the VCAT, or Veterinary College Admission Test. There are also some schools that will give you your choice of the GRE, VCAT, or MCAT. The MCAT is the Medical College Admission Test that medical students must take.

Your test scores are very important and a lot of schools want to see scores above the 70th percentile. Some of the top schools will require your scores to be even higher. To make sure that you are as prepared as you can be, it is a good idea to take some sample tests that are designed to get you prepared for your admission testing.

Getting a Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation may not be required by all schools but it can certainly help at any school you apply to. A veterinary school would like to see a letter of recommendation from faculty members to help get more information on applicants than transcripts and test scores alone would be able to provide.

Veterinary School Interview

In addition to everything mentioned above, many schools will conduct an admission interview. The interview gives school officials an opportunity to meet you face-to-face and get to know you a little better. Your faculty adviser or another faculty member at your college should be familiar with the types of questions you may be asked in an admissions interview. It would be a good idea to ask a faculty member for help getting prepared for your admissions interview. Experience with animals can be a big help.

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Average Veterinary Technician Salary

The amount of money you can expect to make as a veterinary technician varies somewhat depending on where you are getting your information from. For example, on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, they state that the median pay for this position is $14.28 per hour or $29,710 per year. On popular job-search websites, the numbers are in the same ballpark. On salary.com the median income for this position is listed at $27,542 annually and on indeed.com the average veterinary technician salary is listed as $30,000 per year.

It’s also important to note that the amount of money you can earn will vary depending upon where you live as well. If you live in an area with a higher cost of living, you can expect to earn a higher salary. For example, a veterinary technician that lives and works in California or New York will earn more than someone who lives and works in the Midwest.

Veterinary Technician Job Description

A veterinary technician will normally work in a private clinic, an animal hospital, or even in a laboratory. You may be required to work evenings, weekends, and even on holidays and it is a job that can be both physically and emotionally demanding.

As a veterinary technician your job will be to assist the veterinarian. You will need to prepare examination rooms and you will have to perform tasks like administering injections, applying wound dressings, taking vital signs etc.

Educational Requirements and Job Outlook for Veterinary Technicians

To become a veterinary technician you need to have a high school diploma and an Associates degree. An Associates degree can usually be earned in two years or less and after completing your degree you may also need to become licensed, registered, or certified, depending on the state you live in.

The job outlook for veterinary technicians is very good. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who published their most recent data in 2010, this career is expected to grow by 52% between 2010 and 2020. The job growth in this field is much faster than the average overall job growth of all occupations. If you are looking for a job that will be in demand for many years to come, becoming a veterinary technician would be a great choice.

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To become a veterinary technician you will need to earn either an Associates degree or a bachelors degree from a school that offers courses accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. There are many schools across the country that have been accredited by the AVMA and you can see all of the accredited schools by visiting their website at www.avma.org.

If you choose to begin your career as a vet tech with an Associates degree, you will be able to get the necessary training in two years at a community college, a vocational school, or even through online training. Your training will include courses in things like pathology, pharmacology, veterinary radiology, anesthesia and surgery. During your final semester you may be required to complete an internship in a veterinary clinic.

If you choose to pursue a bachelors degree it will take you a total of four years to get your degree. But with the additional training you will likely be able to earn significantly more money once you start working as a veterinary technician. In addition to the courses mentioned above for the Associates degree, you will also need to take courses in veterinary anatomy, physiology, surgical nursing, medical terminology, clinical methods, and veterinary management among others.

Certification and On The Job Training

After completing your education, you will need to become licensed, registered, or certified in order to work as a veterinary technician. Requirements will vary from one state to another but you will likely be required to pass written and oral examinations in order to earn your license or certification.

Once you have completed all of your educational courses and you find a job, you will start in an entry-level position and you will continue to get additional training as you work. It is likely that you will be training under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian or other vet techs with advanced education or more experience on the job. On the job training will likely include learning details specific to your place of employment as well as getting more experience with the various equipment and diagnostic devices that will be used in your clinic.

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Veterinary Assistant Job Description

A veterinarian assistant is responsible for keeping the animals in their care safe and clean. As a veterinary assistant you may be required to bathe animals, clean their cages, and sterilize surgical equipment. You may also be required to perform basic care such as feeding and weighing animals. You may also be required to administer medications and possibly even take samples for laboratory testing.

As a veterinary assistant it is not only the animals you will be taking care of. In many cases, you will be the first contact for the pet owners that are bringing in their sick or injured pets. You’ll have to have some people skills because you may be interacting with the pet owners and answering any questions they might have.

Getting Started As a Veterinary Assistant

There are a number of ways to get started in this field. You may be able to simply apply for a job with a veterinarian, and if you’re hired, you will receive on-the-job training. However, if you have some training, getting hired will be a lot easier and you’ll likely start out at a higher pay rate.

To get some training in this field you can take courses at a local community college. A community college is an economical way to get the training you need and your training can be completed in two years or less. If you want to get your training taking care of a little faster, there may be schools in your area that specialize in training veterinary assistants. These schools will be a little more expensive than a community college but you can often get the training you need in as little as 12 months. Taking courses from a community college or a trade school allows you to get hands-on training that is quick and affordable.

Another option for getting the training you need to become a veterinary assistant is to take online courses. Online courses can teach you everything you need to know to become a veterinary assistant and your training can be completed in as little as four months. There are many schools that offer online courses for $1000 or less, so this option is not only extremely fast, but also very affordable. Taking courses online doesn’t allow you to get the hands-on experience you would get at a local school but the training is affordable and it is probably the fastest option available for getting the training you need.

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Average Veterinarian Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for a veterinarian is $39.44 per hour or $82,040 per year. It is important to be aware that the amount of money you can make may vary dramatically from what the average salary is. There are a number of factors that will affect the amount of money you can earn. Where you live and work, whether you work for a large company, how many years of experience you have, and several other factors will determine how much you are able to earn. It’s also important to note that the most up-to-date data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was published back in 2010 and it is likely that those figures are now higher.

Although the data available on the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) website shows an annual income of approximately $82,000, the numbers on some of the popular job search websites differ quite a bit. For example, on salary.com the average veterinarian salary is listed at just $66,127 per year and on indeed.com the average salary is listed at just $40,000 per year. However, when you start to dig a little deeper and look at some of the job listings on those sites, you can see that there are many positions that pay considerably more than the averages listed on those sites.

The Salaries Listed for Some Current Job Openings

Here are some examples of some current job openings and their salary ranges. There is an opening for a veterinary medical officer at Vandenberg Air Force Base and the salary range for that job was listed at $68,000 to $85,000 per year. There is a listing for an ER veterinarian in Florida with a salary range of $80,000 to $120,000 per year, working just 3 to 4 nights per week. I also found a listing for an assistant director/veterinarian with a salary range of $105,000 to $125,000 per year and a listing for an associate veterinarian in North Carolina with a salary range of $60,000 to $90,000 per year. The point of listing all of these examples is to show you that you can expect to earn much more than the $40,000 average salary listed on indeed.com and the $66,000 listed on salary.com as an average salary seems to be the absolute minimum when you start taking a look at the job openings available.

Career Outlook for Veterinarians

There is more good news for anyone interested in a career as a veterinarian. In addition to a rewarding career with excellent pay, the job outlook for veterinarians is very good. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the projected rate of average growth for all occupations from 2010 to 2020 is expected to be approximately 14% while job growth for veterinarians is expected to be approximately 36%, which is quite a bit higher than average. So not only will you be able to work in a rewarding career and earn an excellent living, it also appears that you will have job security because you will be in a field that will remain in demand for the foreseeable future.

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