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Careers in veterinary technology
Summarise the roles and responsibilities
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In veterinary medicine, there are a few different positions you can undertake within the profession. In those positions, you can also specialize in close to 40 different specialties. Here are the 3 main positions:
Veterinarian
To become a veterinarian in Canada, you must start early and take as many science related classes, math and english in high school. After that you must complete a 4 year Bachelor’s degree at any university, preferably with an emphasis on pre-vet related classes like cell biology, biochemistry and zoology, to name a few. You must also pass your MCATs (Medical College Admission Test) at some point during your undergraduate studies. Acceptance into a Veterinary College is highly competitive as well as very difficult. It
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Some colleges need proof of rabies vaccines as well as up to 80 hours of volunteering in an animal shelter or clinic. After being accepted in the program you will spend 2 years studying plus a 6 week practicum (hands-on work). At the end of all of this, you must pass the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination), which lasts 4 hours and consists of 200 multiple choice questions. After passing the exam, you must register with the CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association) and your provincial regulating body. Like veterinarians, you are also able to further your learning and specialize in certain areas. There are 10 colleges with programs accredited by the OAVT (Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians). As for the veterinary technologist, they just spend an extra year in college. Only one college in Ontario offer this …show more content…
As a veterinarian, whether specialized or not, you can work in many different environments, from a clinic in a big city to the wilds of the Serengeti. Each environment comes with their own difficulties, like dealing with an irate client to operating in less than sanitary places. Here are a few examples of those possible settings:
Food Safety Veterinarians can be employed by government agencies and the food indudtry to cater to meat and milk producers to ensure that the herd is healthy and that the product is suitable for human consumption. These veterinarians deal with many animals like ovine (sheep), poultry, porcine (swine) and bovine
To become a vet tech you have to go through the proper education and training required. An associate’s degree in veterinary technology is required to become a vet tech and takes about two years to accomplish (Exploring Medical Careers). An internship may also be a requirement of the tech course (Interview with a Veterinary Technician). Along with the degree, the Veterinary Technician National Exam must be passed to become certified. These tests cost $300.00 and are 170 questions long. The VTNE also offers two practice exams, each $45, to help one prepare for the actual exam (Vet Tech | VTNE | Veterinary Technician National Examination.). After becoming certified, a vet tech may have to undergo on the job training under supervision by a vet or an experienced vet tech (Collegegrad.com).
Vet Tech has always been an option for me, helping animals is something that is very interesting. It was introduced in 1989, the AVMA officially adopted the name “Vet Tech.” In 1998, emergency vets debut on Animal Planet. And in 2008, student population grows from 500 to 700. There are about 17,000 people employed in the career field chosen. Some of the common trends of the job would be, working at Zoos, Aquariums, Boarding Kennels, and Wildlife sanctuaries. These jobs are usually found working in an animal clinic or hospitals and sometimes at farms because that is the “normal” areas for this occupation. In this career there are some general duties such as: Observe animals behavior and conditions, Provide nursing care, Bathe animals, Clip nails, groom animals hair, keep animals calm during exams or procedures. The more specific duties of the job would be to: take x-rays of animals and develop them, get utensils and prepare the animals for surgery, keep and record patient's history. Most of the clinics are open 24 hours. There is not anything that is unusual about the number of hours/nature of the job. (Bls.gov.vettech)
A vet tech can work in different work environments, such as animal hospitals, and private clinics. Working in various, environments create skillful tasks, which include: lab work, radiology, nursing care, surgery, x-rays, and assisting veterinarians in surgeries (Money Careers). Each of these tasks require their own abilities helping needy animals, for example: lab work deals with collecting samples of tissue, blood, and urine, nursing involves with taking care of the animals after the surgeries and checking on how their responding to the procedure (U.S. Bureau of Labor).
Equine veterinarians are animal doctors who provide medical care for horses. They examine, test and occasionally operate on or euthanize the animals. Travel to ranches and farms is often necessary, and equine vets have to work outdoors in various types of weather conditions. Being an equine veterinarian is a pleasant career choice because of great interactions with varied types of horses and their owners , the basic information, and the pros and cons of an equine veterinarian.
For someone to be a large animal veterinarian and do the job well, one must have a passion for animals. You must have business skills and interpersonal skills. You need a passion for animals because you will work with them everyday for the
Many people have lost their pets and close family members because there is no way to get the help or medical attention that the animal so desperately needed. Every day in the United States, veterinarians are working hard to save animal’s lives. People will always continue to want and to breed pets. Therefore, to help and cure all these pets, a steady stream of veterinarians will be needed for many years to come. Over the years, the requirements and processes to becoming a veterinarian have changed. To become a successful veterinarian one must complete all necessary education and on the job training, be friendly and love animals, and have a burning passion to help both the pet and the pet owner.
In addition to helping sick animals, another option for veterinarians is doing scientific research and trying to make new medicines (Fact Monster).
Veterinarians uses medicine to diagnose, treat diseases and dysfunction of animals. Medicine used such as antibiotics and vaccines. A veterinarian’s role in their career is to help and serve also trying to find a new treatment to disorders for humans and animals. Some vets teach other people or other vets how to do something.
When you become a veterinarian technician you have to take classes and pass the exams. You have to take a class that deals with medicine that you give to dogs when they are sick (What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?, 2017). You will need a veterinary technician licensed by that is varied by the state (What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?, 2017). You have to complete many program when you become a veterinarian technician (What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?, 2017). You will have to know how to work all the computers and everything when you are working with animals (What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?,
Dogs are like a man’s best friend, they go everywhere you go, they behave, they also fallow orders. A world with dogs is a world of happiness. Being a veterinary technician can be a difficult career, there will be many years of training depending on what job there are.
When I was growing up and always playing with animals, I realized what I might want to do with my life. Since animals are, for the most part, vulnerable and helpless, they need someone to take care of them. For animals in need to survive and carry on, there must be a caring person willing to take time out of their day to care for these animals. This person is responsible for providing care such as feeding, cleaning, giving water and administering medication to animals in veterinary offices, zoos, laboratories or animal hospitals. This person is called a veterinary assistant (Writer).
For thousands of years scientist have been performing vivisections on animals to find information on new chemicals, drugs, and vaccines. Vivisection is when scientist perform dissections among living animals mostly for the purpose of educating and retrieving information. Experimenting on animals has become the tool that has helped us comprehend the body functions of an animal and how a disease transforms the bodily functions, but over the years it’s caused animal rights activists to question the usefulness and the sincerity of using animals for this purpose. Although animal research has been helpful in the past, it is morally wrong in the sense that experimenting on animals is not the only way to collect information. There are other alternatives
In one way or another, I have been taking care of animals my entire life. Growing up, I was completely dedicated to animals, caring for what could be considered a mini zoo. Naturally, as a child, I was set on a career as a veterinarian. Like most children, I was naive about the veterinary profession, but I had plenty of people to warn me about its challenges. Albeit initially discouraged from becoming a veterinarian, my search for a meaningful career not only revived my spark for veterinary medicine but also gave me the maturity and experience necessary to succeed in it.
“The most successful Veterinary Technicians are passionate about the animals that they see on a daily basis and be able to control their emotions” (Career Cruising). The care of animals is very important so they don’t feel threatened by the Veterinary Technician and claw, bite, or growl at them. Veterinary Technicians must show their love of animals to the patients and their owners. many animals will feel the emotions that people give off and the animal can react to that emotion in a good or in a bad case bad. A Vet Technicians job is to be calm and not show emotions to the patient and family so the family won’t have emotional distress towards the clinic.
I believe as a veterinary technician I will be faced with many challenges and heartache on a daily basis. I will be introduced to situations that can be hard to bare--seeing animals that show the typical signs and symptoms of malnourishment and abuse. Having to unfortunately euthanize or observe euthanization of an animal due to a chronic illness or financial reasons by the caregiver(s)(“owner”). I will also vaccinate and administer medications to an animal under a veterinarian’s order and supervision. I will perform alongside the veterinarian with examinations and obtain bodily fluids such as blood, urine, or feces for further diagnosis. I will be present in observing and aiding an animal in need of medical assistance. I will fortunately be there to witness an animal walking on “all fours” along the path to their successful recovery. As a veterinary technician my purpose will be to allow the patient to feel and look healthy. I would love to see the caregivers’ faces change from concerned to relieved and thankful. I realize as a veterinary technician I will have to accept the good moments along with the bad.