Animal, Plant & Soil Science Lesson C5-11 Veterinary Medicine and Vet Tech Careers

Animal, Plant & Soil Animal, Plant & Soil ScienceScience

Lesson C5-11Lesson C5-11Veterinary Medicine and

Vet Tech Careers

Interest ApproachInterest Approach

Have a veterinarian, a veterinarian technician, or a veterinarian assistant come to class as a guest speaker to talk about job qualifications and daily job tasks. Ask the guest speaker to talk about the educational requirements. If a veterinarian comes as a guest speaker, ask him or her to talk about the difficulties of being admitted to a veterinary school.

Interest ApproachInterest Approach

Give the students a non-graded quiz on veterinary careers before you start the lesson. This will show how much the students already know about veterinary medicine and veterinary technician careers. There should be 10 questions dealing with educational requirements, job responsibilities, and career paths in the field. A prize can be given to the students with the most correct answers. Refer to VM–A for a true/false quiz.

ObjectivesObjectives

Define the nature of the job for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants.

Compare and contrast educational requirements for veterinary technicians and veterinarians.

TermsTerms

large food animals large non-food animals North American Veterinary Licensing

Examination public health veterinarians small animal practitioners veterinarians veterinary assistants veterinary technicians zoonotic diseases

What is required of veterinarians, veterinary

technicians, andveterinary assistants on the job?

Veterinarians are doctors who care for animals by diagnosing and treating diseases. They work with injured animals, give

vaccinations, and help with breeding programs.



Veterinary technicians do lab work, run clinical procedures, and assist the veterinarian in treating and diagnosing diseases. Veterinary technicians are similar to

nurses or physician’s assistants in doctor’s offices, and veterinary assistants work alongside vets or senior vet techs.

These jobs require a lot of work and dedication.



A. In the United States, approximately 80 percent of veterinarians work in private clinical practice. Small animal

practitioners only practice on small companion animals (e.g., dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and reptiles).


technicians, andveterinary assistants on the job? Around 10 percent of veterinarians work with

food animals (e.g., cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and poultry) that are referred to as large food animals because they are used for human consumption.

Vets can also work with large non-food animals, like horses, that are used for recreational purposes.

A mixed practice allows them to work with small and large animals.

Zoos or aquariums with exotic or marine animals may be ideal for the more adventurous vet.



B. Around 20 percent of veterinarians work for public and corporate businesses.

1. They can work at any level of government, performing tests or working on disease control in companion animals, livestock, and poultry. Public health veterinarians investigate and

try to prevent outbreaks of animal and human diseases, including rabies, avian influenza, and West Nile virus.

They work with zoonotic diseases—diseases carried by animals that humans can contract.



2. Veterinarians can find jobs in the research field and work for pharmaceutical and biomedical companies. In the biomedical field,

they will develop, test, and supervise the production of drugs and chemicals that will be used by humans and animals.



3. Veterinarians can teach at veterinary medical schools.

4. Veterinarians can also find jobs with the military, space agencies, zoos and aquariums, or with food safety and animal health inspection agencies.



C. Veterinary technicians perform many of the laboratory testing procedures that are associated with animal care.

During routine examinations, the veterinary tech will help in restraining the animal, as needed.

They also perform ear cleaning and nail clipping as a part of regular animal care.



1. Half of a veterinary tech’s job is running laboratory tests on a daily basis. These procedures include running

tests on samples of stool, urine, and blood in addition to taking radiographs or X-rays.



2. They also assist in necropsies with the veterinarian to determine cause of death. A necropsy is a dissection performed

on animals to determine the cause of death, similar to an autopsy performed on humans.



3. Veterinary technicians in private practices or in a clinic also help with preparing animals for surgery. They help in surgery by monitoring

anesthesia and by watching the animal’s vital signs: respiration, heart rate, and temperature.

4. Veterinary technicians also administer fluids and medication to sick animals.



5. Veterinary technicians may assist in euthanasia, but they cannot administer the euthanasia solution without the direct supervision of a veterinarian.

6. They cannot prescribe medicine, diagnose diseases, perform surgery, or engage in any other act prohibited by a state’s practice act.



D. Veterinary technicians also have various job opportunities.

1. Veterinary technicians can work in zoos. The duties are similar to the duties of

veterinary technicians who work in private practices, except they may be working with exotic or endangered animals.

The job market for zoo veterinary technicians is competitive.

Currently, there are only 50 zoo veterinary technicians working in the United States.



2. Veterinary technicians can perform research for veterinary medicine or medical science programs. Most research duties involve

running lab tests. 3. Technicians are needed

in rural areas to treat farm animals (e.g., pigs, cows, horses, sheep, and chickens).

4. Veterinary technicians can train animals in obedience schools or businesses that work with entertainment animals.



E. Veterinary assistants 1. These jobs do not require any

formal training. 2. Veterinary assistants can give

medication (under direct supervision), clean cages, restrain animals during exams, and pull blood for tests.

What are the educational requirements to become a veterinarian or a veterinary

technician?

The demand for veterinarians and veterinary technicians is on the rise in today’s society.

People who are interested in pursuing careers in this field need to be aware of the educational requirements for various positions.

A. In high school, students should be enrolled in a college-preparatory program if they are thinking of becoming veterinarians or veterinary technicians. They need to place a strong emphasis on math

and science classes.


technician?

Other beneficial classes are animal science classes in the agriculture department, computer programming classes, and speech classes.

Extracurricular activities (e.g., FFA, 4H, or science clubs) are suggested.

Working summer jobs with a local veterinarian is also a good way to start practicing technical skills and learning about veterinary medicine.


technician?

B. The educational requirements for veterinarians can be very demanding.

1. Applying to veterinary school is an involved process that includes lots of paperwork and sometimes an interview with the school. Students must first graduate with a bachelor’s

degree from an accredited college, with a strong background in science and math.

Applicants must obtain a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination, have excellent grades, and have 200 to 500 hours of experience in the animal field.


technician?

2. Being accepted for admission is a competitive process because there are many applicants and only 28 accredited veterinary schools in the United States. It typically takes four years to graduate. All states require veterinarians to be licensed

to practice, and the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination is the test students must pass to obtain their licenses.

Each state also has its own examination and requirements that a veterinarian must pass to be licensed to practice in that state.


technician?

C. Veterinarian technicians need to obtain an associate’s degree from one of the 65 accredited colleges or technical schools in the United States. Some schools have four-year bachelor’s

degree programs in veterinary technology. Technicians are required to have an

internship with a veterinary clinic, zoological center, research facility, or teaching institution before graduation.

They need a strong background in math, science, and communication skills.

In addition, veterinary technicians must pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become a registered veterinary technician.

ReviewReview

What is required of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, andveterinary assistants on the job?

What are the educational requirements to become a veterinarian or a veterinary technician?

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Animal, Plant & Soil Science Lesson C5-11 Veterinary Medicine and Vet Tech Careers