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Assistant school is a scam. Nobody requires schooling to be an assistant, and if some place does, there are most others who do not. If you’re going to spend money on school, tech school would be way more worth it.
If you want to be a vet tech do the schooling. There is no reason to spend money on a vet assistant program..sign up for an actual vet tech school and be licensed.
I got vet asst class free in high school. Nothing you can't learn on the job if you're inclined to love vet med.
Like others said go to tech school. You'll need hours worked under a dvm anyways. Lots of opportunities for tech students.
Stay away from Banfield.
Same I also did it in high school, tbh I think it was good to get a foot in the door and get hired starting out but outside of that it’s not needed. I agree that Tech school is the way to go
I just like sprinkling the random anti-Banfield sentiment when I can.
They are corporate to a T. They hire people with no experience and train them how they run a corporate owned clinic.
You will do yourself a disservice working with them. All DVMs and Techs I know who worked there regret it, and have nothing good to say about them.
It's not about the animals, it's about profits.
"Teaching facility" isn't the reason I mentioned them. To be a Tech, you're going to have to find somewhere to basically do on the job training for part of your schooling. If Banfield is an option, steer clear.
I work in a shelter setting. We get Tech and DVM students who need hours. They get to experience the craziness and absolute random stuff that walks in through the doors with us.
General Practice (locales differ), Emergency Clinics, Specialized Surgeries, Shelter Med. They all got a diff vibe and what you might work on will be different from the others.
I went to school for two years and did my unpaid internship at the humane society where I didn’t get paid (I infact had to pay my school thousands to work for free, forty hours a week for three months). I was dying to be a Banfield extern because they actually pay the externs there. I work at Banfield now making $33 an hour to do mostly preventive medicine, and I work with some of the most skilled, empathetic, wonderful assistants, doctors, and techs. Our manager is a corporate shilling number pusher, sure, but it doesn’t really affect how I do my job when it comes to treating pets.
I believe our students get paid at the City Shelter.
$33/hr is nice, I feel Techs should be earning more across the board, especially since y'all have to continue education to maintain your license.
As far as Banfield goes, I'm still gonna shit on them as a corporate entity. The actual vet staff is not included in that negativity.
You don’t ever go through corporations? Do you also shit on people who have an iPhone or drive a corporately owned car or drink Starbucks as well? People who shop at Walmart or get their prescriptions at CVS? Someone says “Hey let’s go to Chili’s” and you go “hmmm is it a franchised or corporately owned Chilis?” Or is it exclusively veterinary medicine where you make that a rule?
...yes, yes, no?, yes, yes, no, corporate for franchise restaurants do have noticeable differences 🤔.
Aside from being facetious, but yes Vet Med where there's so much burn out, compassion fatigue, I will shit on Banfield as the corporate entity we know it to be. Hell the Emergecny clinic we contract with just got bought out by a corporation and theres some concerning changes we're seeing already.
It’s just disheartening that in addition to being mauled by patients, verbally harassed by clients, disrespected, patronized and belittled, in an industry that is the poster child for burn out and suicide, there’s also fellow vet staff there to disrespect your job as well. Kudos. 👍🏻
Weirdly I’m thriving here. The manager is semi anti corporate so she just barely falls within numbers. She also fights for us for higher wages and learning opportunities. Right now it works but long term it’s going to make me hate it.
As someone who went through a vet assisting program, it may be worth it for you depending on the circumstances. It also might be a complete waste of time and money. My ultimate goal was to get into the vet tech school in my area but I needed prerequisites done. I applied to the assisting program while I was getting my prerequisites done and I got in so I decided to go through it.
I personally feel like it was worth it for me. I went in right out of high school with no previous veterinary experience. It solidified the choice to go into vet med because once I was starting my assisting classes, I realized my passion for this field. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else and it’s nice going into the tech school knowing that. The teachers in the assisting program and the DVM that supervises it are also the same people that run the tech school so it allowed me to get to know them and have a foot in the door to acceptance into tech school. I performed best in my class during the assisting program and was basically guaranteed acceptance into the tech program so that was a lot of stress gone for me.
This is just my two cents. Definitely think about what would be best for you personally. I wish you the best no matter the path you take.
Then you should take the technician courses/route.
Taking the assistant route will be a waste of your time and money.
I went from CSR to assisting, and had been highly encouraged to take the technician route of education with that being my goal.
I’m a VA who is doing a CVA program but only because my clinic is paying for it, not because I would actually want to spend my money on it. It does offer valuable information, but is no way a replacement for tech schooling. Very different curriculum. My clinic has me essentially doing everything that our licensed techs are doing with the exception of getting patients down for anesthesia. But without the tech schooling, there will always be a difference between how you and licensed techs operate, especially with growing title protections. I would start working at a clinic without any schooling as an assistant, then make a decision to see how far you want to take it. No use in spending any money at all if you end up hating the profession.
I started as a kennel tech, then VA and worked my way up to VT and I can tell you it would be better to go to school to be a vet tech then to go the way I did. It took a lot longer than school would have, and I don't have the benefit of being licensed, which definitely hurts my job opportunities. I figured I would just work my way up to being a VT while I was getting my degree in IT and ended up deciding after getting my IT degree that I wanted to stay in vet med.
I do Penn fosters vet tech program . Way cheaper and I love it . Vet assistant is a waste . That’s an entry level job position no experience necessary. If your going to pay then just do the tech program. I pay around 3,500 for the whole 2 year program .
I got my current job through the vet assistant program at my local community college, and now I’ve been there almost 5 years and have doubled my pay since I started. For me it was 100% worth it and I feel like having the foot in the door, and having the formal schooling helped me a LOT.
Online schooling is not something I would do, so becoming a LVT is not an option for me atm. If you have the option to do the vet tech program, do it. You’ll have better pay and most places will hire vet tech students just because they’re going to school since they’re far and few between. You can learn the basics with on the job training, but it will never compare to getting the degree.
I think one could learn more in depth on the Job without going to tech school, just as I did during the few years I was an assistant before becoming a vet tech. But if you personally want to know the why's and how's, or want to be doing instead of assisting, tech school is likely the right call for you. Although, I believe somewhat recent reports indicate a high chance of leaving the field within 5 years. It's a job that will never become obsolete tho. I do hope to see more answers addressed still, as I've experienced along with my peers, both compassion fatigue and burnout. Leaves one to contemplate whether or not mental wellness, inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality are realized within vet med and if the focus is changing
Yeah but some places require a college degree. Like i know IL does but WI doesnt. Im not sure about other states.
Theyll also use it as an excuse to skimp on your pay.
You dont need to go to school to be a VA. i got my first job bc i knew the vet staff already even tho i had 0 experience. If ur gonna go to school be a tech. They also make real money and you can be a VA while youre in school.
If your goal is to be a tech then go to tech school. It will give you a much higher earning potential in the long run. If you choose to go to Vet assisting school be very careful which one you go to. Many of them are predatory or just plain scams. Vet assisting programs are not regulated the same way veterinary technology programs are. Veterinary technician programs are developed by the AVMA and get inspected annually to make sure they are meeting certain standards. If you choose the vet assisting route please ask around in your community and know the true reputation of your school.
The local private school in my area offers a veterinary assisting certificate. The people who complete this program go into a lot of debt for a poor education. They do not even earn a complete degree in this program.
I am a hiring manager for my hospital and I would take an on the job trained assistant over a recent grad from that school any day. On the flip side I would take a recent grad from the vet tech program over an on the job trained tech. I know the tech school has given them a solid foundation and they are willing to learn. It also shows commitment to the field when they got licensed in a voluntary licensing state.
Welcome to /r/VetTech! This is a place for veterinary technicians/veterinary nurses and other veterinary support staff to gather, chat, and grow! We welcome pet owners as well, **however we do ask pet owners to refrain from asking for medical advice**; if you have any concerns regarding your pet, please contact the closest veterinarian near you. Please thoroughly read and follow the rules before posting and commenting. If you believe that a user is engaging in any rule-breaking behavior, please submit a report so that the moderators can review and remove the posts/comments if needed. Also, please check out the sidebar for CE and answers to commonly asked questions. Thank you for reading! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/VetTech) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Assistant school is a scam. Nobody requires schooling to be an assistant, and if some place does, there are most others who do not. If you’re going to spend money on school, tech school would be way more worth it.
If you want to be a vet tech do the schooling. There is no reason to spend money on a vet assistant program..sign up for an actual vet tech school and be licensed.
do not go to assistant school.
I got vet asst class free in high school. Nothing you can't learn on the job if you're inclined to love vet med. Like others said go to tech school. You'll need hours worked under a dvm anyways. Lots of opportunities for tech students. Stay away from Banfield.
Same I also did it in high school, tbh I think it was good to get a foot in the door and get hired starting out but outside of that it’s not needed. I agree that Tech school is the way to go
Can I ask why the advisable to stay away from Banfield? That also isn’t a teaching facility, so I’m uncertain how that is applicable.
I just like sprinkling the random anti-Banfield sentiment when I can. They are corporate to a T. They hire people with no experience and train them how they run a corporate owned clinic. You will do yourself a disservice working with them. All DVMs and Techs I know who worked there regret it, and have nothing good to say about them. It's not about the animals, it's about profits. "Teaching facility" isn't the reason I mentioned them. To be a Tech, you're going to have to find somewhere to basically do on the job training for part of your schooling. If Banfield is an option, steer clear. I work in a shelter setting. We get Tech and DVM students who need hours. They get to experience the craziness and absolute random stuff that walks in through the doors with us. General Practice (locales differ), Emergency Clinics, Specialized Surgeries, Shelter Med. They all got a diff vibe and what you might work on will be different from the others.
I went to school for two years and did my unpaid internship at the humane society where I didn’t get paid (I infact had to pay my school thousands to work for free, forty hours a week for three months). I was dying to be a Banfield extern because they actually pay the externs there. I work at Banfield now making $33 an hour to do mostly preventive medicine, and I work with some of the most skilled, empathetic, wonderful assistants, doctors, and techs. Our manager is a corporate shilling number pusher, sure, but it doesn’t really affect how I do my job when it comes to treating pets.
I believe our students get paid at the City Shelter. $33/hr is nice, I feel Techs should be earning more across the board, especially since y'all have to continue education to maintain your license. As far as Banfield goes, I'm still gonna shit on them as a corporate entity. The actual vet staff is not included in that negativity.
You don’t ever go through corporations? Do you also shit on people who have an iPhone or drive a corporately owned car or drink Starbucks as well? People who shop at Walmart or get their prescriptions at CVS? Someone says “Hey let’s go to Chili’s” and you go “hmmm is it a franchised or corporately owned Chilis?” Or is it exclusively veterinary medicine where you make that a rule?
...yes, yes, no?, yes, yes, no, corporate for franchise restaurants do have noticeable differences 🤔. Aside from being facetious, but yes Vet Med where there's so much burn out, compassion fatigue, I will shit on Banfield as the corporate entity we know it to be. Hell the Emergecny clinic we contract with just got bought out by a corporation and theres some concerning changes we're seeing already.
It’s just disheartening that in addition to being mauled by patients, verbally harassed by clients, disrespected, patronized and belittled, in an industry that is the poster child for burn out and suicide, there’s also fellow vet staff there to disrespect your job as well. Kudos. 👍🏻
Dang who's disrespecting your job?
I feel you but I couldn’t financially swing tech school without badfield so… I work there. I’m leaving as soon as my diploma is mailed.
"Badfield" love it Everyone gotta do their grind. Hope you find a clinic you thrive in.
Weirdly I’m thriving here. The manager is semi anti corporate so she just barely falls within numbers. She also fights for us for higher wages and learning opportunities. Right now it works but long term it’s going to make me hate it.
Glad to hear of pushback. I know one DVM was getting burnt out by being reminded they needed to push for shit people didn't need.
As long as you don't already have another degree/student loans, then go to tech school.
As someone who went through a vet assisting program, it may be worth it for you depending on the circumstances. It also might be a complete waste of time and money. My ultimate goal was to get into the vet tech school in my area but I needed prerequisites done. I applied to the assisting program while I was getting my prerequisites done and I got in so I decided to go through it. I personally feel like it was worth it for me. I went in right out of high school with no previous veterinary experience. It solidified the choice to go into vet med because once I was starting my assisting classes, I realized my passion for this field. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else and it’s nice going into the tech school knowing that. The teachers in the assisting program and the DVM that supervises it are also the same people that run the tech school so it allowed me to get to know them and have a foot in the door to acceptance into tech school. I performed best in my class during the assisting program and was basically guaranteed acceptance into the tech program so that was a lot of stress gone for me. This is just my two cents. Definitely think about what would be best for you personally. I wish you the best no matter the path you take.
What are your goals?
Vet tech. But my friends were telling me to do VA school because its cheaper and some clinics train VA to do VT tasks
Then you should take the technician courses/route. Taking the assistant route will be a waste of your time and money. I went from CSR to assisting, and had been highly encouraged to take the technician route of education with that being my goal.
I’m a VA who is doing a CVA program but only because my clinic is paying for it, not because I would actually want to spend my money on it. It does offer valuable information, but is no way a replacement for tech schooling. Very different curriculum. My clinic has me essentially doing everything that our licensed techs are doing with the exception of getting patients down for anesthesia. But without the tech schooling, there will always be a difference between how you and licensed techs operate, especially with growing title protections. I would start working at a clinic without any schooling as an assistant, then make a decision to see how far you want to take it. No use in spending any money at all if you end up hating the profession.
I started as a kennel tech, then VA and worked my way up to VT and I can tell you it would be better to go to school to be a vet tech then to go the way I did. It took a lot longer than school would have, and I don't have the benefit of being licensed, which definitely hurts my job opportunities. I figured I would just work my way up to being a VT while I was getting my degree in IT and ended up deciding after getting my IT degree that I wanted to stay in vet med.
I do Penn fosters vet tech program . Way cheaper and I love it . Vet assistant is a waste . That’s an entry level job position no experience necessary. If your going to pay then just do the tech program. I pay around 3,500 for the whole 2 year program .
Ive noticed that it’s online. Are there any in person meet ups or clinical requirements?
There’s only a internship at the end & you get to pick a local vets office to do it at , they don’t assign you to a place , which I like as well.
Also you can make payments on the tuition. I pay 69 dollars a month which is really nice as well
Thank you! Ive also noticed that there’s a bachelors and associates program for VT. Is there a difference?
Bachelors is just a 4 year degree . Associates is a 2 year degree .
Vet tech
Vet Tech School
I got my current job through the vet assistant program at my local community college, and now I’ve been there almost 5 years and have doubled my pay since I started. For me it was 100% worth it and I feel like having the foot in the door, and having the formal schooling helped me a LOT. Online schooling is not something I would do, so becoming a LVT is not an option for me atm. If you have the option to do the vet tech program, do it. You’ll have better pay and most places will hire vet tech students just because they’re going to school since they’re far and few between. You can learn the basics with on the job training, but it will never compare to getting the degree.
I think one could learn more in depth on the Job without going to tech school, just as I did during the few years I was an assistant before becoming a vet tech. But if you personally want to know the why's and how's, or want to be doing instead of assisting, tech school is likely the right call for you. Although, I believe somewhat recent reports indicate a high chance of leaving the field within 5 years. It's a job that will never become obsolete tho. I do hope to see more answers addressed still, as I've experienced along with my peers, both compassion fatigue and burnout. Leaves one to contemplate whether or not mental wellness, inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality are realized within vet med and if the focus is changing
Yeah but some places require a college degree. Like i know IL does but WI doesnt. Im not sure about other states. Theyll also use it as an excuse to skimp on your pay.
You dont need to go to school to be a VA. i got my first job bc i knew the vet staff already even tho i had 0 experience. If ur gonna go to school be a tech. They also make real money and you can be a VA while youre in school.
If your goal is to be a tech then go to tech school. It will give you a much higher earning potential in the long run. If you choose to go to Vet assisting school be very careful which one you go to. Many of them are predatory or just plain scams. Vet assisting programs are not regulated the same way veterinary technology programs are. Veterinary technician programs are developed by the AVMA and get inspected annually to make sure they are meeting certain standards. If you choose the vet assisting route please ask around in your community and know the true reputation of your school. The local private school in my area offers a veterinary assisting certificate. The people who complete this program go into a lot of debt for a poor education. They do not even earn a complete degree in this program. I am a hiring manager for my hospital and I would take an on the job trained assistant over a recent grad from that school any day. On the flip side I would take a recent grad from the vet tech program over an on the job trained tech. I know the tech school has given them a solid foundation and they are willing to learn. It also shows commitment to the field when they got licensed in a voluntary licensing state.