How to become a Veterinary Technologists and Technician 2024

Veterinary Technologists and Technician Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.

Veterinary Technologists and Technician is Also Know as

In different settings, Veterinary Technologists and Technician is titled as

Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT)
Emergency Veterinary Technician (Emergency Vet Tech)
Internal Medicine Veterinary Technician (Internal Medicine Vet Tech)
Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
Veterinarian Technician (Vet Tech)
Veterinary Laboratory Technician (Vet Lab Tech)
Veterinary Nurse (Vet Nurse)
Veterinary Technician (Vet Tech)
Veterinary Technologist

Education and Training of Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Veterinary Technologists and Technician is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Training Required for Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Veterinary Technologists and Technician in different industries are

What Do Veterinary Technologists and Technician do?

Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.
Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.
Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments, as needed.
Fill prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers.
Prepare animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas.
Take animals into treatment areas and assist with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature, pulse, or respiration data.
Observe the behavior and condition of animals and monitor their clinical symptoms.
Take and develop diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment.
Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies.
Give enemas and perform catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.
Prepare treatment rooms for surgery.
Maintain instruments, equipment, or machinery to ensure proper working condition.
Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth.
Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
Provide information or counseling regarding issues such as animal health care, behavior problems, or nutrition.
Provide assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains.
Dress and suture wounds and apply splints or other protective devices.
Perform a variety of office, clerical, or accounting duties, such as reception, billing, bookkeeping, or selling products.
Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair.
Conduct specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming.
Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.
Supervise or train veterinary students or other staff members.
Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low.
Restrain animals during exams or procedures.
Discuss medical health of pets with clients, such as post-operative status.
Schedule appointments and procedures for animals.

Qualities of Good Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.

Tools Used by Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Adult Magill forceps
Adult non-rebreather oxygen masks
Adult stylets
Aerosol nebulizers
Airway suction units
Ambu bags
Ambulances
Anesthesia syringes
Animal capture nets
Animal catching poles
Animal electrocardiograph ECG units
Animal nail trimmers
Animal snares
Arterial line catheters
Artificial airway holders
Automated chemistry analyzers
Automated diluters
Balling guns
Battery-powered portable suction units
Benchtop centrifuges
Bite gloves
Blood collection syringes
Blood gas analyzers
Blood pressure recorders
Blood tubes
Bovine tail restraints
Bulb syringes
Capture rifles
Cardboard splints
Cardiac monitors
Cattle chutes
Child oxygen masks
Coagulation analyzers
Computed tomography CT scanners
Cricothyrotomy kits
Curved adult blades
Curved pediatric blades
Dart guns
Dehorners
Dental explorers
Dental handpieces
Dental probes or explorers
Desktop computers
Differential blood cell counters
Digital cameras
Digital veterinary thermometers
Digital x ray equipment
Electric animal clippers
Electrocardiography EKG units
Electronic animal scales
Electronic blood cell counters
Electrosurgery units
Endotracheal ET tubes
Enema equipment
Enteral feeding equipment
Epi-pens
Esophageal intubation detection devices
Esophageal tracheal airway devices
Evacuated blood collection tubes
External pacers
Fixed-oxygen equipment
Fixed-suction equipment
Gas sterilizers
Glucometers
Handheld refractometers
Head halters
Head immobilization devices
Hemocytometers
Hoof picks
Hoof trimmers
Humidification equipment
Hypodermic needles
Hypodermic syringes
Infant oxygen masks
Infusion sets
Interlink syringe cannulas
Intraosseous kits
Intravenous IV administration sets
Intravenous IV cannulas
Intravenous IV pressure infusers
Intravenous IV pumps
Laboratory mechanical convection incubators
Laboratory scales
Laptop computers
Laryngoscopes
Lead aprons
Lead gloves
Lead thyroid collars
Limb restraints
Linear accelerator equipment
Long arm boards
Magnetic resonance imaging MRI systems
Manual darkroom developing equipment
Mechanical intermittent positive pressure ventilators
Mechanical stethoscopes
Medical anti-shock trousers MAST
Microhematocrit centrifuges
Microscope slides
Mobile medical service anti shock garments
Multi-level wheeled cots
Multiple dose syringes
Muzzles
Nasopharyngeal airways
Nebulizers
Nose tongs
Notebook computers
Obstetrical OB kits
One-way valve pocket masks
Ophthalmic tonometers
Ophthalmoscopes
Optical compound microscopes
Osmometers
Otoscopes
Oxygen administration equipment
Oxygen nasal cannulae
Periodontal curettes
Personal computers
Portable cardiac monitors
Portable oxygen equipment
Portable veterinary x ray equipment
Preload syringes
Prophylaxis angles
Protective face shields
Pulse oximeters
Radiation detecting film badges
Respiration monitors
Resuscitation devices
Rigid splints
Ring cutters
Saline locks
Scalp vein needles
Semiautomated or automatic external defibrillators AED
Short arm boards
Sledgehammers
Specimen collection containers
Splints
Squeeze cages
Stair chairs
Stationary veterinary x ray equipment
Steam autoclaves
Straight adult blades
Straight pediatric blades
Stretchers
Surgical calipers
Surgical retractors
Surgical scalpels
Suture needles
Suture scissors
Tablet computers
Telemetry units
Tourniquets
Transtracheal jet insufflators
Triage tags
Ultrasonic blood pressure monitors
Ultrasonic dental scalers
Ultrasonic instrument cleaners
Urinary catheters
Vacuum autoclaves
Venoject needles
Veterinary anesthesia machines
Veterinary dental x ray equipment
Veterinary emasculators
Veterinary immersion hydrotherapy equipment
Veterinary oral specula
Veterinary patient warming systems
Veterinary suction equipment
Veterinary ultrasound equipment
Veterinary vaginal specula
Vial access cannulas
Wall-mounted oxygen regulators
X ray cassettes
X ray film processors
X ray intensifying equipment
X ray patient positioning equipment

Technology Skills required for Veterinary Technologists and Technician

Animal Intelligence Software Animal Intelligence
FileMaker Pro
McAllister Software Systems AVImark
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Practice management software PMS
Veterinary practice management software PMS
Web browser software
Word processing software

US Universities

How to become Veterinary Technologists and Technician in 2024