The minimum educational requirement for certified vet techs is an associate degree in veterinary technology. This can be obtained in two years from community colleges or technical schools. There, students take basic and broad science courses tailored toward animal health care, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, animal behavior and veterinary practice management. Students learn how to perform tasks such as conduct blood tests, take tissue and blood samples, manage veterinary records, and take and develop X-rays.
Vet techs who want to work in more advanced research-related jobs, specialize in an area of veterinary care, or handle more complex responsibilities may pursue a bachelor's degree, which can be earned in four years. Coursework includes subject areas such as veterinary dentistry, clinical pathology and pharmacology, parasitology and animal nursing. Students can choose to specialize in areas such as zoology or equine medicine.
Candidates do not need to have an associate degree in veterinary technology to apply for a bachelor's degree program. However, they may have to complete a handful of pre-veterinary technology courses and prerequisites before applying, and some programs require experience working in a veterinarian's office. Graduates with a bachelor's degree are sometimes referred to as veterinary technologists to denote them as being on a higher level of expertise than those with associate degrees.
For non-research-oriented vet techs, the American Association of Veterinary State Boards administers the Veterinary Technician National Examination. The VTNE is particularly designed for certifying the competency of entry-level vet techs.
The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science also offers certification, particularly for vet techs interested in research-oriented jobs. The certification focus is on three areas: animal husbandry, facility management, and animal health and welfare. There are three tiers, in ascending order, of AALAS certification: the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician, the Laboratory Animal Technician and the Laboratory Animal Technologist. Any of these three credentials can be earned by passing a two- to three-hour exam composed of multiple-choice questions, and the AALAS provides certification resources to study for the exams.
Upon graduation and certification, vet techs can expect to work in veterinarians' offices. However, some find work at other places, such as medical centers at educational institutions, animal hospitals, social advocacy organizations and the federal government sector.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for vet techs was around $31,000 in 2009. The BLS expects a 36 percent growth in job employment between 2008 and 2018, which would place it among the fastest growing occupations in the United States.