A veterinary technician certification or degree is earned through a two-year program at a technical school, community college, or four-year college. A veterinary technology program results in a four-year bachelor's degree. Entry into either program typically requires high school graduation or equivalency with a full year of algebra, biology and chemistry. Because of the high level of competition for enrollment, a high school student would be well-advised to take as much math and science as possible and to keep grades above average.
If a person becomes interested in the career after graduating or too late in high school to take the required courses, he or she can complete the coursework at a technical school or community college before applying to a vet tech program.
Additional ways to add value to the application are completing courses in agricultural science and agribusiness, first aid, bookkeeping, typing, and data processing. Vet tech programs also consider the applicant's extra-curricular activities and any relevant work background. Experience in 4-H, a vet clinic, a farm, an animal shelter, or other paid or volunteer work involving animals is a good extra qualification.
After completing an accredited vet tech program, graduates are knowledgeable in a wide range of veterinary areas including animal diseases and pathology, comparative anatomy and physiology, and clinical chemistry. They will be proficient in diagnostic techniques such as hematology, urinalysis, radiology, and parasitology. They will be able to effectively assist the veterinarian in animal examinations and in surgery, and they will be qualified to administer vaccines and do other routine preventive care.
Most states require veterinary technicians to renew their licenses every two years. The initial licensing requires graduation from a school accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and successful completion of a credentialing exam. These qualifications allow a vet tech to practice in any state.
Veterinary technician programs are becoming increasingly difficult to be accepted into, as demand increases while number of enrollment slots does not keep pace. As of 2007, only 131 of these programs held AVMA accreditation in 44 states along with one in Ontario. About 3,000 students graduate each year. The US Department of Labor expects the demand for vet techs to increase nearly 40 percent by 2010, and salaries are steadily increasing. Because of this, applicants need many strong credentials to be accepted into a vet tech program.