vet tech vs. veterinarian?

I am in school for vet tech as well. A technician is basically the nurse of the clinic. They assist with surgeries by monitoring the patient and preparing the patient for surgery. They draw blood and administer tests. They do lots of restraining, holding the patient so the vet can do better and more thorough exams. Unfortunately, the techs are often the ones getting bitten or kicked or stepped on! They often are the ones speaking to clients about discharging instructions. They can prepare vaccines and give them.

There are lots of variety techs can get into, there are large and small animals, equine, exotic. You can work in zoos. Or you can look into research. The pay scale is not that great, you really need to be in this area because you love the job. Working in a small animal clinic, the pay is not so good, usually between 22-26K a year, but that really varies depending on your area or if you have more responsibility (our tech is also responsible for lots of finance management and ordering, so she is being paid more). Clinics are now starting to give benefits to their techs, but really try to look for an establish practice with a big clientel.

Research can be more, like 25-35K a year, depending on what you are doing. If you want to be a tech and make more money, research is the better area to get into. Research is also usually government funded, so there are better benefits if you want to be sure you and your future family will be taken care of.

Research is not as bad as everyone makes it sound. As a tech, you will be helping with tests yes, but you are also going to be the one making sure the lab animals are being taken care of properly.

At my school, job placement is 100% for the technician program. We only graduate 36 people a year and we are the only accreditted program within a 200 mile radius.

If you know you want to work in a clinic, remember in your city there are thousands of small animal clinics, dozens of equine/large animal clinics, and only one zoo (if that).

Veterinarians actually do a have a decent job opening right now, but it's really hard to get into the schools. Most schools only have room for about 100-250 people per class, and most states only have so many seats open for out of state students. You will be in lots of debt since you will be in school for so long, and it will take even longer to turn a profit if you are looking to open your own practice.

I chose to be a tech because I know I couldn't handle the extra responsibility of being a vet. I would be so nervous to diagnois, do surgery, or euthanize. I definitly admire anyone who can get through Vet school and be a successful veterinarian.

Vet Tech Vs Vet

Vet techs assist in surgeries but do not perform surgeries.

I think salary is about $40,000/yr. Since my parent's raised 7 kids on that, it is definitely enough to live on, you just have to know how to budget.

I don't think most people use it as a stepping stone. You can make a career out of it.

Whether or not it is a better idea depends solely on you. I personally am choosing to go into a vet tech program rather than the veterinary college that I always assumed I would go into because I feel that pursuing a career as a veterinarian would delay any family life I might have and might even prevent it in the end. For example, I would want to wait to have kids until I was out of school and securely established in my job. Well, I have just finished my undergrad education and am 23. If I went to veterinary college, I would be at least 27 before I left. I am assuming that it would take me a few years to find a good and sustaining job. By this time, I would be in my 30s and pregnancies get more difficult and are at higher risk of complications as you get older.

I definitely wouldn't want to open a clinic right away because that would put me under mountains of debt besides that which I had already accrued from going to vet school.

Generally a vet tech job is really low on the totem pole. The work can be hard and yucky and very low paying. There are way too many people that want to work with animals so there's no need to pay much. In some clinics you're just a glorified cage cleaner. But... if you're very good you can work your way up and eventually become an office manager which often pays well. If you have lots of experience already with horses, parrots or exotics you may be able to find a better paying position more quickly. Handling these animals takes more experience than you'll ever get in school and finding techs who can really be a help to the vet in these areas are much harder to find. There is a HUGE need for large animal vets. Many areas have no large animal vets at all. There are often resources to help you with your college funds and it can be easy to find a job. The work is HARD and LONG and usually 24/7. However it can be very rewarding and is certainly needed. It's up to you what you decide but whatever it is work hard and learn well and you'll always have a job.

I actually looked at the difference awhile ago, because I was interested in the Vet Tech position. I will try to answer all of your questions, and post the links where I found them so you can read up on them more if you want.

1) What's the difference? Amount of schooling is the main difference, and there are certain things that Vets do that Vet Techs do not. I hate using WikiAnsers, but this is all I found. http://www.careertoolkits.com/veterinary-technicia...

2) Do they assist with surgeries? According to the link above, yes

3) How much do Vet Techs earn/enough to live on? This really depends on how much you want to "live" Do you want a big fancy house? etc. On average, I believe they earn somewhere between $10-20 per hour.

4) Can you make a career out of a Vet Tech? Yes, because you will have the experience working around those animals

Good luck on whichever job you choose!

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I was a vet tech for a while... and while I LOVE animals, I hated it! It involved A LOT of cleaning, holding animals that didn't want to be held, cleaning dog's teeth (which by the way, is NOT fun), and just general housekeeping... with the occasional surgery assist, etc. Also, I wasn't treated with respect by the vets. I would choose to go for the schooling, becoming a vet is a good idea for the following reasons: (1) You'll actually be able to interact with the animals. (2) While more schooling, you'll come out more educated about something you love. (3) More money... (4) While school is expensive, you'll be able to pay back any loans easily as a vet. (5) If you truly love animals, you'll know that this is the thing to do. You CAN make enough to live on as a vet tech, but it is hard... with long hours, not a lot of pay, and mind sucking work. Hope this helps!

A vet tech is an associate degree and a veterinarian is a doctoral degree. 2 yrs. vs. 8 yrs.

As a vet tech of 9 yrs. I can tell you we don't make much money and without a second income ( spouse) I could not do make it on my own. Of course this depends on where you live etc.... Also, depends on if you go into a small animal practise vs. a mixed animal (large and small ) or a specialized clinic etc... Experience also has effects on your pay. The longer you are in the more you get paid.

Here in Colorado, the top out as a vet tech is about $14.00- $15.00 an hr. ( mixed animal practice )

As a vet tech, I do assist in surgery, but at the clinic I work at, all of us tech's rotate thru ( surgery, lab, exam, and housecalls) so we do a variety of things.

I absolutely love being a tech but if you have the means to go to vet school and are interested, I'd go for it. Yes, you will have high student loans when you get out, but it's well worth it.

Good Luck

A career as a veterinary technician is a wise choice:

Career opportunities in the field are expected to increase by more than 36 percent through 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In some regions, experienced, credentialed vet techs and technologists earn as much as $80,000 annually, reports the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA).

Veterinarians use the skills of veterinary technologists and technicians, who perform many of the same duties for a veterinarian that a nurse would for a physician. Although specific job duties vary by employer, there is often little difference between the tasks carried out by technicians and technologists, despite differences in formal education and training. However, most technicians work in private clinical practice while many technologists have the option to work in more advanced research-related jobs.Veterinary technologists and technicians often perform various medical tests and treat and diagnose medical conditions and diseases in animals. For example, they may perform laboratory tests such as urinalysis and blood counts, assist with dental care, prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and assist veterinarians in a variety of other diagnostic tests.

I'm currently is school to be a vet tech.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos183.htm

A Vet Tech is a person trained and licensed to assist veterinarians. Veterinary Technicians cannot diagnose, prescribe or perform surgery which falls under the practice of veterinary medicine. Their duties including nursing care of patients, inducing and maintaining anesthesia, surgical assisting, laboratory diagnostic testing, sample collection, patient monitoring in hospital, client education, etc.

A vet tech is like a nurse