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Why Veterinary Technicians matter

Written by Ashworth College on Thursday, 14 July 2016. Posted in Career

Why Veterinary Technicians Matter

Veterinary practices make it their mission to provide the finest care to our animal friends. Thanks to advancements in medicine and the field of animal health, there is a growing need for more highly trained staff to care for our pets. The perfect role to provide this care is the veterinary technician, or vet tech. With a projected 19 percent job growth between 2014 and 2024, it’s the fastest growing career in veterinary services. There is no better time than the present to enroll in a veterinary technician program.

What do Vet Techs do?

Vet techs are the next best thing to veterinarians. With two to four years of academic experience and on-the-job training, these professionals are qualified to provide critical and technical care to injured and recovering pets. They work side-by-side with veterinarians and veterinary assistants, often holding all of the pieces of veterinary medicine together. On any given day a vet tech may be:

  • observing and identifying the medical condition of a pet
  • providing emergency care or nursing aid
  • taking x-rays
  • collecting samples and performing clinical and laboratory tests
  • administering medications, vaccines, anesthesia, and other treatments
  • placing catheters and preparing pets for surgery
  • assisting veterinarians in surgery
  • comforting and educating pet owners

Who needs Veterinary Technicians?

Nearly two thirds of households in the U.S. own one or more pets and the love we have for our pets shows no end. In fact, 90 percent of these households think of their pets as family members.

When illness or injury hits a furry family member, we don’t wait to get the care they need. Year after year, Americans spend an increasing amount of money to keep their furry family members healthy of common and unusual ailments. In 2015, the American Pet Products Association reported that Americans spent $15.42 billion on vet care.

In a private practice or animal hospital, a vet tech is one of the first responders to provide care to pets and without their help, the veterinary care business we know would collapse. This is why vet techs play such an integral role in the lives of healthy pets and their owners.

How is the Vet Tech career growing?

As medicine advances and the field of animal health becomes more complex, more and more opportunities are arising for highly-trained staff, such as vet techs.

Vet tech careers are replacing less-trained staff positions and with a small population of vet tech degree graduates, there is an incredible need for people in these positions.

A career as a vet tech is a promising and stable one that can lead professionals into a number of exciting paths. Vet techs can work in private practices, animal hospitals, research labs, and zoos, and with the recent industry growth, vet tech careers are even expanding into areas of hospice and homecare.

Additionally, if a vet tech wishes to pursue a different route, they can go on to specialize in a specific field of care like internal medicine, anesthesia, dentistry, or equine care. Once in the field, the options are endless. Enroll today and get started in this quickly growing industry.

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