Veterinary technicians have a very important job and they are the ones who make sure that animal patients get the best possible attention and care. They work in hospitals, clinics, zoos, and rescue shelters. Every veterinarian needs the assistance of a veterinary technician so they can care for injured or sick animals.
Vet techs play a crucial role in keeping operations running smoothly and caring for kinds of animals in need. If you would like to read more about becoming a veterinary technician, you can read this article: “Everything you need to know about being a Vet Tech“.
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
Vet techs perform different kinds of duties, which usually depend on the type of facility they work in. They have a myriad of tasks on a daily basis from keeping medical records to administering shots and medication. Hence, veterinary technicians have the following duties:
- Preparing animals for exams or surgery
- Taking and developing X-rays
- Maintaining and collecting medical records
- Observing animals for changes in behavior
- Giving first aid or nursing care to animals
- Testing lab samples
- Administering medications, shots, or treatments
The job of a veterinary technician always involves working with animals. However, vet techs can but their degree to work in different ways or specializations. So, vet techs can choose to specialize in:
Critical care
This means that they’ll provide emergency care.
Veterinary internal medicine
This means that they’ll research all preventive medicine and general wellness.
Zookeeping
This means that they’ll care for animals that live in zoos or aquariums.
Technology in the veterinary industry is on the rise. Hence, every day there are more and more career opportunities. You can choose a vast number of specializations and tech programs to study, more than ever before. During the studies, vet techs can focus their studies in several specialized areas, including surgery, dentistry, small animals, exotics, avian medicine, clinical pathology, biomedical research, and emergency medicine.
Vet techs can work in private clinics, hospitals, research labs, zoos, and animal shelters. The duties of vet techs cannot be all listed, but some of their most common tasks include giving medications, helping with surgery, and managing anesthesia. The only things vet tech cannot do are to perform surgery, make diagnoses, and prescribe medication.
Vet techs can climb the career ladder and become Practice Manager and Field Manager. Moreover, it’s recommended that vet techs get a credential, such as Licensed Veterinary Technician, Certified Veterinary Technician, or Registered Veterinary Technician. Last but not least, becoming part of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America can boost your opportunities for advancement.