My two cents as a Vet Tech Student (was Vet Assistants) (Long)

This is in response to the "Vet assistants" posting. I've always
wondered the same question in terms of salary. But here's what I
learned the first day of class last February when I started down this
career path

There are two types of assistants to a vet.

The first is the common vet tech or vet assistant. Anyone could
eventually be trained to do this job. You help out in the vet office,
and do anything a "normal" vet tech does. (restrain animals,
vaccinations, x-rays, etc) Out of the 8-10 employees at my hospital,
only 4 of us are acutally going to school studying veterinary
medicine/technology

However, the position is what is called an "Unregistered Vet
Assistant" The person has taken no 'official training' for their job
and has no official license from the state. They can assist the vet
in any way, but there are four things that by law (at least in the
U.S.) an unregistered assistant CANNOT do.

1. Place sutures
2. Pull teeth
3. Place splint/cast
4. Put animal under anesthetic.

Now, I'm not 100% sure on the first three, but I KNOW that in almost
any vet hospital, #4 is done, but normally by an experienced employee,
even though that person may not have an official license from the
state. Out of every vet hospital I've looked into for employment,
NONE of the employees have a license from the state. They are called
"vet techs" or "vet assistants" but they do not have a license from
the state.

How do they get away with this? Any of the above can be done as long
as it's under the supervision of a DVM in an a teaching situation.
Some hospitals have gotten in trouble, but others just claim that the
vet is supervising them while they do it. (I doubt this is really
true most of the time) In my hospital, none of the techs are
'licensed' and I've seen some of them put animals under anesthesia for
surgery.
But aside from that, anyone off the street can eventually be trained
to do what I do which includes fecals, animal restraint, urine
analysis, and basic kennel duty. Anyone can clean up animal waste,
feed a pet, hold an animal for the doctor to examine, and/or walk
them. This is why the wage is so low. We are, in a sense, cheap
labor even though we do a lot. However, there are people that have
worked like this for years and in some circles can make enough to
survive, but it's still not a lot.

So why am I going to school? I am going to school to be a Registered
Veterinary Technician (RVT). I take all the classes like Anatomy,
Clinical Procedures, Clinical Pathology, etc... After graduation, I
can take the board exam, and be a RVT licensed in the state of
California. Of course, I can't prescribe meds, perform surgery or
diagnose an animal's condition.
A Registered Veterinary Technician is similar to a Registered Nurse.

For a licensed RVT, the wage is much higher. We can work in research
and in certain hospitals for a lot more. Right now I'm making $8.25
an hour as an unregistered assistant. Starting pay for an RVT is
around $12 and can go up to $14-15. And positions like that are
usually in Research like for better drugs, better food, and better
care for animals.

Of course, I have only met a few licensed RVTs. Because we go through
so much schooling and take a state board exam to become license, of
course we're going to ask for a higher wage. But in a LOT of vet
hospitals, local help is used because of the cheap labor. What vet
wants to pay a licensed RVT $12 an hour when they can get a high
school graduate for $7-8 an hour? Remember, the vet doesn't make the
same amount as most doctors. Most of the high fees you pay go to pay
for equipment, drugs and lab tests, while a small amount goes to the
vet and an even smaller amount to vet assistants like me.

I went from making $11-12 an hour as a receptionist to $8.25 an hour
as a vet tech. But I know that when I'm done, I could possibly work
in animal biomedical research. I could work with livestock, which in
California is either dairy or equine. Right now I volunteer at a
horse ranch to gain equine experience so I can handle horses. It is
quite expensive to treat a horse. Remember you can't just go to the
local animal shelter and get a horse for under $100. :P

My college also has a pre-vet program. Vet students not only have to
take the usual med school classes like Bio-Chem, Organic Chem and
Human Anatomy, but also Anatomy for dogs and cats. Don't forget
exotics, too. They have to learn human medicine AND animal medicine.

Personally, I would like to assist in surgery. There's a part of me
that woudl like to become a vet, but I don't know if I could make it
into vet school. But either way this isn't a field where I could make
a ton of money.

Comparing this to the vet=doctor, vet assistant ?=? nurse thread, sure
anyone can be trained to do some menial tasks in a hospital like an
orderly, but because we're dealing with people here, you have to go to
school to be a Registered Nurse, which is in more demand in hospitals
around the world.


Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Kristi

As encouragement, my favorite vet has only two DVM in the office. Then an
office manager, two "helpers" who do generally all the grunt work, and two
Vet Technicians. Vet Tech's in this practice make it possible for them to
care for a larger number of clients than they could otherwise. Without
them, they would need to bring in another vet who would want a share in the
profits rather than a salary. This is reflected in them paying the techs
quite well.

The three local vets I know are doing just fine financially. Are able to
indulge in expensive hobbies, etc. And enjoy their jobs so much that it is
more play than work a lot of the time. Sometimes sad but always
interesting.

Jo


"Mischief" wrote in message
om...
This is in response to the "Vet assistants" posting. I've always
wondered the same question in terms of salary. But here's what I
learned the first day of class last February when I started down this
career path

There are two types of assistants to a vet.

The first is the common vet tech or vet assistant. Anyone could
eventually be trained to do this job. You help out in the vet office,
and do anything a "normal" vet tech does. (restrain animals,
vaccinations, x-rays, etc) Out of the 8-10 employees at my hospital,
only 4 of us are acutally going to school studying veterinary
medicine/technology

However, the position is what is called an "Unregistered Vet
Assistant" The person has taken no 'official training' for their job
and has no official license from the state. They can assist the vet
in any way, but there are four things that by law (at least in the
U.S.) an unregistered assistant CANNOT do.

1. Place sutures
2. Pull teeth
3. Place splint/cast
4. Put animal under anesthetic.

Now, I'm not 100% sure on the first three, but I KNOW that in almost
any vet hospital, #4 is done, but normally by an experienced employee,
even though that person may not have an official license from the
state. Out of every vet hospital I've looked into for employment,
NONE of the employees have a license from the state. They are called
"vet techs" or "vet assistants" but they do not have a license from
the state.

How do they get away with this? Any of the above can be done as long
as it's under the supervision of a DVM in an a teaching situation.
Some hospitals have gotten in trouble, but others just claim that the
vet is supervising them while they do it. (I doubt this is really
true most of the time) In my hospital, none of the techs are
'licensed' and I've seen some of them put animals under anesthesia for
surgery.
But aside from that, anyone off the street can eventually be trained
to do what I do which includes fecals, animal restraint, urine
analysis, and basic kennel duty. Anyone can clean up animal waste,
feed a pet, hold an animal for the doctor to examine, and/or walk
them. This is why the wage is so low. We are, in a sense, cheap
labor even though we do a lot. However, there are people that have
worked like this for years and in some circles can make enough to
survive, but it's still not a lot.

So why am I going to school? I am going to school to be a Registered
Veterinary Technician (RVT). I take all the classes like Anatomy,
Clinical Procedures, Clinical Pathology, etc... After graduation, I
can take the board exam, and be a RVT licensed in the state of
California. Of course, I can't prescribe meds, perform surgery or
diagnose an animal's condition.
A Registered Veterinary Technician is similar to a Registered Nurse.

For a licensed RVT, the wage is much higher. We can work in research
and in certain hospitals for a lot more. Right now I'm making $8.25
an hour as an unregistered assistant. Starting pay for an RVT is
around $12 and can go up to $14-15. And positions like that are
usually in Research like for better drugs, better food, and better
care for animals.

Of course, I have only met a few licensed RVTs. Because we go through
so much schooling and take a state board exam to become license, of
course we're going to ask for a higher wage. But in a LOT of vet
hospitals, local help is used because of the cheap labor. What vet
wants to pay a licensed RVT $12 an hour when they can get a high
school graduate for $7-8 an hour? Remember, the vet doesn't make the
same amount as most doctors. Most of the high fees you pay go to pay
for equipment, drugs and lab tests, while a small amount goes to the
vet and an even smaller amount to vet assistants like me.

I went from making $11-12 an hour as a receptionist to $8.25 an hour
as a vet tech. But I know that when I'm done, I could possibly work
in animal biomedical research. I could work with livestock, which in
California is either dairy or equine. Right now I volunteer at a
horse ranch to gain equine experience so I can handle horses. It is
quite expensive to treat a horse. Remember you can't just go to the
local animal shelter and get a horse for under $100. :P

My college also has a pre-vet program. Vet students not only have to
take the usual med school classes like Bio-Chem, Organic Chem and
Human Anatomy, but also Anatomy for dogs and cats. Don't forget
exotics, too. They have to learn human medicine AND animal medicine.

Personally, I would like to assist in surgery. There's a part of me
that woudl like to become a vet, but I don't know if I could make it
into vet school. But either way this isn't a field where I could make
a ton of money.

Comparing this to the vet=doctor, vet assistant ?=? nurse thread, sure
anyone can be trained to do some menial tasks in a hospital like an
orderly, but because we're dealing with people here, you have to go to
school to be a Registered Nurse, which is in more demand in hospitals
around the world.


Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Kristi

As encouragement, my favorite vet has only two DVM in the office. Then an
office manager, two "helpers" who do generally all the grunt work, and two
Vet Technicians. Vet Tech's in this practice make it possible for them to
care for a larger number of clients than they could otherwise. Without
them, they would need to bring in another vet who would want a share in the
profits rather than a salary. This is reflected in them paying the techs
quite well.

The three local vets I know are doing just fine financially. Are able to
indulge in expensive hobbies, etc. And enjoy their jobs so much that it is
more play than work a lot of the time. Sometimes sad but always
interesting.

Jo


"Mischief" wrote in message
om...
This is in response to the "Vet assistants" posting. I've always
wondered the same question in terms of salary. But here's what I
learned the first day of class last February when I started down this
career path

There are two types of assistants to a vet.

The first is the common vet tech or vet assistant. Anyone could
eventually be trained to do this job. You help out in the vet office,
and do anything a "normal" vet tech does. (restrain animals,
vaccinations, x-rays, etc) Out of the 8-10 employees at my hospital,
only 4 of us are acutally going to school studying veterinary
medicine/technology

However, the position is what is called an "Unregistered Vet
Assistant" The person has taken no 'official training' for their job
and has no official license from the state. They can assist the vet
in any way, but there are four things that by law (at least in the
U.S.) an unregistered assistant CANNOT do.

1. Place sutures
2. Pull teeth
3. Place splint/cast
4. Put animal under anesthetic.

Now, I'm not 100% sure on the first three, but I KNOW that in almost
any vet hospital, #4 is done, but normally by an experienced employee,
even though that person may not have an official license from the
state. Out of every vet hospital I've looked into for employment,
NONE of the employees have a license from the state. They are called
"vet techs" or "vet assistants" but they do not have a license from
the state.

How do they get away with this? Any of the above can be done as long
as it's under the supervision of a DVM in an a teaching situation.
Some hospitals have gotten in trouble, but others just claim that the
vet is supervising them while they do it. (I doubt this is really
true most of the time) In my hospital, none of the techs are
'licensed' and I've seen some of them put animals under anesthesia for
surgery.
But aside from that, anyone off the street can eventually be trained
to do what I do which includes fecals, animal restraint, urine
analysis, and basic kennel duty. Anyone can clean up animal waste,
feed a pet, hold an animal for the doctor to examine, and/or walk
them. This is why the wage is so low. We are, in a sense, cheap
labor even though we do a lot. However, there are people that have
worked like this for years and in some circles can make enough to
survive, but it's still not a lot.

So why am I going to school? I am going to school to be a Registered
Veterinary Technician (RVT). I take all the classes like Anatomy,
Clinical Procedures, Clinical Pathology, etc... After graduation, I
can take the board exam, and be a RVT licensed in the state of
California. Of course, I can't prescribe meds, perform surgery or
diagnose an animal's condition.
A Registered Veterinary Technician is similar to a Registered Nurse.

For a licensed RVT, the wage is much higher. We can work in research
and in certain hospitals for a lot more. Right now I'm making $8.25
an hour as an unregistered assistant. Starting pay for an RVT is
around $12 and can go up to $14-15. And positions like that are
usually in Research like for better drugs, better food, and better
care for animals.

Of course, I have only met a few licensed RVTs. Because we go through
so much schooling and take a state board exam to become license, of
course we're going to ask for a higher wage. But in a LOT of vet
hospitals, local help is used because of the cheap labor. What vet
wants to pay a licensed RVT $12 an hour when they can get a high
school graduate for $7-8 an hour? Remember, the vet doesn't make the
same amount as most doctors. Most of the high fees you pay go to pay
for equipment, drugs and lab tests, while a small amount goes to the
vet and an even smaller amount to vet assistants like me.

I went from making $11-12 an hour as a receptionist to $8.25 an hour
as a vet tech. But I know that when I'm done, I could possibly work
in animal biomedical research. I could work with livestock, which in
California is either dairy or equine. Right now I volunteer at a
horse ranch to gain equine experience so I can handle horses. It is
quite expensive to treat a horse. Remember you can't just go to the
local animal shelter and get a horse for under $100. :P

My college also has a pre-vet program. Vet students not only have to
take the usual med school classes like Bio-Chem, Organic Chem and
Human Anatomy, but also Anatomy for dogs and cats. Don't forget
exotics, too. They have to learn human medicine AND animal medicine.

Personally, I would like to assist in surgery. There's a part of me
that woudl like to become a vet, but I don't know if I could make it
into vet school. But either way this isn't a field where I could make
a ton of money.

Comparing this to the vet=doctor, vet assistant ?=? nurse thread, sure
anyone can be trained to do some menial tasks in a hospital like an
orderly, but because we're dealing with people here, you have to go to
school to be a Registered Nurse, which is in more demand in hospitals
around the world.


Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Kristi

As encouragement, my favorite vet has only two DVM in the office. Then an
office manager, two "helpers" who do generally all the grunt work, and two
Vet Technicians. Vet Tech's in this practice make it possible for them to
care for a larger number of clients than they could otherwise. Without
them, they would need to bring in another vet who would want a share in the
profits rather than a salary. This is reflected in them paying the techs
quite well.

The three local vets I know are doing just fine financially. Are able to
indulge in expensive hobbies, etc. And enjoy their jobs so much that it is
more play than work a lot of the time. Sometimes sad but always
interesting.

Jo


"Mischief" wrote in message
om...
This is in response to the "Vet assistants" posting. I've always
wondered the same question in terms of salary. But here's what I
learned the first day of class last February when I started down this
career path

There are two types of assistants to a vet.

The first is the common vet tech or vet assistant. Anyone could
eventually be trained to do this job. You help out in the vet office,
and do anything a "normal" vet tech does. (restrain animals,
vaccinations, x-rays, etc) Out of the 8-10 employees at my hospital,
only 4 of us are acutally going to school studying veterinary
medicine/technology

However, the position is what is called an "Unregistered Vet
Assistant" The person has taken no 'official training' for their job
and has no official license from the state. They can assist the vet
in any way, but there are four things that by law (at least in the
U.S.) an unregistered assistant CANNOT do.

1. Place sutures
2. Pull teeth
3. Place splint/cast
4. Put animal under anesthetic.

Now, I'm not 100% sure on the first three, but I KNOW that in almost
any vet hospital, #4 is done, but normally by an experienced employee,
even though that person may not have an official license from the
state. Out of every vet hospital I've looked into for employment,
NONE of the employees have a license from the state. They are called
"vet techs" or "vet assistants" but they do not have a license from
the state.

How do they get away with this? Any of the above can be done as long
as it's under the supervision of a DVM in an a teaching situation.
Some hospitals have gotten in trouble, but others just claim that the
vet is supervising them while they do it. (I doubt this is really
true most of the time) In my hospital, none of the techs are
'licensed' and I've seen some of them put animals under anesthesia for
surgery.
But aside from that, anyone off the street can eventually be trained
to do what I do which includes fecals, animal restraint, urine
analysis, and basic kennel duty. Anyone can clean up animal waste,
feed a pet, hold an animal for the doctor to examine, and/or walk
them. This is why the wage is so low. We are, in a sense, cheap
labor even though we do a lot. However, there are people that have
worked like this for years and in some circles can make enough to
survive, but it's still not a lot.

So why am I going to school? I am going to school to be a Registered
Veterinary Technician (RVT). I take all the classes like Anatomy,
Clinical Procedures, Clinical Pathology, etc... After graduation, I
can take the board exam, and be a RVT licensed in the state of
California. Of course, I can't prescribe meds, perform surgery or
diagnose an animal's condition.
A Registered Veterinary Technician is similar to a Registered Nurse.

For a licensed RVT, the wage is much higher. We can work in research
and in certain hospitals for a lot more. Right now I'm making $8.25
an hour as an unregistered assistant. Starting pay for an RVT is
around $12 and can go up to $14-15. And positions like that are
usually in Research like for better drugs, better food, and better
care for animals.

Of course, I have only met a few licensed RVTs. Because we go through
so much schooling and take a state board exam to become license, of
course we're going to ask for a higher wage. But in a LOT of vet
hospitals, local help is used because of the cheap labor. What vet
wants to pay a licensed RVT $12 an hour when they can get a high
school graduate for $7-8 an hour? Remember, the vet doesn't make the
same amount as most doctors. Most of the high fees you pay go to pay
for equipment, drugs and lab tests, while a small amount goes to the
vet and an even smaller amount to vet assistants like me.

I went from making $11-12 an hour as a receptionist to $8.25 an hour
as a vet tech. But I know that when I'm done, I could possibly work
in animal biomedical research. I could work with livestock, which in
California is either dairy or equine. Right now I volunteer at a
horse ranch to gain equine experience so I can handle horses. It is
quite expensive to treat a horse. Remember you can't just go to the
local animal shelter and get a horse for under $100. :P

My college also has a pre-vet program. Vet students not only have to
take the usual med school classes like Bio-Chem, Organic Chem and
Human Anatomy, but also Anatomy for dogs and cats. Don't forget
exotics, too. They have to learn human medicine AND animal medicine.

Personally, I would like to assist in surgery. There's a part of me
that woudl like to become a vet, but I don't know if I could make it
into vet school. But either way this isn't a field where I could make
a ton of money.

Comparing this to the vet=doctor, vet assistant ?=? nurse thread, sure
anyone can be trained to do some menial tasks in a hospital like an
orderly, but because we're dealing with people here, you have to go to
school to be a Registered Nurse, which is in more demand in hospitals
around the world.


Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Kristi

Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Wow, that's interesting to know. I had no idea. I thought everyone needed a
license to handle the animals. I also thought you guys would have made a lot
more. You deserve to.

Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Wow, that's interesting to know. I had no idea. I thought everyone needed a
license to handle the animals. I also thought you guys would have made a lot
more. You deserve to.

Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Wow, that's interesting to know. I had no idea. I thought everyone needed a
license to handle the animals. I also thought you guys would have made a lot
more. You deserve to.

On 19 Jun 2004 23:18:27 -0700, (Mischief) wrote:

snip
Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the input, Kristi. Your info dovetails nicely with my
experience as an Army pharmacy tech/NCO, for which there really isn't
an equivalent job in the civilian world. The biggest difference from
what you said and in a pharmacy, is that there are vast differences
between the states here in the US. In some, like here in Oklahoma,
it's just barely above minimum wage, no license required, and
basicially like a clerk in any retail store with a little more
training to read and fill prescriptions - mainly to type the lables
and a registered pharmacist is supposed to do all the actual filling
and dispensing. In others states, you have the same job title, but it
requires specialised training and licensing. Another similiar line of
work is in the computer world, where the computer "tech" may or may
not have special training - only way to know is to ask.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On 19 Jun 2004 23:18:27 -0700, (Mischief) wrote:

snip
Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the input, Kristi. Your info dovetails nicely with my
experience as an Army pharmacy tech/NCO, for which there really isn't
an equivalent job in the civilian world. The biggest difference from
what you said and in a pharmacy, is that there are vast differences
between the states here in the US. In some, like here in Oklahoma,
it's just barely above minimum wage, no license required, and
basicially like a clerk in any retail store with a little more
training to read and fill prescriptions - mainly to type the lables
and a registered pharmacist is supposed to do all the actual filling
and dispensing. In others states, you have the same job title, but it
requires specialised training and licensing. Another similiar line of
work is in the computer world, where the computer "tech" may or may
not have special training - only way to know is to ask.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On 19 Jun 2004 23:18:27 -0700, (Mischief) wrote:

snip
Okay that's PLENTY from my end. Just wanted to throw in my two cents
as a Vet tech student. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the input, Kristi. Your info dovetails nicely with my
experience as an Army pharmacy tech/NCO, for which there really isn't
an equivalent job in the civilian world. The biggest difference from
what you said and in a pharmacy, is that there are vast differences
between the states here in the US. In some, like here in Oklahoma,
it's just barely above minimum wage, no license required, and
basicially like a clerk in any retail store with a little more
training to read and fill prescriptions - mainly to type the lables
and a registered pharmacist is supposed to do all the actual filling
and dispensing. In others states, you have the same job title, but it
requires specialised training and licensing. Another similiar line of
work is in the computer world, where the computer "tech" may or may
not have special training - only way to know is to ask.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html