Hi,
I have been to two different colleges so far and though I have had decent grades with them both I was never interested enough in the degree I chose so I have wandered a bit. However I have worked in a wildlife rehab and at a S.P.C.A for a year and became very interested in Vet-Tech but my life is rather busy and over the years I seem to have lost some of my concentration I once had. I was wondering about Penn Foster, it's a career school and their programs are very flexible. Would this be a good place to enroll in? Would I be able to be hired as a vet-tech if I acquired a associates from this career school alone or would I probably need college courses as well? And does anyone by chance know of someone who was hired that went to this career school? Thanks.

Hi,
I was wondering about Penn Foster, it's a career school and their programs are very flexible. Would this be a good place to enroll in? Would I be able to be hired as a vet-tech if I acquired a associates from this career school alone or would I probably need college courses as well? And does anyone by chance know of someone who was hired that went to this career school? Thanks.

You should go to an AVMA accredited school/programme, otherwise your degree usually won't allow you to become a registered/licensed/certified veterinary technician (but see your state laws regarding who can take the vet tech exam). I don't see Penn Foster on the list of AVMA accredited programmes - see this list (there are several in Pennsylvania):

http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vettech_programs/allprograms.asp

Be wary of the "veterinary assistant" options offered at a lot of career schools. These are usually not too helpful in gaining employment.

Hi,
I have been to two different colleges so far and though I have had decent grades with them both I was never interested enough in the degree I chose so I have wandered a bit. However I have worked in a wildlife rehab and at a S.P.C.A for a year and became very interested in Vet-Tech but my life is rather busy and over the years I seem to have lost some of my concentration I once had. I was wondering about Penn Foster, it's a career school and their programs are very flexible. Would this be a good place to enroll in? Would I be able to be hired as a vet-tech if I acquired a associates from this career school alone or would I probably need college courses as well? And does anyone by chance know of someone who was hired that went to this career school? Thanks.

If I hadn't gotten accepted this year I probably was going to get my RVT (resigtered vet tech). It's a two year program generally. At the school I would have gone to the first year consisted of some basic science and gen ed classes and the second year was where you got all of your clinical training. Because I was a biology major they would have let me move directly to the clinical year (which they said was fairly common). So depending on what you have already taken you might want to check into that.

You'll have a lot more options with an RVT than as a "vet assistant." Some hosptials only hire certified techs. Many will hire you once you are in your clinical year and increase your responsibilities and pay when you graduate. I don't know about the school you mentioned specifically, but if you want a fairly quick way to break in to animal medicine I think an RVT is great. If you decide to go to vet school later you'll have a ton of experience.

good luck

I don't know about the school you mentioned specifically, but if you want a fairly quick way to break in to animal medicine I think an RVT is great. If you decide to go to vet school later you'll have a ton of experience.
I second this! I have been an RVT for over 5 years and really love it. It was a fantastic way for me to get paid veterinary experience in college and I feel that the knowledge I aquired will help me transition into veterinary school this fall.
Most RVT programs are 2 years or less so it is a reasonable amount of time to invest if you want to utilize your training for a part time job or a career stepping stone.