I have some questions about my work experience. When I was 16, I worked in a small veterinary hospital as a kennel tech for a little over a year. Right now, I work at Lawrence Livermore Lab in the Biosciences dept, working mostly on protein extraction. Im transfering this fall to a four year college (as a junior) and though I hope to get a job in a vet hospital, it might not happen right away. My question concerns the amount of work experience, in general, vet schools like to see. Is there a cut off for the amount of hours required? How much does it weigh in on admissions?

I have some questions about my work experience. When I was 16, I worked in a small veterinary hospital as a kennel tech for a little over a year. Right now, I work at Lawrence Livermore Lab in the Biosciences dept, working mostly on protein extraction. Im transfering this fall to a four year college (as a junior) and though I hope to get a job in a vet hospital, it might not happen right away. My question concerns the amount of work experience, in general, vet schools like to see. Is there a cut off for the amount of hours required? How much does it weigh in on admissions?
A few vet schools have minimum requirements on veterinary hours, but these requirements are usually very minimal. This being said, IMO veterinary experience is extremely important to the admissons committees, as it not only shows your committment to the profession but also that you know what being a veterinarian really entails (not just playing with puppies and kittens all day). Also, experience working in the veterinary field will help you secure good letters of recommendation from veterinarians, which are required. If you think that you will have a difficult time accumulating lots of veterinary hours, try to make the hours you do have as varied as possible (large and small animal experiences).
Of course the importance of veterinary experience will also depend on the rest of your application. If you have a very high GPA/GRE scores and less experience you may still have a good chance of getting accepted into veterinary school. On the other hand, if your GPA/GRE scores are on the low side, then that work experience is really going to help you out.
As an aside, admissions committees also really like to see research experience, and your work in the biosciences department could be something that really sets you apart from everyone else.
Good luck!