Well, this is interesting...

http://www.katu.com/news/14894881.html

Well, this is interesting...

http://www.katu.com/news/14894881.html

Too young for 4-H and REALLY too young for OSHA, the state department of labor and the insurance carrier ... somebody back up the "this is cute" and get to the "what if she gets hurt" and liability part.

Is a vet assistant degree that same as a certified tech degree? I don't get it. What differs? How can you possibly get a degree like this without any labs (aka- online).
The whole thing just annoys me.
(kinda like the 12 year old medical student...)
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/08/25/sprj.sch.wonder.kid.ap/

I appreciate her enthusiasm, but I wonder what sorts of things they let her do when she volunteers. What if they have an emergency or a euth. case while she's there? That might be a lot to deal with when you're 10.

Im a LVT and I can tell you it is not the same. Not to shoot her down..I commend her for enthusiam and dedication but she probably completed a home correspondance course as a veterinary assistant (you know the ones you see on TV..ie Phoenix U). Most college level on site courses with hands on require you to be 18.

And about the liability thing...that is why her mom must be there at all times when she volunteers. She definately couldnt be in radiology bc of age.

And OSHA..well lets just say I hope they dont see the video.

Anybody watch the video? Who is monitoring this animals anesthesia?.:scared:
I see doctor, girl and girls mom, no tech in sight. And I dig how the doc and the girl have masks but mom is just hanging out in scrubs.. Okay Okay Ill be nice:laugh:

Dont analyze it too much, its just a feel good piece from the media..
Cute but misleading.

I especially like how many of the articles have headlines such as "10 year-old veterinarian" or "Doogie Houser of veterinary medicine"

And why pay all that money for online courses (for your daughter, of course) when she's not even old enough to have a paying part-time job?

When I saw this video on the mainpage of Yahoo I was pretty shocked. First because it said "10 year old Veterinarian" which she certainly is not. After watching it they only casually mention once that she is a veterinary assistant which doesnt even require a high school diploma. Anyone who sees this video is going to thing 1) that its incredibly easy to become a veterinarian and 2) that you can do it online.

has created much hubbub and distress over on VIN.

I can't really explain why, but watching this doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy- it just kinda pisses me off. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but oh well.

What does her mom do while she's there, just sit around? How did she get certified to be an assistant if she can't legally take X-rays? How does she wrestle with 90-pound dogs when she's not even 90 pounds herself? And does she actually use that stethoscope, or is it just for show? (Where I work, the doctor does all of the stethoscope using, so I've never really used one)

Yes, this is very misleading. And the title- "Doggie Houser"- makes it sound like she's a doctor to me (since Doogie Houser was a doctor). Grr. Sorry if I sound bitchy, maybe all of this application business has made me too jaded for stuff like this. :p

I can't really explain why, but watching this doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy- it just kinda pisses me off. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but oh well.

Hmmm...I agree. If she is so smart, perhaps she wouldn't mind taking my renal physio test for me tomorrow! :rolleyes:

Hmmm...I agree. If she is so smart, perhaps she wouldn't mind taking my renal physio test for me tomorrow! :rolleyes:

ooo... she could have taken my cell biology test this morning and then your renal physio test tomorrow... :p

Let's all sit quietly and remember how US new sources love to sensationalize stories like these.

Even if she's technically qualified because she paid for an on-line course, she only volunteers and I have a feeling no one trusts her with any serious tasks.

Im a LVT and I can tell you it is not the same.

Pardon my ignorance, but is there a difference between LVT and RVT, and if so, what is it? All I know is that one is "licensed" and one is "registered." Just curious. :D

I can't really explain why, but watching this doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy- it just kinda pisses me off. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but oh well.

What does her mom do while she's there, just sit around? How did she get certified to be an assistant if she can't legally take X-rays? How does she wrestle with 90-pound dogs when she's not even 90 pounds herself? And does she actually use that stethoscope, or is it just for show? (Where I work, the doctor does all of the stethoscope using, so I've never really used one)

Yes, this is very misleading. And the title- "Doggie Houser"- makes it sound like she's a doctor to me (since Doogie Houser was a doctor). Grr. Sorry if I sound bitchy, maybe all of this application business has made me too jaded for stuff like this. :p

I was thinking the same thing! :laugh:

Wow, what a nasty side I must have to be negative about this little girl versus being happy for her.

I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that we are all working our butts off for this and she's about half our age. Grr..

Just keep reminding yourselves that she doesn't have a degree of veterinary medicine, nor does she have a veterinary technician degree. She got her college degree online, never went to vet school, and can't legally do most of the things at the office. I might explode if she actually had a veterinary degree!

I was thinking the same thing! :laugh:

Wow, what a nasty side I must have to be negative about this little girl versus being happy for her.


Yeah, I think the main reason I don't really feel guilty about not being happy for her is that I'm not a big fan of kids. The only kids I want are the 4-legged kind! ;)

I don't think it has anything to do with being happy for the little girl. She's probably got a lot of that around her. I'm sure she has very supportive and loving family and friends. However, I'm just worried that this is filling her with ridiculous senses of how much she's capable of doing things and how much she should be allowed to do. Truly, it's amazing that she was dedicated enough to do whatever work she did and that she volunteers. Good for her. But pumping her up this much isn't good unless she's an incredibly humble kid.

Yeah, I think the main reason I don't really feel guilty about not being happy for her is that I'm not a big fan of kids. The only kids I want are the 4-legged kind! ;)

Amen to that. When people ask me if I want to have kids, I say "Oh yeah, I want about 6 or 7. They'll take good care of the lawn." They look confused. I explain baby goats are called kids. Usually gets them to drop the (nosey) subject.

Pardon my ignorance, but is there a difference between LVT and RVT, and if so, what is it? All I know is that one is "licensed" and one is "registered." Just curious. :D

My understanding is that basically CVT=LVT=RVT. It depends on what your state calls it and how you have to register with your state (I am licensed in CO and AZ and both are called CVT). To become certified/licensed/registered you have to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam along with whatever your state requires. In my state to get my CVT I had to either complete an accredited vet tech program (~2 years from what I gather) or get 3000 hours of experience. I believe that my state now requires new exam applicants to have gone to an accredited school (CO applicants had to attend school, but since I already was licensed elsewhere I could easily transfer my license), and will not allow someone to collect enough hours to qualify for the exam as I did. Honestly jumping through all of the hoops to document those hours, all of the character references, etc to qualify just to sit in the exam was just as much work as applying to vet school. But I couldn't be prouder of passing those darn tests! And the pay difference was well worth it.

Edit: I found the article very interesting (thanks for posting Mistifical) but I was a little cranky about how it was written. Then I thought about it again, I now feel kind of bad for the girl- is she allowed to be a kid at all? I mean there isn't anything wrong with playing a few video games (plus it helps your hand eye coordination develop) and just being a kid. I started volunteering at 16, that was more than early enough! I hope she gets to play with other kids her age and not have a "helicopter mom" hovering over her telling her to volunteer all the time. Just my 2 cents...

My understanding is that basically CVT=LVT=RVT. It depends on what your state calls it and how you have to register with your state (I am licensed in CO and AZ and both are called CVT). To become certified/licensed/registered you have to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam along with whatever your state requires. In my state to get my CVT I had to either complete an accredited vet tech program (~2 years from what I gather) or get 3000 hours of experience. I believe that my state now requires new exam applicants to have gone to an accredited school (CO applicants had to attend school, but since I already was licensed elsewhere I could easily transfer my license), and will not allow someone to collect enough hours to qualify for the exam as I did. Honestly jumping through all of the hoops to document those hours, all of the character references, etc to qualify just to sit in the exam was just as much work as applying to vet school. But I couldn't be prouder of passing those darn tests! And the pay difference was well worth it.


Good to know. Thanks! :)

IShe got her college degree online

They kept saying college degree, but there's no way that's a college degree. That can't even be near the level of effort required for an associates degree. I think calling it such is just...well, stupid. Yay US media! Thanks for another fluff piece.

I think the sad thing about kids like this is that they never develop social skills. Maybe she is different, but in undergrad there was a 15 year old in some of my classes, and he could not appropriately interact with people. He, at 16 years old, started an MD/PhD program. I know that when he graduates he will have to rely on the PhD side of that degree because there is no way he could work as a clinician. There is a lot to be said for having normal social experiences, and just because your child may be smart enough, I don't think encouraging that early of a degree is always in the childs best interest. As a side note, there was an article about him in our college newspaper, and it was absolutely hilarious. One of the questions that was asked of him was if he had a girlfriend and his response was that he would consider taking a girlfriend on if that would help him in his career.

What you said is mostly correct. RVT, LVT and CVT are typically equivalent in regards to education (Associates in Applied Science) with exception of technologist which have a BA degree in veterinary technology. Where the terms licensed, registered and certified differ are determined more by state regulations and statues but typically mean this;
Certified pertains to someone who has graduated from a AVMA accredited veterinary technology program and/or has fullfilled the mimimum educational requirements and training to practice veterinary technology.
Registered refers to technicians which live in states where technicians are "registered" by a state governing body and the professional practice of veterinary technology is governed and enforced by that department which is usually the Board of Veterinary Medicine. In other words there are rules that say what a vet tech is and what they can do in the state as far as technically.
Okay now here is where it gets tricky.
Licensed means the same thing as registered with one important exception. If a profession is licensed in a state that means the title is protected by law and that someone calling themselves a tech who isnt licensed is criminally liable. Where it gets tricky is in some states registered also has the same protection (ie RN) and that depends on the state.
Thats more information than you probably ever wanted to know but as a future vet you can never know too much. Plus your techs will love you if you know the difference.
Ive been an LVT for 14 years and sat on the board of our state technician association and we fought very hard to have those terms used correctly so thats how I know.
Really it comes down to knowing what your state laws are and thats not so easy because in veterinary technology the are constantly challenged and changed.

Wrong, just wrong...

I did however love this quote: "I have a dog Maggie and two hamsters and I just thought: 'Well, if I have so many animals why don't I just work with them?"... Yup, that's how I decided I wanted to be a vet when I was little. One day I just decided, 6 rabbits, 2 cats, 2 degus, fish... might as well work with animals since I've got so many! (I know, she's only 10, but I can't help it... I thought it was funny!)

Wonder if this was something she really wanted to do, or if her mom had something o do with it?

I just wanted to say that I havent been posting on this site for long but I am having a great time reading all your posts...You guys are hysterical:laugh: your comments keep me in stiches. Its nice to have a way to release stress while we all awaiting such nerve racking news. Thanks for the diversion.:thumbup:

Another question for those of us not quite in the know about all the different terms:

What, exactly, is involved in getting a "Veterinary Assistant" degree? I was under the impression that it isn't nearly as regulated as vet techs are.

Another question for those of us not quite in the know about all the different terms:

What, exactly, is involved in getting a "Veterinary Assistant" degree? I was under the impression that it isn't nearly as regulated as vet techs are.

I am not aware of any VA programs that offer more than a certificate. I heard Purdue might have one close to a associates but Im unsure about that. Basically since states cant even seem to agree on what a tech does or should do they arent about to start regulating another catagory--that takes time and money. In VA, they just added a catagory called a Equine Dental Technician and that was a HUGE hubbub with lots of controversy.

Another question for those of us not quite in the know about all the different terms:

What, exactly, is involved in getting a "Veterinary Assistant" degree? I was under the impression that it isn't nearly as regulated as vet techs are.

It's essentially the same as a Certified Nursing Assistant. A fancy term for poop picker-uppers.

I'm reppin' the un-certified assistants who reach the level of a technician without any fancy training, ha ha.

It's basically training to help do exactly what the title says. Assist technicians and veterinarians. I can't say I've ever worked with someone who got certified, but maybe it looks good on an application? I never understood why someone felt it was necessary. Although, I do know that, at least in some MN tech schools, the techs in training reach the level of certified assistant before obtaining their tech certification. That way they are more prepared to intern in clinics.

When I lived in VA, We had three CVA's and they were great! Basically the program they attended allowed them to come into a clinic with knowledge and experience equivalent to say someone who worked in the field for a year or more (depending on how much info they retained). It got them more money and increased responsibility from the start. Unfortunately that program was shut down..the owners were embezzling $. Some students where in the middle of their programs and didnt get to finish and didnt get a refund. :(

it's a cute kid! come on guys, she's a little girl who is obviously dedicated to the field. any of you guys get an online degree at the age of 10? just curious.... :) also, not all of the general public is aware of the education it takes to be a vet, and believe it or not ... some don't care!!! i would get used to it and not get so sensitive! being a vet isn't the center of the world for everyone.

it's a cute kid! come on guys, she's a little girl who is obviously dedicated to the field. any of you guys get an online degree at the age of 10? just curious.... :) also, not all of the general public is aware of the education it takes to be a vet, and believe it or not ... some don't care!!! i would get used to it and not get so sensitive! being a vet isn't the center of the world for everyone.

:eek: Not the center of the world for everyone? That's news for me :p

Heheh, I don't even remember what it's like to wake up and NOT think about something pre-vet/school admissions first thing in the morning. Man, that's got to be a while ago.

While the media is certainly presenting her education as something more than it is, I admire the little girl. She seemed very well-spoken, intelligent, and happy with what she is doing. Her socialization skills seemed just fine to me.

The veterinarian she volunteers with was interviewed and seemed to be very pleased with her level of interest and didn't convey any hesitation about letting her assist. I figure if the veterinarian trusts her, then who am I to question that judgement? She knows her, she works with her, and it's her liability on the line, not mine.

As long as she is doing this because she wants to and as long as she is not performing procedures she is not allowed to, and as long as she can quit if and when she develops a new interest, I don't understand what the big deal is. It's nice to see a parent support their child's interests, and nice to see a professional take her seriously. It's the media portrayal that may be problematic. Give the kid a break.

She's a cute little girl!

You know what's funny? I call her a cute little girl, then I realizes that she's really only 6 years younger than me, and that freaks me out! :rolleyes: But then I guess some people starting vet school are 6 years older than me...?

Done rambling...

Ok, too funny :laugh:

I get a call from my Mom this evening - she says she has an article for me about a 10 year old vet.

She got it from the guys at work. They all thought the kid was a real doctor.

She sounded kind of disapointed when I told her she was far from a real vet, even though she had the 'certification'.

---
A little off topic -- what's the youngest age you can possibly become a REAL dvm?

If you were a super smarty and got done with a B.S when you were say 12, then went through to vet school (would they even let you in?!) perhaps you could be a DVM by 16? Would you even be legally allowed to practice?

I mean, there is like a 12 year old somewhere on campus that does his own genetics research and is published....doing post doc work....

A little off topic -- what's the youngest age you can possibly become a REAL dvm?

If you were a super smarty and got done with a B.S when you were say 12, then went through to vet school (would they even let you in?!) perhaps you could be a DVM by 16? Would you even be legally allowed to practice?

I mean, there is like a 12 year old somewhere on campus that does his own genetics research and is published....doing post doc work....

I was wondering the same thing. Up there somewhere is a link to an article about a 12-year-old starting med school... I'm just wondering how this all works out legally. I mean, legally, you're not an adult until you're 18, so I'm not sure how that will factor into his training. If he's successful, though, he'll be getting rich by the time he's 25- I'm sure he'll be an attending by then, and that's when doc's start making the big bucks! ;)

Ok, too funny :laugh:

I get a call from my Mom this evening - she says she has an article for me about a 10 year old vet.

She got it from the guys at work. They all thought the kid was a real doctor.

She sounded kind of disapointed when I told her she was far from a real vet, even though she had the 'certification'.

---
A little off topic -- what's the youngest age you can possibly become a REAL dvm?

If you were a super smarty and got done with a B.S when you were say 12, then went through to vet school (would they even let you in?!) perhaps you could be a DVM by 16? Would you even be legally allowed to practice?

I mean, there is like a 12 year old somewhere on campus that does his own genetics research and is published....doing post doc work....

You would have to be at least 21 to get your DEA license. But I guess other than that you would have to be at least 18 to be in radiology land. Without that you couldnt complete your DVM studies.

You would have to be at least 21 to get your DEA license.

So all those years, Doogie Houser was a bust? Damn, I loved that show! :laugh:

Sorry didnt mean to :boom:your bubble. I liked that show too...even though it was extremely :corny:.

Sorry didnt mean to :boom:your bubble. I liked that show too...even though it was extremely :corny:.


Well it's apparent to me that you are a fan of corny presentation. :)

It really annoys me when she says she and the vet are like twins and that's what they've wanted to do with their whole lives. I'm sorry but you're ten and took an online course. I kind of hope she tries to get into vet school and fails miserably. Wow, I am going to hell.

It really annoys me when she says she and the vet are like twins and that's what they've wanted to do with their whole lives. I'm sorry but you're ten and took an online course. I kind of hope she tries to get into vet school and fails miserably. Wow, I am going to hell.


Haha, her whole, long, ten years.

It really annoys me when she says she and the vet are like twins and that's what they've wanted to do with their whole lives. I'm sorry but you're ten and took an online course. I kind of hope she tries to get into vet school and fails miserably. Wow, I am going to hell.



Ha, that's awesome. Save me a seat, because that part annoyed me too.

Ten years, eh? I've been going to school longer than she's been alive.

Now I feel old.

it seems wrong to root for a nice ten year old girl to fail. how can you guys be against children being interested in vet med? she's not in vet school, she's not even applying any time soon, she is just doing the most she can, given that she is only ten. anyhow, it was probably a slow news day for that paper, but fillers like that are a nice change from all the violence and terrible things happening. who cares if despite the news people saying "veterinary assistant" like ten times, someone got the impression she was a vet. people misunderstand a lot of things.

it seems wrong to root for a nice ten year old girl to fail. how can you guys be against children being interested in vet med? she's not in vet school, she's not even applying any time soon, she is just doing the most she can, given that she is only ten. anyhow, it was probably a slow news day for that paper, but fillers like that are a nice change from all the violence and terrible things happening. who cares if despite the news people saying "veterinary assistant" like ten times, someone got the impression she was a vet. people misunderstand a lot of things.

That's the right attitude. Let's mask the true injustice and horror in the world with an embellished piece of fluff because people need a change of pace to feel good about themselves.

Now I hate her even more. ;)

I imagine the anger isn't necessarily directed at the little girl, more so a mixture of terrible news coverage, painfully cheesy headlines and the fact that this kid is welcomed into a clinic after taking an on-line course while may pre-vet kids are getting dumped on by crotchety old vets and denied experience around vet school application crunch time.

That's the right attitude. Let's mask the true injustice and horror in the world with an embellished piece of fluff because people need a change of pace to feel good about themselves.

Now I hate her even more. ;)

I imagine the anger isn't necessarily directed at the little girl, more so a mixture of terrible news coverage, painfully cheesy headlines and the fact that this kid is welcomed into a clinic after taking an on-line course while may pre-vet kids are getting dumped on by crotchety old vets and denied experience around vet school application crunch time.

Not to mention the fact that I personally wouldn't trust a 10 year old to be able to handle my animals in a stressful situation.

omg. it isn't the nytimes or wall street journal. it was a community newspaper or something. and one story in some town won't mask national and international news. they still get their respective sections in the newspaper everyday. also, i meant usually there is space for just as random stuff about the community, and this wasn't the worst choice.

i think she took more than one online course. i don't think you can get a vet assistant associates with one class. i sure hope not! and it IS unusual for a ten year old to have an online degree. i bet no one on this site had one at ten. if you had one, chime in on the conversation, and let us know if there were other ten year olds in the program you were friends with :)

and as for needing fluff pieces to feel good about ourselves? please.



That's the right attitude. Let's mask the true injustice and horror in the world with an embellished piece of fluff because people need a change of pace to feel good about themselves.

Now I hate her even more. ;)

I imagine the anger isn't necessarily directed at the little girl, more so a mixture of terrible news coverage, painfully cheesy headlines and the fact that this kid is welcomed into a clinic after taking an on-line course while may pre-vet kids are getting dumped on by crotchety old vets and denied experience around vet school application crunch time.

who cares if despite the news people saying "veterinary assistant" like ten times, someone got the impression she was a vet. people misunderstand a lot of things.

It was a front page video on yahoo.com with the subject "10 year old becomes veterinarian". Who cares? Probably anyone who got a phone call from a friend or family member going "hey look, some 10 year old became a veterinarian".

They keep saying she got a degree, when the reality is she didn't. You cant finish a legitimate AA in 8 months, so clearly she got a certificate.

The OSHA and child labor law aspects of the whole situation are pretty laughable. Sharps, biohazards and radiation are all things that do not jive with underage employees.

omg. it isn't the nytimes or wall street journal. it was a community newspaper or something. and one story in some town won't mask national and international news. they still get their respective sections in the newspaper everyday. also, i meant usually there is space for just as random stuff about the community, and this wasn't the worst choice.


It isn't the NY times or the Wall Street Journal, and yet many of my friends international and across the US have found this article and emailed it to me. So obviously, its somewhat national at this point.

I also find this part disturbing

"Despite all of her qualifications and her college degree, Courtney can't be in surgery by herself. Her mother has to be here with her as she volunteers. State law says that she's just too young."

What would she be doing in surgery by herself?

omg. it isn't the nytimes or wall street journal. it was a community newspaper or something. and one story in some town won't mask national and international news. they still get their respective sections in the newspaper everyday. also, i meant usually there is space for just as random stuff about the community, and this wasn't the worst choice.

and as for needing fluff pieces to feel good about ourselves? please.

Wow. I assumed my ";)" was enough of an indication that I was being facetious. I'll take more care next time I comment on something in jest.

I also find this part disturbing

"Despite all of her qualifications and her college degree, Courtney can't be in surgery by herself. Her mother has to be here with her as she volunteers. State law says that she's just too young."

What would she be doing in surgery by herself?


Um. Observing?

You guys to need chill out. Are you jealous of her or something?

Whoa everyone. I did not mean for my comments to cause such a stir and I was half joking anyhow. Of course, I don't wish harm on a ten year old girl. She is ten years old... we were all annoying at that age. I have done various things I look back on and think, what was I thinking, I look like an idiot! I am sure if I had the chance to do what she did when I was ten I would have.

And yes, my anger is directed at the media and mainly just those annoying ignorant people you talk to that are adults and still think of a vet as an animal caretaker and not a true doctor. I am just sick of the media portraying the vets of the world as glorified dog-sitters.

I apologize to anoyone I offended and yes, my annoyance is not with the girl herself but moreso with those ignorant in our society that actually believe a 10 year old girl could possibly be a veterinarian. My apologies to all...

Um. Observing?

You guys to need chill out. Are you jealous of her or something?

My point was just that they were making it sound like she was operating on animals.

Like i said before, i wouldn't want my animals in a 10-year-old's hands in a stressful situation, for their safety and hers. But I'm more concerned with the lack journalistic professionalism apparent in this article.

And also, of course I am jealous. I wish was ten, I could have a chance to relive college. Oh how I miss college.

You're right; she's only a ten-year-old kid, and the article about her is a cute piece of fluff. The problem with it is people seeing the headline "10-year-old veterinarian." Are we working our butts off to get into a profession that a 10-year-old could do? Nope. It kind of demeans the profession, which is my major issue with it.

I think it's great that she wants to be a vet. I don't see her as competition or as a threat. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian before I was 10, but I started volunteering at a zoo (cleaning cages, mind you) when I was 13. I didn't get a tech job until I was 16. And the clinic where I work now doesn't hire anyone under 18 because of insurance reasons. My point is, at 10, she is not responsible or mature enough to be trusted with most of the duties of being a tech, not to mention the physical limitations of her height and size- can you picture her holding a rottweiler for a blood draw?

It's a cute little interest piece, but it's majorly skewed and a lot of the facts are jumbled around. Like how they use veterinary assistant and veterinarian interchangeably. :rolleyes: