Vet Tech first?

[MoNYC]

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Hi folks,

Non-trad pre-vet here hoping to end up with a DVM at the end of my name in a decade or so. Just wondering if any other non-trad’s currently in vet school who pursued vet tech certification first? It just seems that here in NYC in order to get one’s feet wet in vet hospitals/practices and earn a living you have to certified vet tech’s first.

This isn’t to say that vet tech isn’t a career/vocation in its own right by the way. It’s just that as someone pushing 30 with tons of student loan debt, I have to work and am looking for a way to simultaneously be involved in vet medicine.

Thanks!
MoNYC

 

[cozycleo]

I'm right in your same age range, and I chose not to do the vet tech thing. Nothing against them, but I've got enough work to do as it is without pursuing the vet tech thing first. I've chosen to focus my vet experience on shadowing first and go from there. I realize this doesn't have the same kind of perks as directly working in a vet office, but I've got a professional background and other things they will look at as well. I don't believe having a vet tech job at any point in time will sway the adcom one way or the other as to whether or not I am worthy of admission as long as I continue to work hard and gain as much experience as I can.

 

[Mistoffeles]

depends on where you try to work. at the big referral hospitals, if you want to do "tech" stuff, yes, you need a license. however, some of the smaller hospitals will hire declared pred-vet students and train them up . . . or else as an assistant, which is much less strictly regulated.

develop a relationship with a vet (i.e., go in as a volunteer, get them accustomed to your presence) and as they trust you, they may let you become more active and less observatory.

 

[absvet]

Becoming a certified vet tech is a big deal in it's own right - I think it takes like two years, most of the classes don't cross over into pre-vet, and you would have to pay for that program too.

Other options are to work as a vet assistant, or work in research, or keep your current job and shadow or volunteer at a shelter on the weekends. The ASPCA on the Upper East Side, the NYC Animal Care and Control and the Humane Society all have volunteer programs, though at AC&C it is mostly dog walking I think. I found several vet assistant jobs in NYC when I was looking for work, which would be a great experience and way to get to know the vets, and they were really excited to hire a pre-vet with a college degree, but I honestly couldn't afford to live on what they were going to pay. So, I ended up working as a research tech. The pay is better, I work under PhD's with lab animals so I believe it should count as vet experience, and I get a tuition benefit to finish my classes.

Good luck!

 

[david594]

It just seems that here in NYC in order to get one's feet wet in vet hospitals/practices and earn a living you have to certified vet tech's first.

This isn't to say that vet tech isn't a career/vocation in its own right by the way. It's just that as someone pushing 30 with tons of student loan debt, I have to work and am looking for a way to simultaneously be involved in vet medicine.

Thanks!
MoNYC

Some thoughts and questions. Do you have a degree currently? (If you have tons of student loan debt I would hope you do) And is there any reason you cant work a job in that field to "make a living"?

It just seems really counter productive to me that you would put yourself further in debt doing 2 years of school to become a certified vet tech. Only so you can then start "making a living" while you work on your pre-reqs and gaining experience.

This is as opposed to the other scenario where you work in your previous field while you get whatever experience you can(volunteer or otherwise) and use that same 2 years to complete your pre-reqs.

In the time it would take you to get your vet-tech certification you could be done with your requirements and accepted into vet school.

 

[justinpaws]

I know someone who got into Davis and a handful of other schools after changing careers and going to tech school first. It does teach you a lot more about why you are doing things, versus if you were learning on the job, sometimes there isn't always someone around to teach you. Based on what she's told me, she said she tried out tech school to make sure she wanted to be in the animal field (this is probably not an issue if you already know you want to work with animals?). Another huge pro (especially if you go to a hideously huge university like me where you're lucky if the professor knows your name) is that you can really develop close relationships with veterinarians, and the potential for letters of rec is there too. You also get exposure to things that you wouldn't if you just worked small animal, like visiting farms or even slaughterhouses. You'll probably also have a head start at vet school.

What other people are saying, though, and I partially agree, is that the extra debt probably isn't worth it, as well as the extra schooling, which takes at least two years depending on what you've already taken. (This applies if you know you want to ultimately become a DVM).

A big thing to keep in mind also is that even if you become an RVT, the pay is dismally low considering how much of a load it is (in my opinion). I'd consider you very lucky to be making over $18/hr. SA hospitals know they can exploit non-RVTs for bad pay and bad hours; it's not like in nursing (where the pay is often more than twice that of an RVT) where you definitely need a license and the background education.