Vet Tech - Worth getting?

[marycatherine]

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So a couple of my coworkers and I were talking and we've heard good things in our area about Penn Foster's online vet tech program.

I've got a BA in English, and I'm going to be spending the next 2 years getting my pre-reqs for vet school-- I literally have none of them completed thanks to an English major, haha. I'll be living at home and taking classes while volunteering/working in my area to get more and more hours.

But this online course is done at home, at my own pace, and seems pretty cheap-- though I haven't gotten the final tuition number yet. I like the idea that I could do this on the weekends, probably do well in it, and get a little more vet experience. I think it could reaffirm my desire to go into veterinary school and also get me some more science and vet learning under my belt.

Would it be worth the time/effort/money? I already have a vet that's willing to let me shadow and I might be able to get a job there over the summer, though nothing is set in stone. I'm not sure how much better the experience would be if coupled with an a tech degree?

Here's the program website:
http://www.pennfostercollege.edu/vettech/index.html

 

[david594]

In your situation I would say it would be pretty useless. You should be applying to(and possibly accepted to) vet school before you would even finish that program. So you would never use the certification.

Thats also time you would have to take away from your required classes.

 

[Chill1818]

I actually enrolled in that course and was greatly disappointed in the material. I didn't get very far before I asked for the remainder of my money back, so maybe some of the later material was better, but the beginning lectures I thought were poorly written and didn't include information I would have liked to have seen. Also the online classes were not very good and the caliber of the students enrolled in the program is low. I learned much more from getting a job as an assistant veterinary technician and reviewing Mosby's Vet Tech book. I highly recommend you save your money and just get hands on experience, especially since you already have an undergraduate degree, planning on the heading the vet route and are enrolling prerequisites. I do recommend you check to see what your licensing requirements are for techs in your state because they vary everywhere and if you are hoping for a pay increase it's definitely helpful to have a license.

 

[thelarson]

In my opinion, not a good idea. Being a vet tech, while still in the animal health field, is a completely different career from being a veterinarian. I've heard (off-the-record) from a few people that once you're a vet tech, admissions officers drill you even more to make sure you aren't just looking for a salary raise - that you truly understand the difference in your responsibilities, etc.

You could get way more hands-on vet experience by shadowing or getting a job as a veterinary assistant than by doing an online course (which provides none).

 

[VeganSoprano]

No. You would be spending 2+ years and several thousand $ and would complete few if any prereqs for vet school in the process. Not worth it if vet school is your real goal.

However, if you are eligible to take the VTNE in your home state or a nearby state via alternate pathway credentialing, that may be worthwhile. I personally plan to take the test in Delaware in June. My reasons are for a pay raise at my current job, a possible alternate career path if I don't get into vet school (LVT + MPH or MPA and work in public policy) and a possible advantage in vet school once I reach clinics, since credentials would help substantiate that I do have a good technical skill base so it's possible I might have an easier time getting to do stuff.

So basically, I think becoming a credentialed tech may be a good option but *only if* if does not set you back or take anything substantial away from your preparation for vet school. Being a tech is not preparation for vet school any more than being an RN would be preparation for med school.

 

[marycatherine]

I was planning on doing it separate from my pre-vet requirements-- as I'll be taking classes part-time at my university. I think it just sounded like a way to get more experience learning applicable things, since I think I could get it done in about a year (other techs around me have said they completed it quickly).

I think I was mostly hoping it would help confirm my desire to be a DVM, since I changed career goals fairly recently and I know my parents are a little worried about it, hahaha. I know I love working at my shelter, but I'd like more vet experience to figure things out, though I suppose that doesn't need to come with a degree.

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[Ben and Me]

From 1 English major to another...Unless you are much more of a science genius than I am, you are probably going to want to focus on those pre-reqs and on getting vet experience. Both of those will play a much bigger factor in your acceptance than an online vet tech degree.

I didn't think taking 2 science pre-reqs a semester while working at a vet clinic would be any big deal, but it ended up being a lot more work than I expected. Don't bite off more than you can chew at this point, especially during your transition to science, as appealing as it sounds 🙂 A good alternative might be to take some "fun" animal science classes along with your pre-reqs, but I'd wait on that too until you get a sense of the differences between studying for organic and writing a term paper. 😉

 

[marycatherine]

From 1 English major to another...Unless you are much more of a science genius than I am, you are probably going to want to focus on those pre-reqs and on getting vet experience. Both of those will play a much bigger factor in your acceptance than an online vet tech degree.

I didn't think taking 2 science pre-reqs a semester while working at a vet clinic would be any big deal, but it ended up being a lot more work than I expected. Don't bite off more than you can chew at this point, especially during your transition to science, as appealing as it sounds 🙂 A good alternative might be to take some "fun" animal science classes along with your pre-reqs, but I'd wait on that too until you get a sense of the differences between studying for organic and writing a term paper. 😉

Thanks for your advice. I've always tested better in Science/Math (meaning SATs and GREs) but I really have no experience studying science and doing well in courses. I do need to pull my GPA up (and just get good grades in general). I guess I'm just a little nervous as to not having a real back-up plan or a degree to fall back on (or one that isn't humanities-based, haha).

When did you decide to do pre-vet? Have you had trouble explaining your previous English major? I still love English, it's not like I'm ashamed of it, but more just at a school where everyone else is completely driven and makes it seem like since I haven't planned on being a vet all through my undergrad, I'm at a disadvanage.

 

[Ben and Me]

I did not plan on vet school throughout undergrad. I didn't decide for certain to apply until the summer after my junior year. I had already taken general chemistry, intro biology, and genetics at that point, though. I took physics my senior year. I did some biology research during undergrad as well, so I ended up with a BA in English and Biology. My school also offers a BS in biology, so my BA in biology wasn't really much of a degree. 😉

After graduating, I took a year off to finish my pre-reqs and apply to school while working as a vet assistant. I took Animal Nutrition, Organic I and II, Microbiology, Biochem and a few other non-science pre-reqs.

There are plenty of humanities majors in my vet school class. It isn't a disadvantage at all, and might even be a bit of diversity.

My only advice is to not bite off more than you can chew. College science classes are very different from those in high school, and vet school science classes are even more different. So, take it slow -- start off with 1 or 2 classes. Make sure you like science!

 

[Caninerepro]

Now this has been off the record, and I do not know this from personal experience, but the conventional wisdom, along with what little I have heard from ad coms and professors, is that they actually do not like LVT/CVT's in their DVM programs. They feel that as a tech you will tend to think you know better than the vets/professors (actually a problem occasionally in the clinic), and will also be set in your ways, whether they are correct or not. LVTtoDVM and others may have better input on that though. Just what I have heard. Just getting varied clinical experiences and focusing on my pre-req grades worked for me. 👍

 

[flyhi]

I would tend to agree with CR. I saw the same thing in my profession - former flight attendants getting their pilot's licenses and applying to the airline they had worked. Some would think it would be an asset, knowing all of the emergency procedures in the cabin and all, but not really.

Nurses to Doctors....same idea. As someone already mentioned, concentrate on your pre req's and getting experience in a clinic. You don't need to get a tech degree in order to figure out if you want to do vet med or not - just try and get a lot of varied experience in the field. And, save your money.

Plus, i've done online courses and not to knock them, but i did not feel i learned nearly as much as sitting in a lecture having someone besides myself teach the material to me. Not to mention, being a tech is very hands on and i'm not sure how you can simulate that online.

my .02.