vettechresource.comA Veterinary Technician in Los Angeles

Many prospective applicants ask me what it takes to become a veterinary technician. The first order of business is to find out if the profession is for them. The best way to do that is to simply apply to be a veterinary technician.

Always apply as a vet tech, even if you have no experience. If you apply at a general practice, there’s a good chance that you’ll get the position. Many GP’s will do on-the-job training.

If you don’t get the vet tech position, you can still get a tech assistant position. The tech assistant usually transitions into the vet tech position after proving yourself at the lower position.

Three important characteristics veterinary hospitals look for in a potential veterinary technicians:

1. Reliability
2. Work ethic
3. Initiative

This may vary from hospital to hospital but if you at least have these three, you’ll have upped your chances of getting a vet tech job.

The Veterinary General Practitioner, or GP, is your animal’s primary doctor. You would see this doctor for your annual checkups, vaccinations, dentals, etc. The GP can also perform minor surgeries such as spays/neuters, bloats, and fracture repairs. This list is not all inclusive. If an issue comes up that’s too complicated, then you’ll be referred out to a specialist.

Veterinary technicians at the GP do things like monitor vital signs, administer drugs (SQ, IM, or IV), place catheters, draw blood, take x-rays, and provide general medical care and attention.

definitions:

• SQ - Subcutaneous
• IM - Intramuscular
• IV - Intravenous

It’s the techs that will also take the animals out for walks throughout the day, feed them, and do hourly treatments if necessary. Basically, they monitor the animals all day.

This blog will share some insights on what it takes to become a veterinary technician…at least a vet tech at the animal hospital I work at in Los Angeles.

What does a vet tech do?

Generally speaking, a vet tech is an animal nurse. What they do depends on what type of technician they are. Many technicians work at general practice (GP) clinics. The GP is similar to your primary care physician.

Then there are specialty technicians that work in different departments…

• Surgery
• ICU / Critical Care
• Internal Medicine
• Treatment
• Emergency
• Oncology
• Radiology
• Physical Therapy
• Ophthalmology
• Dermatology
• Cardiology

That’s just to name a few.

We’ll begin to define the functions of the different types of technicians. Hopefully this will give you clarity on what a vet techs do.