Veterinary Technician Programs And Requirements In Texas

If you are interested in the field of veterinary medicine, but don’t want to dedicate 8 years to become a veterinarian or are worried about the difficulty of being accepted in a competitive accredited veterinarian program, consider becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician, or vet tech.

Vet techs complete a 2-year technical program, which can be done at a traditional on-sight training school or by taking online courses. Once the student has completed his coursework, he takes a board-certified examination in order to become registered.

Vet techs assist veterinarians with the care of animals and provide a variety of services for the veterinarian including record keeping, animal nursing, obtaining and reviewing lab results, and much more. Vet techs can also assist zookeepers in the care of exotic animals housed in zoos.

There are a variety of accredited veterinary technician schools in the state of Texas. Traditional 2-year location-based programs are offered at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Lonestar College in Tomball, Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, McLennan

Community College in Waco, and the Bryan Campus of Blinn College in Bryan. Completion of any of these programs results in an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. Online vet tech degrees are offered by Cedar Valley College, St. Petersburg College in Largo, Florida, and San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico.

Though the latter two programs are located outside the state of Texas, each offers degrees for those students who will pursue a career in veterinary technology in Texas. Cedar Valley’s Distance Learning Program offers an Associate’s degree in Applied Science, which is usually obtained in 2 years.

St. Petersburg College offer’s an Associate’s science degree in Veterinary Technology, which is often completed by the student in two years. San Juan College offers an associate’s degree in Applied Science, which is also designed to be completed in 2 years. Because of the flexibility of the online degree, some students take longer to obtain their degree than those enrolled in a location-based program.

Though each degree differs in terms of curriculum, most vet tech programs require that students take core classes in their first semesters which introduce them to veterinary medical terminology, animal anatomy and physiology, and parasitology—or the study of animal parasites.

Specialties

As the student progresses through the curriculum, courses generally become more specific as to the type of animal being studied, so the students take classes to learn about feline and canine clinical management, large animal clinical management (such as horses and cows), and exotic animal clinical management. Other classes that are commonly offered involve studies in animal anesthesia, animal diet and nutrition, radiology, animal patient care, and surgical assistance.

Pricing varies from school to school and depends on how long the student takes to finish the curriculum. Every program provides financial aid for students who qualify.

Texas Vet Tech Programs