ANSWERS: 1
  • Any veterinary clinic may have both a veterinarian's assistant and a veterinary technician. The basic difference between these titles is the experience and levels of professional education.

    Veterinarian's assistant

    No formal education is required for a veterinarian's assistant, although there are various technical programs available. Assistants typically perform duties such as assistant with surgery preparation, preparing lab tests and blood work, restraining animals, feeding and exercising animals, and general office duties such as phone and reception duties.

    Veterinary technician

    A veterinary technician is required to be licensed in most states, typically through a 2-year program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Vet tech duties include collecting blood samples and performing tests, dental care, and taking X-rays, as well as assisting the veterinarian in the actual surgeries.

    Schools

    All veterinary technicians must licensed from an AVMA accredited school if required by their state. Recently, online colleges have begun offering vet tech programs, but these must still be accredited by the AVMA or the license is not valid. A full list of U.S. schools that offer vet tech programs is available at avma.org.

    Types of programs

    The most common vet tech programs are the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT), the Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT), and the Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) programs. In addition to these, the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science also offers three different types of vet tech certification, in the areas of Facility Management, Animal Husbandry, and Animal Health & Welfare.

    Considerations

    Working in the veterinary medicine field can be rewarding, especially if you love animals. Veterinary technicians make better salaries than veterinarian's assistants, but they also require more training and have more responsibility.

    Source:

    American Veterinary Medical Association

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