actually, there are a few colleges that have certified vet tech programs-Purdue U being one of them. i believe that Colorado also has one, perhaps one of the Iowa Universities, maybe Texas A&M. there aren't many. i *think* that Purdue is at least a 2-yr Assoc. degree; but it may very well be a BS at this time.

with that said, there are very few certified vet techs in this country; most of us have to deal with people that truly CARE about their patients, whether the person's "certified" or not; have very good supervision &/or experience, and at times, have little or no experience (but how are they supposed to get it??).

owner's freaking out are not productive. beginner's not listening to owners' is not productive. this is where very good supervision by an experienced staff member is invaluable.

in the case of the OP, the injuries are inexcusable. but please, give the beginners as much of a break as you can, and as much help as you can as an owner, without risking the well-being of either your pet or the staff. it will result in better care for everyone at the clinic...

PS: what's a "SIL"? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

(Sister In Law)

There are three Vet Tech programs here in little 'ol podunk Oklahoma, (Murray State, OSU/OKC and OSU/Stillwater) so there are bound to be more than just a few across the country. It is a two-year degree. The problem comes in with vets that are unwilling to pay for certified techs. If a hospital is AAHA (American Association of Animal Hospitals) accredited, the techs MUST be CVTs. Partly why you see so few AAHA hospitals.

On a personal note, when I finally had to pack it in because of my back, I felt like I was losing a whole bunch of my own pets. I watched them grow up from their first puppy/kitten visits, through all their little mishaps and bumps amd bruises, heard all their funny stories, and when my going away party was held, there were more than a few tears shed on my part. (my husband still teases me about all the little keepsake stuff that clients gave me over the years.) I have quite a few plants given to me by clients that are still named after various ex-patients that I was particularly close to.

Hi Becky, maybe I'll take the night classes for Vet Tech in OKC when the Post Office sends me out there for school again, I'm thinking about a career change <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

you guys are right about some of the techs, I almost always have to tell them "don't pet the dog, don't make funny kissy noises at them. No, he/she does not want a treat, don't get in her/his face. NO she is NOT a freekin mix breed(Erika is a DDR/Czech sable, Roxy is a solid black DDR/Czech)"
And you'd be doing yourself a favour by bring your own muzzle like the Jafco style, the only ones vet seem to use are the ones that hold the mouth completly shut risking overheating.

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...... there are bound to be more than just a few across the country. It is a two-year degree. The problem comes in with vets that are unwilling to pay for certified techs.......

Wow, you are certainly correct about there being many schools certified by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). I just looked it up.

As of June 28, 2006, there were 125 accredited schools, and 19 more in the process of certification, and there are only seven states that don't have AVMA-accredited veterinary technology programs.

This is all from AVMA.org.

From what I just read, this is a burgeoning field. NAVTA celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, so there is info galore: press releases, lists of accomplishments, etc.

There's also lots of discussion online about what you say, Becky, about vets who do and do not hire CVTs, and also about vets who provide internships for students in accredited programs.

I learned a ton today about certification; I had never thought much about it until I read this thread.

There are quite a few trade colleges/community colleges in my city that offer a two year vet tech certification. I have also noticed an increase in the number of ads requiring certification. I think the trend is growing, most likely for liability reasons.
I myself am not so much concerned about certification as I am about professionalism and knowledge. The two assistants my horse vet used were so unprofessional it about drove me crazy. One was an undergrad who wants to be a vet, she didn't want to give the vaccinations because she does not like it when the horse sneezes on her *and* she has issues with blood. The other was a high school student trying to make some extra money. No harm in that, but he didn't know a thing about horses, he just likes them. The pair was horsing around and not paying attention to their actions in relation to the horses. I have enough stresses without envisioning the lawsuites possible if someone is hurt by my horse because he/she does not know what to do. (Not to mention the liability for the vet if the hired help gets hurt due to ignorance, or if their ignorance causes harm to a client's animal.)

In my area of the Central Coast, there are far too few CVTs around, only one college in the area for them to study, and that college nearly axed the program this year. I've heard in So Cal hospitals you can't swing a leash without hitting a CVT. The vet hospitals here would kill for CVTs and I would pay top dollar for a good one. CVTs can really help a hospital operate smoothly. With that said, Vet Assistants can be every bit as good as a CVT provided they have proper supervision and lengthy training. Our hospital fired our only CVT because of that person's very questionable judgement...proving the old adage that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I would rather have three good Assistants than one iffy CVT any day. What an unfortunate story. No contact is ALWAYS the rule in a vet hospital for the health, safety, and welfare of both the animals and the staff. Who really wants to break up a dog fight?

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She did advise me to never take my dogs to the vet she works for, as she feels he's mean and uncaring.

Could be her own lack of knowledge here. We once had a person hired as kennel help call the police(!) on one of the doctors I worked with, telling them he was strangling an animal. He had scruffed a cat that was trying to eat us alive while taking it's spay stitches out! They had a pretty good laugh when they showed up. Needless to say, she wasn't long employed. One of the questions that was asked in the pre-employment interview at a day clinic where I worked before I went into emergency/critical care was, "How do you feel about euthanasia?" One (rejected) applicants' answer? "Well, I don't really know, but that Tianemen square thing was just awful!"

i stand corrected. "back in the day" when i was in it, there WERE very few CVT programs. i'm glad to hear that the programs have *exploded*. it was needed.

with that said, i'm sure there are just as many poor CVT's as there are vets, dr.s, nurses, etc. a good one's worth their weight in gold, a bad one's a lawsuit waiting to happen.