Heather in VA Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I have a while before my last one graduates but she'll be taking a different path than my previous two and so I'm starting to look down the road at post-high school plans while I make our high school plans. She wants to work with animals. Her dream is to own a pet rescue or wildlife preserve type place. Ideally that would be a zoology/wildlife undergrad and vet school but I think her math learning disabilities will make that an impossibility. Vet schools are not going to take a student who struggles in anything. So we've been looking at being a vet tech and it definitely is a job she'd be interested in. So I looked at our community college and I was very confused. Our CC has an associates degree for Vet tech. This is what I've understood the education to be - an associates degree. There are even a few "completer" programs for people with associates vet tech degrees to get a bachelors degree is zoology or other animal related disciplines which to me emphasizes the idea that this is a BEFORE bachelors degree program. However, the description at our CC says that the profile of the students accepted is 29% already have an associates degree and 51% already have a bachelors degree!! How can you even be eligible for an associates degree program if you already have a bachelors degree? Now I'm confused. Is this typical for a vet tech program or is there something unusual about this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 It may be different in the US, but here in Canada vet tech programs at the university are extremely competative. Kids often go in with pretty impressive qualifications. It's surprising in a way, because I don't see how the pay could justify that level of expense for te degree and ten the vet tech course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 What do you mean by eligible? If vet tech is a completely different field than previously studied. So, if you have a BA or BS in English, computer science, or elementary education and you've decided to go down a completely different career path for whatever reason, why couldn't you get an associate degree in a new field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 What do you mean by eligible? If vet tech is a completely different field than previously studied. So, if you have a BA or BS in English, computer science, or elementary education and you've decided to go down a completely different career path for whatever reason, why couldn't you get an associate degree in a new field. Sorry I wasn't clear. It says that the majority of people have a BS in Zoology or other animal studies and 91% are currently working in the veterinary field. It has not been my understanding from other research that you have to have significant education and experience before applying to a vet tech program so this surprised me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I'm in VA too. I researched this a little too because my DD was going to be a vet--absolutely certain from early elementary until she had an abrupt change in 10th grade. So when I researched high school, we did consider the veterinary science program offered through "academies" that our district has. We do know some kids in that program now. It is supposed to help lead kids to the vet tech program at the cc. The kids we know in this program have volunteer positions with local parks and zoos or other similar places. These are positions they got on their own. Some of these kids started doing this before high school, so before they applied to the academy. So even for recent high school graduates, kids coming out of these programs have a lot of related experience. I know a couple other people pursuing vet tech programs who did not go to college first. These people already work for vets. Their training was being paid by their employer. I suspect that the cc is telling applicants to the vet tech program that it is competitive and that students in it have all shown a depth of commitment. Perhaps your DD could contact the admissions people for the program and ask questions about how she should prepare for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 I don't know much myself, but we do have a former vet tech on the forums Katie, username "ktgrok" She might have some insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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