Vet tech in navy blue scrubs holding small white dog on green background.

Veterinary

What to Know Before You Enroll in Penn Foster's Vet Tech Program: Allergies, Animals, and Everything In Between

Before enrolling in any veterinary technology program, you should know what to expect. This blog covers what to know before enrolling in Penn Foster’s program, from how online classes work to how to deal with allergies and the physical demands of working as a credentialed vet tech.

Des Sinkevich

Nov 06, 2026

11 min read

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A career as a credentialed veterinary technician can be exciting, especially if you’re passionate about working with animals. You get to do work you love and make a difference. But the job can be demanding and preparing for it involves a few steps. Before enrolling in a training program, it’s important to know what you can expect, from the demands of the job to the academic and clinical requirements.

Key takeaways

Becoming a credentialed veterinary technician can be a great job for people who are passionate about working with animals, and enjoy science and medicine, but it can be physically demanding.
While online classes can help you build essential knowledge in the veterinary field, hands-on training is also required in two externships.
Before enrolling into a veterinary technology program, you should consider things like animal allergies, physical demands, and even the academic and clinical work required to get started.

How Penn Foster’s Veterinary Technician Associate Degree works

Penn Foster’s online Veterinary Technician Associate Degree is a self-paced program that can help students who want to work in the field (or already work in a vet clinic) build the knowledge and skills that can allow them to become credentialed vet techs. Accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), through their Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), your classes in the degree program are aligned to meet their standards.

You’ll also get hands-on training and experience through two externships. These externships, one at the end of semester two and the other beginning at the end of semester four, cover a variety of essential medical and technical skills to build your confidence on the job. When you first start your program, it’s a good idea to begin planning for your first externship, including looking into what skills you’ll complete and coming up with ideas for sites near you that may work.

What are the online vet tech classes like?

Your online veterinary technician classes focus on building skills and knowledge that are essential to taking the next step toward becoming a credentialed vet tech. You’ll learn the basics, including biology and the study of anatomy and physiology. The program also covers other key areas of veterinary medicine, such as pharmacology and veterinary nursing, along with radiography and veterinary surgical nursing.

You’ll reaffirm what you learned through exams and assignments. Some classes may have a final proctored exam that will cover what you learned in an entire course. Once you’ve completed the exams in one class, you’ll be able to move on to the next. Generally, you progress through the program one class at a time so you can focus and absorb the material.

How self-paced learning works

Self-paced learning means you have more control over when and where you study. Penn Foster’s program does not have traditional required weekly class meetings or set exam due dates. Instead, lessons are organized into manageable sections that include digital study materials, interactive learning activities, assessments, and practical exercises. That flexibility can be helpful if you’re working or managing other responsibilities outside of school. Sixty-seven percent of Penn Foster learners said they enrolled with us because they could complete coursework at their own pace.¹

However, being able to complete coursework on your own timeline means you’ll need to create a routine and stay accountable for your progress. The program is very independent, so having strong time management skills can be helpful.

While you’re learning independently, you’ll be able to reach out to instructors by email or appointment if you need help. You’ll also have access to online learning resources and can even connect with other vet tech students on Facebook to ask for advice or create study groups. While you’re in control of how and when you learn, you’ll still have support as you progress through your studies!

Hands-on learning and what to know about externships

Your online classes are important to help you build a foundation for the hands-on work you’ll do as a credentialed veterinary technician. As part of the program, you’ll get real-world practice in two required externships. You’ll work in person with many species of animals under the supervision of a credentialed veterinary technician or licensed veterinarian at a clinic near you.

Externship 1 details

Your first externship happens after you successfully complete your academic work in semester two. It includes:

150 required hours, completed over approximately 10 weeks
29 required skills
Foundational animal care techniques involving dogs and cats

As part of this experience, you’ll practice a variety of skills at the clinic or clinics where you’re completing your externship at. Those skills can include obtaining patient vital signs, observing animal behavior, handling and restraining patients, helping with routine procedures, collecting samples for lab work and testing, and educating clients on pet care.

Once you’ve successfully finished all your required skills, you’ll be able to move on to semester three.

Externship 2 details

Your second externship comes at the end of semester 4 and is one of the last things you need to complete to graduate. It includes:

200 required hours, completed over approximately 18 weeks
48 required skills
Small-animal surgical care and imaging techniques
Basic care skills involving large, exotic, and laboratory animals

You may work on skills such as monitoring anesthesia and assisting with surgery. You will also learn and practice dental procedures and complete other clinical tasks.

You may need more than one approved site

Before you begin, each externship site must be submitted for approval and meet applicable AVMA-CVTEA standards. We also have a list of pre-approved sites that have been used by students in the past that you can take advantage of. If you live near one of the pre-approved sites, you can contact them to see if you can do your externship there. While the time it takes to approve your externship sites can vary, it can often be a faster process if you use a pre-approved site.

You may also need to have more than one site to complete your externship skills. Some locations may not have access to every animal species you need to work with or may be missing a piece of equipment required for the program. That’s not unusual, and we’ll advise you if a site doesn’t meet all the requirements.

Externship 2 is often where students need to have a few different sites to practice all the required skills. If you live in a city, for example, the clinics in your area may not work with large animals like horses and cattle, so you’ll need to find a veterinarian who does.

There are also fast-track labs available across the country for those who may not have access to large animal veterinary practices in their area. These labs can be a great opportunity to complete your required skills over a short period of time, but they can require traveling to another state, having to secure accommodations for a period of a few weeks, and involve additional costs.

While you’re required to find and secure your own externship sites, you do have support through our externship team and your assigned mentor. If you already work at a veterinary clinic, your employer may be able to be your approved externship site, but it’s important to talk to them about it before assuming that they’re willing to help.

What animals do you work with in the externship?

Your first externship will focus on skills that involve cats and dogs, while your second externship encompasses skills around a wider variety of animals. These can include:

Dogs
Cats
Equine species, like horses or donkeys
Small ruminants, such as goats and sheep
Birds
Rats or mice
Rabbits

Generally, the animals you need to work with as part of your externships aren’t negotiable. The skills you need to complete are skills that are required by the AVMA and, even if you have allergies or a phobia, you may not be able to avoid the animals that you struggle to work with. If you’re worried about interacting with particular pets and animals during your hands-on training, it’s best to find coping strategies and have a plan in place before you get to your first externship.

Want to learn more about the externship process? Find out more in Penn Foster’s free Vet Tech Externship eBook.

What to do if you have animal allergies

Having animal allergies doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t or shouldn’t work in veterinary medicine; it just means you may have to consider ways to regulate your reaction. Minor allergies can impact your workday but may be something you’re comfortable handling. For some with extremely severe allergic reactions, it may be best to speak with your healthcare provider about what you can do before taking the step to enroll in a training program. You’ll want to discuss the level of exposure and interaction you’ll have with the animal, as well as what you and a clinic can do to mitigate your reaction. That may include wearing more protective gear than other professionals in your clinic.

You can also speak with veterinary clinics you may consider completing your externships at to ask about ventilation and cleaning processes to determine whether or not you’ll be comfortable at work.

Whether your allergies are minor or severe, it’s important to remember that, as part of the job, you’ll be working with animals every day in close quarters and you may not be able to avoid situations where you interact with a pet that you’re allergic to. It’s very important to consider the impact on your own health before you invest time and money into taking the next step.

Physical expectations for veterinary technicians

Another thing to consider before enrolling in a vet tech program is the physical demands of the job. While the work you do is rewarding, it can be hard work. As a vet tech, you’ll often be spending a lot of your time on your feet, so you need to be okay with standing and walking for long periods of time. You will be required to lift and restrain animals, so should be comfortable lifting at least 40 pounds.

Veterinary medicine is also not a mess-free job. Depending on the patients you see and the procedures you’re part of, you can expect to deal with bodily fluids and waste. And, not all animals are happy to be at the vet, so you may also be at risk for bites or scratches, or exposed to animals with aggressive behavior.

The current rabies vaccination policy

Getting injured by a patient can happen on the job. An important prerequisite before you start your first externship is the rabies vaccination. At Penn Foster, we strongly encourage our students to get the pre-exposure vaccine. Besides making sure you’re safe in case something happens, being vaccinated or not can impact your externship experience.

Students who choose not to get the vaccination may be limited in how they complete their skills. During your externship, for example, you won’t be allowed to work with patients that aren’t current on their rabies vaccinations. For other patients, you’ll need to provide proof that each animal you handled is currently vaccinated, adding an extra step to each skill.

While we do recommend getting the pre-exposure vaccine, we recognize it’s not possible for every student. Penn Foster doesn’t cover the cost, so you’d be responsible for it on your own or through your health insurance, if it covers preventative vaccinations. Before beginning your first externship, take the time to research your options and make a decision so you’re prepared!

What happens after you finish your classes and externships?

After you’ve successfully passed your classes and completed your externship skills, you’ll take the next steps toward becoming a credentialed veterinary technician: taking and passing the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). Passing the VTNE is required if you want to become licensed, certified, or registered as a vet tech in most states. The exam isn’t easy, so once you’ve finished celebrating graduation, you’ll want to start preparing.

There’s a lot of information to remember, but don’t let it intimidate you! Register for your exam, give yourself plenty of prep time, and start putting a study plan into place. Review notes, make flashcards, and take advantage of practice exams so that, by the time your test date comes around, you’re confident in your knowledge! And, if you’re a Penn Foster graduate, your vet tech degree was designed to help you prepare for the VTNE! Penn Foster’s three-year pass rate for the VTNE is 70.5% compared to the national average pass rate of 67.83%.²

Once you’ve passed the VTNE, the next step can vary depending on your specific state regulations. Some states may just require you to fill out paperwork to be officially credentialed while others may require additional testing and applications to be official.

From there, it’s time to start the job search if you don’t already work in a clinic. Newly credentialed veterinary technicians might commonly work at a veterinary practice that handles the standard dogs, cats, and small pets, but you aren’t limited to just working there. Depending on your experience and skill, you can work in emergency care, zoos and wildlife centers, specialty hospitals, or even in lab and research facilities. Some credentialed vet techs may even eventually go into education, teaching others how to do the job like many of the instructors in Penn Foster’s Veterinary Academy.

As a working, credentialed veterinary technician, the learning doesn’t stop after graduation! As you grow in your role, you’ll learn more on the job every day, and you’ll also be required to complete Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to maintain your credentials. You may even decide that you want to specialize and pursue more education. Earning your vet tech degree and passing the VTNE are just the first steps on the path to a career you’re passionate about!

Is Penn Foster’s Veterinary Technician Degree right for you?

Penn Foster’s Vet Tech Degree can be a great fit for someone who wants a flexible way to work toward a career they’re passionate about. Since the degree is self-paced, you’ll be able to study and learn around the schedule that works best for you, whether that means logging in for 15 minutes every day or blocking out hours of free time to do your coursework.

Successful students in the program are often those who have strong time management skills, can keep themselves motivated, and aren’t afraid to reach out for help when they need it. If that sounds like you, and you’re ready to get started, you can enroll online 24/7! Or, if you still have a few more questions before you decide, you can fill out this form and our expert Admissions Specialists will reach out to help.