What is the salary for a veterinary technician role?
Veterinary technicians have a median salary of $36,850 per year, and job growth is projected to increase much faster than average in the next several years.*
What can I do with a Veterinary Technician Associate Degree?
Licensed veterinary technicians can find positions in various environments such as small and large animal veterinary practices, zoos and wildlife facilities, humane societies or animal control centers, and even research facilities. Veterinary technicians may also be eligible for a pay raise after completing a program like a Veterinary Technician Associate Degree.
How much does a Veterinary Technician Associate Degree cost?
Tuition costs up to $85 per credit, with the semester fee adjusting slightly based on our current offer. Visit our tuition page for the most current tuition information.
Is the veterinary technician degree accredited?
Penn Foster's Vet Tech Associate Degree Program has full accreditation with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) through their Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). Additionally, Penn Foster College is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).
What veterinary technician skills will I learn in this degree program?
Skills covered in the online Veterinary Technician Program include fundamentals of pharmacy and pharmacology, nursing, anesthesia, surgical nursing, laboratory procedures, imaging, laboratory animal procedures, avian, exotic, small mammal, and fish procedures, and other veterinary basics. Learning these skills can help you stand out to a veterinary practice manager. College-level courses also build a well-rounded skill set in areas such as computer and information literacy, written and interpersonal skills, humanities, liberal arts, math, and sciences.
What are the vet tech practicum requirements?
There are two mandatory externships or practicums for this course. The first practicum is completed at the end of semester two, after all academic work has been completed. Clinical Externship 1 is 200 hours over a 10 week period (though an extension can be applied on a case-by-case basis) and covers 29 skills. This first practicum focuses on cats and dogs.
Clinical Externship 2 takes place after your final semester’s academic work is complete. This externship is 250 hours long, over 18 weeks, and covers 51 skills. The last practicum covers small animals, large animals, and lab animals.
Before beginning your externship, you’ll be required to submit the site you’d like to use for approval. If a site you want to do an externship at doesn’t meet all of the skills requirements, you are able to do your skills at different approved clinics.
Does Penn Foster place students in an externship site?
Unfortunately, Penn Foster does not place or assist in setting up placements for students. Students should locate an appropriate site in their area for externship. If you’re already employed at a clinic or site that meets the requirements, you are able to complete your practicum there as long as your employer is willing to allow you to do so.
Penn Foster has partnerships with clinics like VCA, Banfield, Blue Pearl, and more, at which students may have success in finding a placement. However, these partnerships do not guarantee placement and it is up to the discretion of the clinic whether or not they take on students.