How to Become a Veterinary Technician in Idaho

Have you ever thought of how hard it is for animal lovers once their beloved pet is ill or injured?

For them, their pet’s life is of equal importance as the life of a human being, and they completely rely on veterinary clinics and veterinarians, when they find themselves in that kind of situation.

Veterinary technicians are educated people devoted to caring and helping sick or injured animals.

The difficulties that the veterinary technician has to face should be given more validity and merit.

Veterinary Technician Job Description

Because just a part of the whole job there is based on veterinarians themselves, the staff working there has its role in dealing with animals and the perfect functioning of the facility depends on the flawless cooperation among the team members.

A veterinary technician is a person who is in charge of administration, answering questions and concerns and advising animal owners, assisting a veterinarian during surgery, among many others.

The lab work, collecting urine samples and working on it, take care of animals being treated correctly after the surgery are also their everyday obligations.

Becoming a Veterinary Technician in Idaho

When becoming a veterinary technician in Idaho, you have to possess a certificate which can be achieved after you finish the required education.

To be able to enroll in veterinary technician programs you need to at least have a high school diploma or GED equivalency

So, if you are interested in becoming a veterinary technician with a certificate, there are schools in Idaho that offer veterinary technician programs to their students which are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities.

The importance of accreditation is great as only those programs make you eligible for the national examination.

The prerequisites to the application besides the high school diploma re minimal scores on Accuplacer assessment tests, SAT, ACT, while there are schools that require a COMPASS test, proof of Idaho residency, and a meeting with an advisor.

Educational Requirements for Veterinary Technicians in Idaho

The veterinary technology program accredited by the AVMA in Idaho is at the College of Southern Idaho.

Once enrolled, you will have the general education classes – English, math, biology, chemistry, before the beginning of the program, while later you will study medical terminology, radiology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, surgical assisting, and large and small animal medicine just to mention a few.

An internship is obligatory at the end of your studies which will prepare you for the work of a veterinary technician.

The education usually lasts two years, but there is a school that offers a “one course a month” method.

This means that each month you will study a different course.

Tuition can be $115 to $325 per credit hour, depending on the school.

The financial aid is offered for all the programs, such as grants, loans, and scholarships.

Idaho is very proud of financial aid for former and current military service, dependents and family members.

On each school’s website, there is an online tool that determines the expected prices and shows you your financial planning.

Veterinary Technician Examination and License

The finishing of education gives you an Associate’s type of degree in Veterinary Technology.

This means that you can take the Veterinary Technician National Exam which is three hours long and costs $300.

Another necessary examination is the Idaho Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence examination which requires a 90% score to pass it.

If you pass both examinations, you become a licensed veterinary technician

To maintain your license, you are supposed to finish a minimum of 14 hours of continuing education every two years.

Job Prospects in Idaho

Job prospects for veterinary technicians in Idaho are encouraging and the employment is strongest in the northern nonmetropolitan and Boise-Nampa regions.

After you graduate as a veterinary technologist and gain the license, your job search should begin.

The veterinary technicians have qualities that allow them to look for jobs in numerous animal care facilities such as clinics, hospitals, zoos, animal shelters, laboratories and rescue centers.

They can even find work in educational institutions, as well.

These are some of the veterinary technician employers in Idaho offering possibilities to veterinary technicians and their job postings can be found on the following websites:

• Idaho Society of Veterinary Technicians and Assistants
• Veterinary Career Network
• National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America
• Vet Tech Life.

Veterinary Technicians’ Average Annual Salary in Idaho

When veterinary technicians are in question, finding a job should not be such a big problem, but the choice of the job needs to be careful due to the differences in salaries and the amount of work that needs to be done.

The higher spending among pet owners and the greater number of animals in the specific area might lead to higher wages of veterinary technicians.

The annual salary of a veterinary technician varies among the cities around the USA and especially among the major cities within one state.

When it comes to Idaho, it is estimated that an average veterinary technician’s annual salary ranges from $ 31 721 in Pocatello up to $ 35 919 in Coeur D Alene.

Regional Salary in Idaho

Veterinary Technician’s Duties

All aspects of veterinary care are in the hands of veterinary technicians.

They need to perform multiple roles and be able to multi-task as they might be asked to do numerous activities during the day.

The typical day in an animal hospital includes numerous duties that a veterinary technician has to manage.

The day starts from discussing with the owners what needs to be done, discussing with the vet about all the cases, doing treatments, wounds, x-rays and the anesthetics for the surgeries and examinations.

The animal healthcare team depends a lot on the services of veterinary technicians and they need to be patient, strong and compassionate, to manage all the pressures set by the distressed animal owners and the possible negative outcomes.

Veterinary Technicians by State