Animal, Plant & Soil Science
Lesson C5-11
Veterinary Medicine and
Vet Tech Careers
Interest Approach

Have a veterinarian, a veterinarian
technician, or a veterinarian assistant
come to class as a guest speaker to
talk about job qualifications and daily
job tasks. Ask the guest speaker to talk
about the educational requirements. If
a veterinarian comes as a guest
speaker, ask him or her to talk about
the difficulties of being admitted to a
veterinary school.
Interest Approach

Give the students a non-graded quiz on
veterinary careers before you start the
lesson. This will show how much the
students already know about veterinary
medicine and veterinary technician careers.
There should be 10 questions dealing with
educational requirements, job
responsibilities, and career paths in the field.
A prize can be given to the students with the
most correct answers. Refer to VM–A for a
true/false quiz.
Objectives
Define the nature of the job for
veterinarians, veterinary
technicians, and veterinary
assistants.
 Compare and contrast
educational requirements for
veterinary technicians and
veterinarians.
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Terms
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large food animals
large non-food animals
North American Veterinary Licensing
Examination
public health veterinarians
small animal practitioners
veterinarians
veterinary assistants
veterinary technicians
zoonotic diseases
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?

Veterinarians are doctors who care for
animals by diagnosing and treating
diseases.
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They work with injured animals, give
vaccinations, and help with breeding
programs.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?

Veterinary technicians do lab work,
run clinical procedures, and assist the
veterinarian in treating and diagnosing
diseases.
Veterinary technicians are similar to nurses
or physician’s assistants in doctor’s offices,
and veterinary assistants work alongside
vets or senior vet techs.
 These jobs require a lot of work and
dedication.

What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?

A. In the United States, approximately
80 percent of veterinarians work in
private clinical practice.

Small animal
practitioners only
practice on small
companion animals
(e.g., dogs, cats, birds,
hamsters, and reptiles).
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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Around 10 percent of veterinarians work with food
animals (e.g., cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and
poultry) that are referred to as large food
animals because they are used for human
consumption.
Vets can also work with large non-food animals,
like horses, that are used for recreational purposes.
A mixed practice allows them to work with small
and large animals.
Zoos or aquariums with exotic or marine animals
may be ideal for the more adventurous vet.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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B. Around 20 percent of veterinarians work for
public and corporate businesses.
1. They can work at any level of
government, performing tests or
working on disease control in
companion animals, livestock, and poultry.
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Public health veterinarians investigate and try
to prevent outbreaks of animal and human
diseases, including rabies, avian influenza, and
West Nile virus.
They work with zoonotic diseases—diseases
carried by animals that humans can contract.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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2. Veterinarians can find jobs in the
research field and work for
pharmaceutical and biomedical
companies.

In the biomedical field,
they will develop, test,
and supervise the
production of drugs and
chemicals that will be used by humans and
animals.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
3. Veterinarians can teach at veterinary
medical schools.
 4. Veterinarians can
also find jobs with
the military, space
agencies, zoos and
aquariums, or with
food safety and animal health inspection
agencies.
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What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
C. Veterinary technicians perform many
of the laboratory testing procedures that
are associated with animal care.
 During routine examinations, the
veterinary tech will help in restraining
the animal, as needed.
 They also perform ear cleaning and nail
clipping as a part of regular animal care.

What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?

1. Half of a veterinary tech’s job is
running laboratory tests on a daily basis.
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These procedures include running tests on
samples of stool, urine, and blood in
addition to taking radiographs or X-rays.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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2. They also assist in necropsies with the
veterinarian to determine cause of
death.
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A necropsy is a dissection performed on
animals to determine the cause of death,
similar to an autopsy performed on humans.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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3. Veterinary technicians in private
practices or in a clinic also help with
preparing animals for surgery.
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They help in surgery by monitoring
anesthesia and by watching the animal’s
vital signs: respiration, heart rate, and
temperature.
4. Veterinary technicians also administer
fluids and medication to sick animals.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
5. Veterinary technicians may assist in
euthanasia, but they cannot administer
the euthanasia
solution without the direct
supervision of a
veterinarian.
 6. They cannot prescribe medicine,
diagnose diseases, perform surgery, or
engage in any other act prohibited by a
state’s practice act.
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What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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D. Veterinary technicians also have various job
opportunities.
1. Veterinary technicians can work in zoos.
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The duties are similar to the duties of veterinary
technicians who work in private practices, except
they may be working with exotic or endangered
animals.
The job market for zoo veterinary technicians is
competitive.
Currently, there are only 50 zoo veterinary
technicians working in the United States.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
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2. Veterinary technicians can perform research
for veterinary medicine or medical science
programs.
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Most research duties involve
running lab tests.
3. Technicians are needed
in rural areas to treat farm
animals (e.g., pigs, cows,
horses, sheep, and chickens).
4. Veterinary technicians can train animals in
obedience schools or businesses that work
with entertainment animals.
What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?
E. Veterinary assistants
 1. These jobs do not require any formal
training.
 2. Veterinary assistants can give
medication (under direct supervision),
clean cages, restrain animals during
exams, and pull blood for tests.
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What are the educational requirements
to become a veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?
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The demand for veterinarians and veterinary
technicians is on the rise in today’s society.
People who are interested in pursuing careers
in this field need to be aware of the
educational requirements for various positions.
A. In high school, students should be enrolled
in a college-preparatory program if they are
thinking of becoming veterinarians or
veterinary technicians.
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They need to place a strong emphasis on math and
science classes.
What are the educational requirements
to become a veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?
Other beneficial classes are
animal science classes in the
agriculture department,
computer programming
classes, and speech classes.
 Extracurricular activities (e.g., FFA, 4H,
or science clubs) are suggested.
 Working summer jobs with a local
veterinarian is also a good way to start
practicing technical skills and learning
about veterinary medicine.

What are the educational requirements
to become a veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?
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B. The educational requirements for
veterinarians can be very demanding.
1. Applying to veterinary school is an involved
process that includes lots of paperwork and
sometimes an interview with the school.
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Students must first graduate with a bachelor’s
degree from an accredited college, with a strong
background in science and math.
Applicants must obtain a satisfactory score on the
Graduate Record Examination, have excellent
grades, and have 200 to 500 hours of experience in
the animal field.
What are the educational requirements
to become a veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?
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2. Being accepted for admission is a
competitive process because there are many
applicants and only 28 accredited veterinary
schools in the United States.
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It typically takes four years to graduate.
All states require veterinarians to be licensed to
practice, and the North American Veterinary
Licensing Examination is the test students must
pass to obtain their licenses.
Each state also has its own examination and
requirements that a veterinarian must pass to be
licensed to practice in that state.
What are the educational requirements
to become a veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?
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C. Veterinarian technicians need to obtain an
associate’s degree from one of the 65
accredited colleges or technical schools in the
United States.
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Some schools have four-year bachelor’s degree
programs in veterinary technology.
Technicians are required to have an internship with
a veterinary clinic, zoological center, research
facility, or teaching institution before graduation.
They need a strong background in math, science,
and communication skills.
In addition, veterinary technicians must pass the
Veterinary Technician National Examination to
become a registered veterinary technician.
Review

What is required of veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and
veterinary assistants on the job?

What are the educational
requirements to become a
veterinarian or a veterinary
technician?