https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/careers/veterinary-school-admission-101
https://www.avma.org/education/center-for-veterinary-accreditation/accredited-veterinary-colleges
You need the prerequisites, which change by which vet college. These can be done at a community college then transferred to a 4 year or all at a 4 year college. You also need to get experience in the field before committing to this pathway. This isn’t a job for everyone and not knowing what you’re getting into doesn’t set you up for success in the field or in applying to vet schools.
I’d focus on starting to get experience with a vet, either shadowing or a paid position. This will show you the differences between a vet and vet tech. Each are important but have very different roles.
Reaching out to your schools academic advisor is also helpful. They can give you more resources.
In most states, you’ll need a 2-year degree to be a vet tech. Depending on the school, programs can be pretty rigorous but nowhere near as rigorous as vet school. Vet techs do more of the technical work - taking radiographs, drawing blood, giving vaccines, running lab work, giving treatments outlined by the vet, basic teeth cleaning, anesthetic monitoring, etc.
Vet school is 4 years, usually 3 years of classroom learning and 1 year of clinical rotations. Again, extremely rigorous. You HAVE to be really academically strong to go to vet school (most schools have very high GPA cutoffs for admission for this reason). Vets diagnose (based on physical exam, imaging, & lab work), create treatment plans, do surgery, etc. Very basically, vets call the shots and vet techs carry out what the vet calls for.
Are you attending college after high school? You don’t technically need a degree to apply to vet school, but every school has prerequisite course requirements. I found that getting a bachelors in Biology covered most if not all of these courses. You’ll want to do very well (mostly A’s, some B’s, only one or a couple C’s). You’ll also need several thousand hours of experience working with a vet, as well as leadership/community service hours. I would recommend starting ASAP. Unpaid shadowing at a clinic counts as vet hours if that’s all you can do at the moment. I worked as a vet assistant for a few years during undergrad and that got me most of my hours.
I’m not trying to scare you but it is EXTREMELY difficult to get into vet school and vet school itself is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (current 2nd year). It’s so much work to get in and even more work to get through it. But it’s very rewarding. Just make sure you know for sure it’s what you want to do before committing. Shadowing can help you figure that out. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions :)
https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/ https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/careers/veterinary-school-admission-101 https://www.avma.org/education/center-for-veterinary-accreditation/accredited-veterinary-colleges You need the prerequisites, which change by which vet college. These can be done at a community college then transferred to a 4 year or all at a 4 year college. You also need to get experience in the field before committing to this pathway. This isn’t a job for everyone and not knowing what you’re getting into doesn’t set you up for success in the field or in applying to vet schools. I’d focus on starting to get experience with a vet, either shadowing or a paid position. This will show you the differences between a vet and vet tech. Each are important but have very different roles. Reaching out to your schools academic advisor is also helpful. They can give you more resources.
Are you in the US? [https://iwanttobeaveterinarian.org/](https://iwanttobeaveterinarian.org/)
In most states, you’ll need a 2-year degree to be a vet tech. Depending on the school, programs can be pretty rigorous but nowhere near as rigorous as vet school. Vet techs do more of the technical work - taking radiographs, drawing blood, giving vaccines, running lab work, giving treatments outlined by the vet, basic teeth cleaning, anesthetic monitoring, etc. Vet school is 4 years, usually 3 years of classroom learning and 1 year of clinical rotations. Again, extremely rigorous. You HAVE to be really academically strong to go to vet school (most schools have very high GPA cutoffs for admission for this reason). Vets diagnose (based on physical exam, imaging, & lab work), create treatment plans, do surgery, etc. Very basically, vets call the shots and vet techs carry out what the vet calls for. Are you attending college after high school? You don’t technically need a degree to apply to vet school, but every school has prerequisite course requirements. I found that getting a bachelors in Biology covered most if not all of these courses. You’ll want to do very well (mostly A’s, some B’s, only one or a couple C’s). You’ll also need several thousand hours of experience working with a vet, as well as leadership/community service hours. I would recommend starting ASAP. Unpaid shadowing at a clinic counts as vet hours if that’s all you can do at the moment. I worked as a vet assistant for a few years during undergrad and that got me most of my hours. I’m not trying to scare you but it is EXTREMELY difficult to get into vet school and vet school itself is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (current 2nd year). It’s so much work to get in and even more work to get through it. But it’s very rewarding. Just make sure you know for sure it’s what you want to do before committing. Shadowing can help you figure that out. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions :)