Melody Thompson

Vet Techs

Next Best Thing To Being A Vet

By Hugh Jones

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Oklahoma State University in Stillwater turns our veterinarians. But many of the technicians who support them come from another OSU-the local branch at 10th and Portland, which offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology.

In the "old days," which weren't so long ago, veterinarians trained their own employees. Those days are becoming increasingly rare as vets seek help in meeting the technical demands of their profession. According to the North American Veterinary Technician Association, formal academic programs were developed in the 1960s. Today, there are over 70 college programs accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, including three in Oklahoma: Murray State in Tishomingo, Tulsa Community College and OSU-OKC.

Vet techs (VT's) are qualified to assist in all aspects of veterinary medicine with the exception of three tasks: they don't diagnose, prescribe or perform surgery.

OSU's program takes two and a half years to complete, including a summer preceptorship (on-the-job training with a practicing vet). Although the amount of time required is relatively small, the courses are daunting, among them: chemistry, anatomy, physiology, radiology, pharmacology and pathology. It doesn't end there. Graduates must pass state and national exams to be certified. But successful graduates are virtually guaranteed a job from a waiting list of vets. First, however, they have to qualify for the program.

"This isn't an open door program," says department head Dr. Sally Henderson. "You have to apply and be accepted. You need to have some background knowledge, because our courses are pretty tough. We only have 24 places in the laboratory. Rather than take the first 24 interested individuals, we try to pick ones we think have a pretty good chance of finishing."

Devon Warren and Nina Patton

Students spend time in the lab and on the road, visiting sites off campus. The school has cooperative agreements with several facilities that the PetGazette has featured in past issues: The Little River Zoo in Norman, Wildcare Foundation in Noble, Pets and People Humane Society in Yukon and the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter. They also work with the city's police equine and K-9 units and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. And they go to OSU's Stillwater campus.

"Being under OSU's umbrella is a real benefit," says Henderson. "Our students get to work with the Stillwater faculty and students. It's also an opportunity to educate veterinary students about technicians."

VT's, though, don't always land in clinics. Many find work in industry. There are jobs in research, veterinary supplies sales, pet food companies, herd health management, zoo and wildlife management and teaching. Henderson says pet resorts are providing considerable employment potential. "They like having managers who are trained for medical situations."

Most VT's do head for clinics. Often, students are already employed in them. "They come for the knowledge," says Henderson. "Rather than do something just because they're told to, they want to know why they're doing it."

One such student was Dana Call, now a staff vet tech at OSU-OKC. "I worked as a tech for 17 years before coming to the program," she says. "Even so, when I got here, I quickly realized how much I didn't know. There's plenty to learn. I felt like I needed to be the best technician I could be, and this was the way to accomplish it."

Henderson adds, "Once veterinarians hire a certified technician, they're pretty much sold on it, because they have a more conscientious employee. When something is explained to people, they take a little more vested interest in doing it. So veterinarians have employees who not only understand what they're doing and why, but they require much less time to train. They're aware of the process, unlike those who apply and their only qualification is, I like animals."

"Liking animals is what got us into clinics to begin with," says Call. "But there's so much more to it. We find that students, who have been trained on the job, come into the program thinking they're already being utilized to their fullest extent. They learn how much more they could be doing. Their scope broadens, and they feel more secure in their jobs."

The students don't always travel to find their subjects. Dogs and cats are brought to the school on day visits for physical exams, drawing and checking blood, fecal exams, urinalysis, xrays and to be anesthetized for dental hygiene. Sometimes, students bring their own pets.

"Our concept is doing things for animals, not to them," says Henderson. "We don't want animals to be our victims; we're performing services that need to be done."

Either the teachers have been fortunate in finding outstanding students, and/or they've done a good job of training them. Henderson says out 30 graduates, all passed the state exam on the first try, and 28 did so on the national.

"It's an important way of validating our program, and that's the best track record I know of among the schools. We're proud of that."

"We feel confident that we've prepared them," adds Call, "and they're ready when the time comes."

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Dana
Staff Vet Tech Dana Call
and Dolly the cow


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