Hey, Vet Tech…Continue With Your Education
Most vet techs are required by your state governing boards to obtain continuing education units in order to renew a license. Typically this comes down to additional 16 hours of significant college course of work or approved seminar/workshop hours that qualify for CE credits. Therefore, responsible vet techs are always on the lookout for conveniently participating in courses and training that will help meet the local state requirements for license renewal.
Check out Your Local Community College
In the past several years many local community college is an added a great deal of courses needed by working professionals. These may include some of the necessary continuing education courses you need in order to maintain your professional standing. Although you may have just finished your degree requirements to obtain your diploma, don’t overlook the fact that within the next several years you need to participate and successfully complete additional coursework. So, it is highly recommended that you do not overlook this need until it may be too late.
Keeping Knowledge and Credentials Current
Participating in continuing education courses give the working professionally opportunity to stay current with all the different knowledge and techniques constantly changing within the industry. Technology has compelled quite a few advances in many areas of medicine including veterinary. If you are unsure about which courses that will be best suited for your continuing education purposes, look to your local chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for assistance. Your selection of CE courses will always keep focus on your continuing duties and responsibilities as a technician. However, you may just find that your learning specific new trends and techniques, as well as the latest technological developments, might put you as the number one go to professional at your place of employment when it comes to anything new in the industry.
Course Types
Many of the technological and technique advances will be found in specialized course that includes emergency care, critical care and diagnostic imaging as well as a variety of different types of new trends in laboratory work including nutrition. Some of these technological changes and advances will be found in animal care topics such as dentistry, surgery as well as anesthesia. It is highly recommended that you discuss your choice of continuing education courses with your immediate supervisor in order to select the ones that will not only benefit you, but benefit the business. Often, continuing education course selection will also meet the requirements you need to fulfill for professional investment as well as personal reward.
Other Skill Focus
Additionally, continuing education coursework will cover or job duties such as skills needed to and record patient histories as well as specimen taking in certain laboratory duty functions. Coursework also can cover areas such as how to conduct successful interaction with pet owners as well as developing compliance knowledge to help keep the business in step with local, state and federal regulations.
Specialization
Often, veterinary technicians seek to fund continuing education programs that lead to the development of specialized skills and acquiring specific knowledge. This could lead to veterinary technicians and areas of study in dentistry or perhaps aquatics.
Professionalism Needs Additional Education
Like any professional in any particular field, a veterinary technician needs to keep up with the latest trends in developments in the industry. This is why pursuing continuing education is necessary and you should make it self-mandatory. Participating in continuing education not only gives you the opportunity to increase your knowledge and improve, if not acquire, valuable new skills, but you will also need to make important connections and keep in mind you are still going to have fun.
Now is a good time to examine opportunities for continued education at your local colleges and universities as well as accredited online programs.