What is a vetinary technician?

Answer 1

in some states: anyone with a high school diploma who can write English and read a book about pets.

in some other states you'll need past experience or an completed education course and a certificate to prove it.

in some more distant places all you need is to pretend

this all depends on where you are

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Answer 2

veterinary technician is (according to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the statutes in many states) a person who has a degree in veterinary technology from an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program and has met all of their state's requirements for credentialing as a veterinary technician. This usually entails having taken and passed both the Veterinary Technician National Exam and a state exam as well as getting a set amount of Continuing Education every year. In many states it is illegal to present yourself as a veterinary technician unless you have met these requirements and are licensed as a veterinary technician in that state. There are still some states that allow anyone regardless of education and training to be presented as a veterinary technician and many veterinarians use this term to mislead clients into feeling like they have well-educated and highly traine staff. It's like calling a person with no medical training that works at a human hospital a nurse. To determine the laws governing veterinary technicians a person should contact their state veterinary medical board or veterinary technician association.

A very general list of things that a veterinary technician would do would include collecting patient histories, collect biological samples (blood, urine, feces, etc), running diagnostic tests, monitoring and medicating hospitalized animals, assisting in surgery, administering and monitoring anesthesia, performing dental cleanings, providing treatment for outpatients as prescribed by the attending veterinarian, filling prescriptions, answering client questions on preventative medicine, disease processes, medications, etc, maintaining inventory, caring for surgical and medical equipment such as anesthesia machines, taking radiographs, entering medical records, etc.