If you are thinking about becoming a veterinary technician, you most likely already know that you need to love animals to be successful in the field.
In fact, the best vet techs have had a strong passion for animals throughout their lives. However, there are many more qualities that you should have if you want to work in this field.
While careers in veterinary technology can be quite rewarding, they can also be both intellectually and physically demanding. Any career that deals with animals is never all glamour and fun. There will be plenty of clean-up duties, and you will most likely get scratched and bitten from time to time.
Before you begin working in the field of veterinary technology, you need to know that you will not be just dealing with animals each day.
Much of your time will be spent interacting with people as well. With all of this said, if you want to be truly successful as a veterinary technician, you need to ask yourself whether or not you possess the following five essential qualities.
Interpersonal Skills
As stated above, aside from working with a variety of different animals, as a vet tech, you will be interacting with many different people as well. In fact, during a typical day, you will likely have contact with dozens of people including fellow staff members, pet owners and various medical supply vendors.
As such, you will need to excel in communication and interpersonal skills. It is also essential that you can be compassionate when dealing with pet owners who have lost their cherished pets. When you become a veterinary technician, you also become an office clerk, educator, animal therapist, a lab tech and a grief counselor.
Ability to Multi-Task
Perhaps one of the most important personal qualities you will need to work as a veterinary technician is the ability to multi-task. Careers in veterinary technology can be very hectic, and there will be many times when you will be faced with juggling several tasks at the same time.
You will also need to be highly detail-oriented while performing your tasks. It is vital that you are precise in everything you do including gathering medical information, administering medication and performing laboratory tests. Just one little mistake can have extremely dire results.
Willingness to be Versatile
As stated above, veterinary technologists hold many different roles in animal clinics and other facilities that offer veterinary services. As such, you will need to learn to be versatile in your duties. Not only will you spend much of your time handling and caring for animals, but you may also spend a lot of your time handling office work and laboratory tasks.
When handling office work, you will need to display excellent telephone etiquette, and you must be proficient when dealing with such things as patients’ records and financial matters. You must also be willing to work with a variety of animals including traditional household pets, wild animals and marine life.
A Love for Learning
In order for you to obtain the training necessary to work as a vet tech, you will need to complete a veterinary technology program and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher. As such, you must be a good student and enjoy learning. Typically, your program will last two to four years and will involve both classroom and clinical training.
However, your education does not end when you graduate from your veterinary technician program. For you to keep abreast of any advances in the field of veterinary technology, you will also be required to attend a variety of continuing education courses, lectures and seminars during your vet tech career as well.
Active Involvement
Finally, another valuable quality that can help you become a successful veterinary technician is to be actively involved in the field. What this means is to join various veterinary medicine organizations and obtain as much experience in the field as you can. This can be in the form of an internship, hobbies, volunteer work or part-time jobs that are related to animals.
Being a successful veterinary technician involves more than just loving animals and completing a veterinary technology program. For you to be truly successful in your career, you need to possess the five qualities described above. If you have these qualities, a career in veterinary technology may be the perfect choice for you.