Do you need vet school to become a veterinarian, or can you apprentice?

You should talk to your vet about volunteering in the clinic. Vet offices often need help, and you're at a perfect age to start learning about how to take care of animals. You should also work very hard in school, get all A's, and apply to a good college with a good science program. There are only about 30 vet schools in the US, so competition is very fierce. Be sure to study hard and get as much experience working with animals as you can.

In order to become a licensed veterinary technician, you will need to find a LVT program (2 year) or a veterinary technology degree (4 year). There are many schools that offer these programs depending on where you want to live while doing this. If you do intend on becoming a veterinarian one day, my advise would be to attend a four year program. While in school, you will be able to take all the pre-requisite course work required to apply to most veterinary schools. There is a book put out by the American Veterinary Medical Association each year that outlines precisely what requirements are needed for each school.

If you have any specific questions, you can ask them in our Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach forum. If you want to have a one-on-one discussion you could consider using the Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach consulation service where you can ask numerous questions in the same session. Becoming a vet usually requires a bachelor's degree (though some schools do not require it and only have specific course requirements taken prior to applying to vet school, most students applying nowadays do have bachelor's degrees) and then veterinary school is 4 years of study. After this, some vets go directly into practicing while others who may want to specialize may complete and internship and residency which add a few more years to their studies.

Hi, this is Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend calling around to local Veterinarians and ask if they allow volunteers. Before I even went to college I volunteered at a local animal hospital. Then in college I worked part-time as a vet tech then full time. 12 years later I'm now a Vet at that same practice! Good luck!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The skills required for being a vet are numerous, as you not only have to have the skills to complete 2 difficult university degrees, but also have the people skills to talk to owners. You also have to have skills to think on your feet, be resourceful, be good at both working alone and as a team, be good with handling animals and also be good with understanding money and be good at running a business. Along with this you also have to be kind, compassionate, patient and caring. It is a very difficult career, but a very rewarding one. In order to become a vet you first need to finish high-school, and then do an undergraduate degree taking specific courses (the list of courses you can get from the vet school in your province), and then you have to apply to vet school which is competitive. In order to get into vet school, you have to not only get good grades in university, you also sometimes need to write the MCAT (depending on the school) which is a test that doctors write to get into medical school, and you also need to have experience with animals, both small companion animals and large animals (sheep, cows, etc.). Once you get into vet school, you have to complete that degree, and then write a board exam called the NAVLE. A veterinary career is full of oppourtunities and is incredibly variable, allowing one to pursue many different types of jobs. Also, you can specialize after vet school if you want to work specifically in one area, such as surgery, or medicine. Best of luck with your project! I recommend contacting the vet school in your province to get more specific information about requirements.

Hi Jes! The answer to this depends on if you want to be a vet, a vet tech, kennel assistance, or something else in the hospital. If you want to be a vet, you can work in the vet hospital while going to college, but I'd work as a kennel assistance. That's because getting into veterinary school requires many hours (think thousands) of animal experience and work in a clinic. If you'd like to be a vet tech, I'd check to see what requirements are needed in order to get into vet tech school in regards to animal experience. Otherwise, you can just start working reception, and go from there. Hope this helps :-)

I am sure it helps to have a ll A's, however every vet school has their own admission criteria, so it is best you write to the vet schools you are interested in attending to find out what their admission criteria are. Some require extensive volunteering with a vet, certain science courses, etc. Good Luck!