INTRO INTO CAREER OPTIONS What path will you take?

Start to think about your goals… What do you enjoy? What are your strengths? What are your weakness? Asking these types of questions will help you decide which path will be the best for you!

Animal Caretaker Animal Caretakers can work in a variety of settings and are not limited to working solely in a kennel setting Veterinary Facility Pet sitting business Boarding Zoo Industry: Pharmaceutical Company

Common Duties of an A.C.T. CLEANING: Cages, bowls, yards, etc Medicating animals Exercising animals Monitoring animal behavior examples: are they eating properly? what is there activity level? What can these kinds of questions tell us?

Expected Salary and Requirements Education: High school diploma Expected Salary: $ 9-10/hr Opportunities for advancement Kennel manager

Veterinary Assistant A Veterinary Assistant works in a Veterinary Hospital. Different types of Veterinary Hospitals: Small Animal General Practice Small Animal Specialist Practice Large Animal Hospital Teaching Hospital (University)

COMMON DUTIES Animal Restraint Client communication Cleaning Assisting in surgery Assisting in Exam Room Laboratory Duties Kennel Duties Answer phones Discharge/Admit patients Client Education Monitor hospital patients Exercise hospital patients Administer medications Medical record keeping Control drug monitoring

Expected Salary and Requirements Necessary Education: high school diploma and Dependent on the employer. AVA Certification will give better job opportunities. Expected Salary: $20,000/year

Questions? Do any of these jobs interest you? What part of the job descriptions seem interesting? The next two careers require a college degree. Let’s take a closer look!

Veterinary Technician A Veterinary Technician can work in a variety of settings: Small Animal Veterinary Hospital Large Animal Veterinary Hospital Specialty Veterinary Hospital Veterinary School Veterinary Technician School Pharmaceutical Company Pharmaceutical Laboratory

Vet Tech VS. VETERINARIAN A Veterinary Technician can do everything a veterinarian can do EXCEPT diagnose, prescribe, prognose and do surgery.

Common Duties Client Education Medicate animals Anesthetize animals Assist in surgery Sterilizing Assist in exam room Place IV and urinary catheters and maintain IV fluids First Aid in emergencies Maintenance of laboratory equipment Inventory

Expected Salary and Requirements Required Education: Associate in Applied Science (2 yr degree) from an accredited Veterinary Technician School. Some schools currently offer a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree. Pass State Board Exam for Veterinary Technician License Complete continuing education: 6 hours/year Expected Salary: $30-40,000

Veterinary Technician Specialties There are many different options offered through NAVTA. These include: Anesthesia Intensive and Critical Care Dentistry Internal Medicine Behavior Zoology Equine Nursing Surgery Clinical Pathology Nutrition Clinical Practice

Veterinary Technologist A Veterinary Technologist can work in the same places as a Technician plus: Veterinary Teaching Hospital Pharmaceutical Company Specialist Veterinary Hospital A Veterinary Technologist is generally a manager, group leader, or specialist.

Common Duties IV and urinary catheterization Medical record keeping Control drug record keeping Anesthetizing animals Dental prophylaxis Teaching veterinary and veterinary technology students Managing personnel Assisting in surgery Assisting in exam room Laboratory studies

Expected Salary and Requirements Required Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Technology, Board Exam for Veterinary Technology/Technologist State License Expected Salary: $40-45,000/year

Veterinarian A Veterinarian can work in a variety of places: Small animal clinic Large animal clinic Specialty clinic- Equine, Avian, Exotic Pathology Government positions USDA APHIS ***EVERY VETERINARIAN MUST LEARN ABOUT ALL SPECIES OF ANIMALS WHILE IN VETERINARY SCHOOL

Veterinarian Education: 4 years of Undergraduate work in Biology, Chemistry or other related career- **Some vet schools will allow you to apply after 2 years of undergrad work if you have met their requirements THEN Apply for Veterinary School Veterinary School is 4 years Very competitive- must have 3.8GPA or higher Average cost $100,000 for 4 years of Veterinary School THEN Must pass a state and national certification exam And keep up with continuing education

Veterinarian Common Duties: *Will vary dependent on where you work: Surgery Prescribing medications Diagnosing and Prognosing Animals Client education Business Management

Veterinarian Salary: Beginning average salary for a veterinarian: $55-60,000/ year *Depends on where you work Usually veterinarians work hours/week when they start working

Associations American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA)

What Path will you take? START PLANNING NOW Think outside the box

Assignment: Career Project You will begin researching a career that you are interested in. This career path must be approved by your instructor. Once you have selected a career path, please move forward to the project guideline. Read the packet with the guidelines and project due dates. All projects must have a visual aid to support the presentation. This can be any application other than PowerPoint.