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Hello! My name is Nathaly and I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the veterinary medicine field for a foundations in health science class project about careers! I have created a total of 10 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 10 questions to be a part of my assignment.
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a PH.D in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
3 answers
Updated
Catherine’s Answer
Hi Nathaly!
I'm Catherine and I am a Veterinary Medical Laboratory Technician at a veterinary reference lab. When someone takes their pet to the vet and the vet says "We're going to take some blood & send it to the lab for testing." They are sending it to people like me. About 70% of the decisions a veterinarian makes in terms of diagnosis & treatment comes from the test results we provide.
My company is like Labcorp, but for animals instead of people.
1. I actually happened upon this career by chance. I had gone to school for Medical Laboratory Science and found a job posting for a veterinary reference lab with daytime hours (as opposed to night shift). It was the first job I was excited to apply for - when I was a kid I had wanted to be a veterinarian.
2. I have an Applied Associate's Degree in Medical Laboratory Science from a Community College for this job. This education and degree are entirely focused on human medicine & I didnt believe my professorwhen she said you could work in the veterinary field with this degree, but here I am!
3. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Photography from when I went to college at 18. I worked as an Environmental Educator for non-profits and county recreation departments. These are very low paying jobs, usually hourly with no benefits. I was in my 40's, no health insurance, still paying for student loans from 25 years ago, with a 20 year old car, with roommates.
I knew I needed better.
4. PhDs are rare in Clinical (Human) Laboratory medicine, and don't exist in Veterinary Laboratory medicine.
Some of my co-workers are licensed Veterinary Technicians, some have Associates, Bachelor's,
or even Master's degrees in Laboratory Science and a few were trained by the company with no degree or license at all. There's no formal education for this specific career - but I think there should be.
5. Yes, a community college program.
6. I did, to switch career fields. But if you graduate high school & enter a Veterinary Technician program, or a Laboratory Technician program, you won't have to.
7. For my Medical Laboratory Science degree, yes I did. The process is called "Clinicals" & we were placed at hospitals for practical experience in human medicine. In veterinary labs we use the same equipment & perform the same tests as in human labs.
8. There were no clubs available in this field at my college. There were only about 15 people in my classes. But I did join Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for Trade Schools & 2-yr colleges.
9. I had always struggled with math, but I was fortunate to find an amazing teacher who made all the difference & Khan Academy is fantastic. For my degree I needed to complete Algebra II.
From my core courses, I had the most trouble with Immunology, bc of the way the course was structured. No actual teaching time with the teacher, just a textbook & a series of posted assignments and tests. Clinical Chemistry was challenging bc the teacher was very disorganized & unresponsive. I'm now working on a project to develop a chemistry training program at my company, so I guess I'm pretty good at it now.
10. Wow, that's a big question. In the laboratory we have all the sciences: biology, engineering, physics, computer science, we do it all. We are a small day lab with only 3 people so we are all able to handle all the work, and we have to work closely together, so being able to control your emotions, so you don't create an uncomfortable, distracting environment is a must. Communicating clearly is essential & being able to teach people is a big bonus.
As with any job, honesty is extremely important, maybe even more so. Making a mistake & trying to cover it up can mean your patient doesn't get the care they need & could die. So admitting "I did this wrong" is the first step in getting the best outcome.
I hope this was helpful to you. It's an extremely interesting field, it can be difficult, it's not well known, but if you like science and animals but don't want to be a vet or deal with lots of people, come find us.
I'm Catherine and I am a Veterinary Medical Laboratory Technician at a veterinary reference lab. When someone takes their pet to the vet and the vet says "We're going to take some blood & send it to the lab for testing." They are sending it to people like me. About 70% of the decisions a veterinarian makes in terms of diagnosis & treatment comes from the test results we provide.
My company is like Labcorp, but for animals instead of people.
1. I actually happened upon this career by chance. I had gone to school for Medical Laboratory Science and found a job posting for a veterinary reference lab with daytime hours (as opposed to night shift). It was the first job I was excited to apply for - when I was a kid I had wanted to be a veterinarian.
2. I have an Applied Associate's Degree in Medical Laboratory Science from a Community College for this job. This education and degree are entirely focused on human medicine & I didnt believe my professorwhen she said you could work in the veterinary field with this degree, but here I am!
3. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Photography from when I went to college at 18. I worked as an Environmental Educator for non-profits and county recreation departments. These are very low paying jobs, usually hourly with no benefits. I was in my 40's, no health insurance, still paying for student loans from 25 years ago, with a 20 year old car, with roommates.
I knew I needed better.
4. PhDs are rare in Clinical (Human) Laboratory medicine, and don't exist in Veterinary Laboratory medicine.
Some of my co-workers are licensed Veterinary Technicians, some have Associates, Bachelor's,
or even Master's degrees in Laboratory Science and a few were trained by the company with no degree or license at all. There's no formal education for this specific career - but I think there should be.
5. Yes, a community college program.
6. I did, to switch career fields. But if you graduate high school & enter a Veterinary Technician program, or a Laboratory Technician program, you won't have to.
7. For my Medical Laboratory Science degree, yes I did. The process is called "Clinicals" & we were placed at hospitals for practical experience in human medicine. In veterinary labs we use the same equipment & perform the same tests as in human labs.
8. There were no clubs available in this field at my college. There were only about 15 people in my classes. But I did join Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for Trade Schools & 2-yr colleges.
9. I had always struggled with math, but I was fortunate to find an amazing teacher who made all the difference & Khan Academy is fantastic. For my degree I needed to complete Algebra II.
From my core courses, I had the most trouble with Immunology, bc of the way the course was structured. No actual teaching time with the teacher, just a textbook & a series of posted assignments and tests. Clinical Chemistry was challenging bc the teacher was very disorganized & unresponsive. I'm now working on a project to develop a chemistry training program at my company, so I guess I'm pretty good at it now.
10. Wow, that's a big question. In the laboratory we have all the sciences: biology, engineering, physics, computer science, we do it all. We are a small day lab with only 3 people so we are all able to handle all the work, and we have to work closely together, so being able to control your emotions, so you don't create an uncomfortable, distracting environment is a must. Communicating clearly is essential & being able to teach people is a big bonus.
As with any job, honesty is extremely important, maybe even more so. Making a mistake & trying to cover it up can mean your patient doesn't get the care they need & could die. So admitting "I did this wrong" is the first step in getting the best outcome.
I hope this was helpful to you. It's an extremely interesting field, it can be difficult, it's not well known, but if you like science and animals but don't want to be a vet or deal with lots of people, come find us.
Thank you so much for answering Catherine! If you're able can you answer 3 follow up questions?
The 3 questions are..
1. How much debt did you end up with after finishing your degree?
2. What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your profession?
3. What are some challenges you face during your job?
Nathaly
Updated
Anna’s Answer
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
I chose to be a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Because after I worked as a Certified Veterinary Assistant I wanted to continue my education and my work with sick/injured small animals while helping and educating their owners.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
I need two years of full-time college credits to earn an Associate Degree.
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
I currently don’t have a professional job as I went back to school. I do pet care on the side at the moment on Rover.com.
4. How can I decide if I should earn a PH.D in this field?
There are no PHDs for licensed veterinary technicians.
5. Were you in a college program?
I am presently.
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
Yes, I went back to school at 31 years old.
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
In a way, when I worked as a veterinary assistant.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
No, as far as I can remember, my school didn’t offer any clubs related to animals or their care.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
I really struggled with math.
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
I learned to manage my emotions and stress better (working with animals and owners in a heightened emotional state because the pets are sick or injured can be very challenging), I learned how to perform certain in-house laboratory tests such as urinary analysis, fecal analysis, etc. I learned to be a better communicator and more patience.
I chose to be a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Because after I worked as a Certified Veterinary Assistant I wanted to continue my education and my work with sick/injured small animals while helping and educating their owners.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
I need two years of full-time college credits to earn an Associate Degree.
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
I currently don’t have a professional job as I went back to school. I do pet care on the side at the moment on Rover.com.
4. How can I decide if I should earn a PH.D in this field?
There are no PHDs for licensed veterinary technicians.
5. Were you in a college program?
I am presently.
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
Yes, I went back to school at 31 years old.
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
In a way, when I worked as a veterinary assistant.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
No, as far as I can remember, my school didn’t offer any clubs related to animals or their care.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
I really struggled with math.
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
I learned to manage my emotions and stress better (working with animals and owners in a heightened emotional state because the pets are sick or injured can be very challenging), I learned how to perform certain in-house laboratory tests such as urinary analysis, fecal analysis, etc. I learned to be a better communicator and more patience.
Thank you so much for answering Anna If you're able can you answer 3 follow up questions?
The 3 questions are..
1. How much debt did you end up with after finishing your degree?
2. What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your profession?
3. What are some challenges you face during your job?
Nathaly
Updated
Keyana’s Answer
1. I choose to be a licensed veterinary technician because I love being able to help animals out with my license. I originally wanted to be a veterinarian but at the time I was young with a daughter and could not go to veterinary school at the time, so being a licensed veterinary technician was the next best thing and i love it!
2. The program I went is a self paced program and states that it can take up to 2yrs to finish, it took me 4yrs to finish.
3. Before I entered into the veterinary field, I worked for chick-fil-a as a cashier.
4. When considering what title you would like to hold in the veterinary field, you must decide how far you want to go and what you would like to do. For example, you can still work with animals and not be a licensed professional. I have worked with many great non-licensed professionals. When earning a license, it depends on rather you would like to be a veterinarian or a technician. Both titles can lead to anything your heart desires, it just depends on how much you want to contribute.
5. I was in a college program, I was in Penn Foster (an online school) for veterinary assistant and then for veterinary technician. I have my associates degree for both programs.
6. I did not, however, I have considered it in the past for either obtaining my bachelors or for business related to veterinary.
7. I have shadowed several people in the veterinary field. I have shadowed other veterinary assistants and veterinarians.
8. I was apart of a few social media groups pertaining to my field. The groups were related to what semesters I was in at the time. I was also a school ambassador helping other students with their studies once I graduated.
9. Yes, I struggled heavily with physiology and anatomy. I actually had to retake the class!
10. I have learned several skill sets in my profession. I have learned how to observe animal behavior, how to draw blood, management skills, communication skills, monitoring anesthesia, IV catherter placement, how to take radiographs.
2. The program I went is a self paced program and states that it can take up to 2yrs to finish, it took me 4yrs to finish.
3. Before I entered into the veterinary field, I worked for chick-fil-a as a cashier.
4. When considering what title you would like to hold in the veterinary field, you must decide how far you want to go and what you would like to do. For example, you can still work with animals and not be a licensed professional. I have worked with many great non-licensed professionals. When earning a license, it depends on rather you would like to be a veterinarian or a technician. Both titles can lead to anything your heart desires, it just depends on how much you want to contribute.
5. I was in a college program, I was in Penn Foster (an online school) for veterinary assistant and then for veterinary technician. I have my associates degree for both programs.
6. I did not, however, I have considered it in the past for either obtaining my bachelors or for business related to veterinary.
7. I have shadowed several people in the veterinary field. I have shadowed other veterinary assistants and veterinarians.
8. I was apart of a few social media groups pertaining to my field. The groups were related to what semesters I was in at the time. I was also a school ambassador helping other students with their studies once I graduated.
9. Yes, I struggled heavily with physiology and anatomy. I actually had to retake the class!
10. I have learned several skill sets in my profession. I have learned how to observe animal behavior, how to draw blood, management skills, communication skills, monitoring anesthesia, IV catherter placement, how to take radiographs.
Thank you so much for answering Keyana! If you're able can you answer 3 follow up questions?
The 3 questions are..
1. How much debt did you end up with after finishing your degree?
2. What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your profession?
3. What are some challenges you face during your job?
Nathaly
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