Dear all FO(ferret owners),
I have tried to preface any medical remarks I've made with, "I am not a
vet....", so I hope that it is clear that I do not take myself to be one.
However, I am a veterinary technician (also called veterinary nurse in some
states), not a veterinary assistant.  Many people are unaware what a vet
tech is.  It takes two years of full time college work in a program
certified by the veterinary community to be a vet tech.  It also includes
two summers of outside-the-classroom experience.  Some of the courses I
took, and successfully completed are: animal care, anatomy (including
disection), physiology, medical terminology, microbiology, pathology,
pharmacology, clinical procedures including surgery and surgical assisting,
and, for my two externships, wild animal medicine and emergency medicine.  A
veterinary assistant, as opposed to a technician, could be anyone, from
kennel help to the receptionist.  No particular education or experience is
required.  I admit, it's a little-known profession, and I can't say that it
pays better than the clinic help that walks in off the street, but it has
given me a great deal of satisfaction to have the depth of knowledge which
led me to positions of enormous responsibility such as my work with the
black-footed ferrets.  It also allows me to do right by my shelter ferrets
when my vets run out of ideas.I hope others will feel that there is value in
the comments of non-vet people, particularly when they have professional
qualifications coupled with long experience.
 
Best to you and yours,
             Carolyn Kinsey, VT and proud to be!
 
[Moderator's note: The qualifications for a vet tech vary by state.  In some
states there is no license at all, while in others there's a rather stiff
licensing exam/procedure.  Also, the term "veterinary assistant" is a bit
misused - in most usage a veterinary assistant is actually "above" a tech.
This is analagous in human medicine to a nurse vs a physician's assistant.
(Assistants can even prescribe drugs and perform many procedures as long as
under the guidance of an MD/DVM.)  And I do find it amazing just how little
licensed techs or assistants get paid.  Or even vets, for that matter.
Apologies to the non-US readers for my editorializing.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1418]