Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of community college vet education and training

Local community colleges offer veterinary technology programs or AAS degrees in animal science. These degrees and certifications give your staff the advanced training they need, which enables you to ensure your clients that your staff is well-equipped to care for their pet.

I recommend: The American Veterinary Medical Association provides a continuously updated list on accredited veterinary technology programs. Search Health Schools lets you do a search for all community college veterinary technician programs by state.

Offer to pay for veterinary classes through distance education

With more working adults wanting to advance their education, distance learning has become a popular offering at many schools. Veterinary training and education through distance learning is an option at a handful of schools. Like regular on-campus classes, online courses should be accredited.

I recommend: NAVTA.net provides information about veterinary technicians and offers a link to accredited distance learning programs for veterinary techs. Purdue University offers a distance learning vet program for new and current students.

Send employees to sit for vet education exams

The American Association of Veterinary State Boards offers the Veterinary Technician National Examination, or VTNE. Offering to pay the fee for the test can help your vet techs finish their education and apply for registration or certification within your state.

I recommend: The American Association of Veterinary State Boards offers information on registering for the test, along with a list of state certification requirements. Purchase study guides for your office staff from Elsevier.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make the most of veterinary education and training by displaying all certificates and diplomas earned by your staff. If your clinic participates in sending out magazines or newsletters to your clients, imprint all the names of degreed or certified vet staff to raise client confidence with your clinic.
• •  Passing the VTNE doesn't guarantee certification. Each state has its own requirements, so make sure you meet all state requirements after passing the test.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look at the vet school your veterinarians attend

Make sure the veterinary schools have accreditation by national accreditation boards and that they're preparing your veterinarians to become board certified in a veterinary medicine speciality.

I recommend: The AAVMC (Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges) and/or the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) accredit veterinary schools.

Ensure your veterinary technicians take the proper vet courses

It's easy to have a teenager or someone interested in animals graduate from cleaning cages to helping out in the exam rooms but this opens you up to lawsuits and employee mistakes. Encourage your employees to get training with incentives such as hours, time off for courses, extra pay or even scholarships if you can afford it.

I recommend: NAVTA (National Association for Veterinary Technicians in America) is useful for more information about veterinary technician training and education. Your local community college may offer veterinary technician classes. Contact the Council on Foundations for more information about scholarships.

Continue your employees' education with veterinary training programs

Even after becoming a veterinarian or a veterinary technician, an employee's training doesn't end. They need to continue their vet education and training to learn about new medical practices and new ways to treat their patients. Have your employees get certification in additional procedures, take extra vet classes or attend seminars.

I recommend: Visit VetContact for worldwide veterinary events, seminars and articles about veterinary medicine. You can also go to National Veterinary Education Association for seminars in the United States.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many potential employees simply need hands on veterinary training to get the experience they need to become a great veterinary employee. Consider having some of your more senior employees mentor junior employees or volunteers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read the most reliable veterinary medicine education rankings

Two of the most popular and reliable guides to colleges in the United States are 'U.S. News & World Report' and StudentsReview. 'U.S. News & World Report' is well known for its ranking of American colleges, and it is also the only major source offering ranking of veterinarian colleges. StudentsReview allows you to research what students in colleges across the United States think of the programs and institutions they've attended.

I recommend: U.S. News & World Report is the only major publication that ranks veterinary colleges. StudentsReview allows you to see what college students have to say about veterinary programs in the United States.

Learn what veterinary education and training rankings really mean

'U.S. News & World Report' allows a residency director scoring and a peer assessment score to make up 40% of its total scoring system. Another 30% is based on the funding the school has for research, and the rest of the scoring is based on the ratio of teachers to students and things like mean VCAT score. StudentsReview allows students to make up their own scoring criteria. Some experts say such rankings mean little, since the American Veterinary Medical Association accredits all the veterinary schools in the United States.

I recommend: VeterinarySchools.com gives an overview of the U.S. News & World Report ranking system and what it really means for America's vet schools. American Veterinary Medical Association offers accreditation and links to veterinary schools across the United States.

Select online continuing education vet classes

Online continuing education courses vary widely in what they offer; one of the best ways to rank online veterinary classes is to look for a program supported by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, which reviews course outlines and program delivery methods.

I recommend: WorldWideLearn lists some of the best online continuing education courses for veterinarians. The American Association of Veterinary State Boards lists all their approved continuing education courses, including those online.