Vet Tech Aspiration Progress
Yesterday I took a tour of my number one choice of institute for studying veterinary technology. They also interviewed me somewhat to see if I was a serious candidate for the program. After seeing the facilities and meeting some of the people, I’m extremely impressed with it, and I’m excited about beginning this January. All of the courses are so specialized toward what we need to learn, and all of the state-of-the-art medical equipment was what really awed me. Their animal kennels were meticulously clean even though they had dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, and rats. I was especially excited to see the rats! 
They were sociable, curious, and healthy-looking. In addition, the school has a large animal program experience available through cooperation with local rescue groups.
The institute is even in Pittsburgh. We checked the bus route; the nearest bus stop is only a short way from where I live, and from there I can just ride it in the mornings into downtown Pittsburgh for the day. It would be nice to save on gas! Right now I have a 1+ hour commute by car to class, and it can get tiresome.
In the meanwhile I want to start shadowing around my vet’s (or any vet’s) office again if I can. It was helpful last time to experience what it’s like “behind the desk” and to realize the realities of the profession. The more experience I can get, the better prepared I’ll be.
I’m also looking into volunteering with the local shelter. The soonest volunteer orientation is in mid-November, according to the information that arrived in the mail. I’m thinking I might try working with rabbits this time.
In other news, there’s not too much beyond my vet tech school success and studying for/taking exams. For my job I’m independently researching small animal care in more depth. It’s too easy to get complacent and think you’re knowledgable. I may know a lot about rats, ferrets, rabbits, and mice, but during my training small things like “Benebac” were completely new. I desperately need to improve my guinea pig, chinchilla, hamster, and gerbil understanding.
