Vet Tech schools in Illinois

Before you get to the selection of vet tech schools in Illinois, it may be advisable for you to first glance through a brief overview of what makes high-quality vet tech training centers. The worst thing you’d truly want is to thin out out your wallet on a course that’s ineffective.

Before we proceed, you ought to know that veterinary “technicians” together with vet “technologists” are generally both thought to be veterinary techs, Vet technicians and vet technologists, while very close in job description, are very different in the amount of education each will need. Vet technologies often work in research and labs much more than veterinary technicians, and they also could even experience a higher salary.

Graduation from secondary school is an important step one for both kinds of vet techs. With a secondary school degree, a prospective veterinary technician then must complete a veterinary technician training course commonly lasting 2 years. Veterinary technologists want additional instruction: a veterinary technology 4-year bachelor’s degree. For the program to be recognized, the study courses, irrespective of whether for vet technologists or technicians, should be approved by the AVMA (the American Veterinary Medical Association).

Luckily, there are plenty of AVMA-endorsed programs: 191 study courses for vet technicians, 21 4-year vet technology training courses, along with 9 online programs.

People can find 5 AVMA-certificated vet tech schools in Illinois:

Joliet Junior College
Vet Tech Program
1215 Houbolt Road
Joliet, IL 60431
815-280-2746

Parkland College
Veterinary Technology Program
2400 W. Bradley Ave.
Champaign, IL 61821
217-351-2224

Rockford Career College
Vet Tech Program
1130 S. Alpine Rd., Suite 100
Rockford, IL 61108
815-965-8616

Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market (SICCM)
Vet Tech Program
(program offered cooperatively with John A. Logan College, Kaskaskia College, Rend Lake College, Shawnee Community College, and Southeastern Illinois College)
3213 South Park Avenue
Herrin, IL 62948
618/942-6902

Vet Tech Institute at Fox College
Vet Tech Program
18020 Oak Park Ave.
Tinley Park, IL 60477
708-636-7700

Even better, should you not want to go to a training center that has a real-life location, you’ll be able to opt for an internet-based school.

Please Click Here to see a list of AVMA-licensed online school choices.

Upon graduating from a veterinary tech study course, you will then start on reviewing and successfully passing the Veterinary Technician National Exam, a necessity for prospective vet techs. When attempting to decide which establishments to be part of, it could be a smart idea to discover if they offer assistance (i.e., courses) in passing the VTNE.

You will find one last step to becoming a veterinary tech following school and successfully completing the exam: becoming qualified by your state. Just about every state is special, but most states have a site that can let you know what its licensing specifications are.

See more at the licensing necessities for your state.

One final thing: a potential veterinary technologist who would like to operate in a lab setting might choose to consult the American Association of Laboratory Science (AALAS). The organization supplies three certificate levels–ALAT (assistant laboratory animal tech), LAT (laboratory animal tech), and LATF (lab animal technologists–that would attract future laboratory recruiters.