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Students in the Utah Career College veterinary technology program receive hands-on training with a wide range of live animals. The exotic, lab and pocket pet class might involve taking a throat culture on a raptor or examining a snake.
As a result, our students are prepared for entry-level positions in a wide variety of careers in veterinary technology.
There is a growing interest among our students in careers in wildlife rehabilitation and zoos. These are highly competitive areas for veterinary technicians, and we feel our program gives students an edge over job applicants without the same training.
A graduate of our Associate in Veterinary Technology degree program has strong science-based training and has had the opportunity to work with lab and rescue animals. The capstone veterinary technology course, a 300-hour externship, provides additional experience. In combination with first-job experience in a small animal hospital or other practice, that training prepares graduates to pursue opportunities in wildlife rehabilitation and zoo vet tech work.
Experience with pocket pets and lab animals is highly valued by employers hiring veterinary technicians for research laboratory positions.
Utah Career College-West Jordan Instructor Jill Bruneau herself followed that path, working in small animal medicine for three years after graduating, then working at a wildlife rehabilitation center, where she specialized in birds. She later worked as relief tech for an exotic animal hospital and held a position as medical staff at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. Today, while teaching at our school, she remains active in the wildlife field, volunteering with the DNR banding birds and collecting blood samples from juvenile pelicans to monitor colony disease.
Our 2-year veterinary technology program involves science classes, experience in on-campus surgical suites and treatment areas, and coursework in communications and office procedures.
If you would like to visit the veterinary technology facilities, or learn more about vet tech training at Utah Career College, please contact Admissions. A representative will be happy to answer your questions and arrange a tour at one of our campus locations, West Jordan (13 miles south of Salt Lake City), Layton or Orem.