Veterinary technicians can work in several areas of veterinary medicine, including veterinary clinics, wildlife rehabilitation, research facilities, hospices, and educational institutions. Before they can pick an area of specialization, however, veterinary technicians in Michigan must have gone through a handful of steps and fulfilled some state requirements.
You have come to the right page if you are an aspiring veterinary technician in Michigan and are wondering what these requirements are. Below, we examine the educational needs, licensure requirements, and other critical aspects of successfully pursuing a veterinary technician career in Michigan.
Steps to Become a Veterinary Technician in Michigan
There are three essential criteria to know when starting a veterinary technician career in Michigan, including the basic educational requirements.
Basic Educational Prerequisites
As an aspiring veterinary technician in Michigan, you must be prepared to provide a high school diploma or a GED equivalent to secure admission into a training program. You will also be much more prepared if you have experience with foundational subjects such as anatomy and biology.
Post-Secondary Education Requirements
Enrolling in a designated veterinary technician training program that the American Veterinary Medical Association accredits is imperative for your post-secondary education as an aspiring veterinary technician in Michigan.
Veterinary Technician National Exam
To consolidate and prove that they are qualified to practice as professional veterinary technicians, graduates of accredited vet tech programs must sit for a national exam known as the veterinary technician national exam. From here, the only remaining requirement is to become licensed by the appropriate state board.
Consider exploring careers with similar paths:
State Licensure & Certification Requirements
To start their careers, all Michigan veterinary technicians must sit for and pass the Michigan Veterinary Technician Examination. This examination is administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).
To qualify for this credential, a candidate must have graduated from an accredited training program and passed their VTNE. Candidates must also pay an application fee and complete a criminal background check.
Top Veterinary Technician Schools in Michigan
In Michigan, aspiring veterinary technicians looking for an accredited program have 6 alternatives, all of which are campus-based. Students can also consider online options if they choose.
Baker College
Baker College boasts state-of-the-art equipment and excellent instructors on all three campuses in Michigan. In fact, of all the six CVTEA-accredited veterinary technician programs in Michigan, Barker College has three of them. Students get to dive deep into veterinary terminology, small-animal and large-animal nursing, anesthesia, management, and laboratory procedures.
The program takes two years to complete, and students are awarded an associate of applied science degree upon completion. They can then sit for their veterinary technician national examination, for which they would have been extensively prepared during the program.
Michigan State University
At Michigan State University, aspiring veterinary technicians can kick-start their careers by earning a bachelor of science degree. The program consists of 120 credits, including courses focused on comparative anatomy hospital procedures, hospital communication, radiology, applied biochemistry, and preventive healthcare.
Students must also complete an additional 15 credits of clinical externship in oncology, ophthalmology, and extensive animal anesthesia.
Macomb Community College
Lastly, aspiring veterinary technicians in Michigan can consider the excellent first technology program at Macomb Community College, which offers an associate of applied science in veterinary technology. The program consists of 64 credits dealing with topics in veterinary microbiology, parasitology, clinical methods, large animal medicine surgical procedures, and veterinary anesthesia.
To be admitted into this program, students must have a strong mathematics, chemistry, and psychology background.
Macomb Community College has had a first-time pass rate of 80.65% in the veterinary technician national examination.
Distance Based Alternatives
Aspiring veterinary technicians in Michigan who are unsatisfied with the above options or would like more flexibility would consider the distance-based accredited veterinary technician programs. Available options include the programs at Purdue University and Penn Foster Career School.
Consider exploring schools in neighboring states:
Salary and Career Outlook
In Michigan, veterinary technicians earn between $26,944 and $45,528, depending on where they fall in the salary bracket. Those who fall in the bottom 10% earn an annual average salary of $26,944, while those who fall in the top 10% earn an average yearly salary of $45,528.
Those who fall in the midpoint earn an annual average salary of $35,024 (which is the same as the national average)
Veterinary technicians in the state may optimize their salary by working in the state’s highest-paying cities for vet techs. These include Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Livonia, with annual average wages of $41,016, $40,250, and $38,303, respectively.
Paw Paw and Ann Arbor follow with annual average salaries of $36,564 and $35,785 respectively.
Related Articles
Related Careers
Top Schools Near Me
