Animal Research Veterinary Technicians
Become a Animal Research Veterinary Technicians
Whether you are in support of using animals in research or not, you have to agree that the animals used in research are entitled to receiving proper care and treatment. If you are interested in working with the animals that are used in research, you might be interested in obtaining an animal research veterinary technician's position.
Animal research veterinary technicians are required to obtain the same type of schooling as a vet tech that works in a veterinarian's office. If you know that you are interested in pursuing an animal research veterinary technician’s position, however, you might want to take elective courses that focus on this particular area of the field. In this way, you can be better prepared for the responsibilities that may be unique to animal research veterinary technicians.
Animal research veterinary technicians are responsible for assisting researchers throughout the research process. In addition to lending a hand with experiments, animal research veterinary technicians are also responsible for monitoring the health of the animals. Animal research veterinary technicians may also be responsible for gathering data from the animals throughout the research process.
Just as with a vet tech working in a veterinarian's office, animal research veterinary technicians may not perform certain functions. These include diagnosing illness, prescribing medication, and performing surgery. They may, however, assist the research scientist or veterinarian with these procedures.
Animal research veterinary technicians are also frequently called upon to supervise other workers within the research lab. Although animal research veterinary technicians are not in the lead supervisory role, they may still have subordinates that they are responsible for.
Since animal research veterinary technicians may be called upon to fulfill a supervisory role, they are sometime paid a higher wage than those that are employed in a veterinarian's office. The amount of pay that animal research veterinary technicians can expect to receive, however, is dependent upon the location and the type of research facility the technician works for.
