How Much Training Do You Need to be a Vet?

If you want to know how to become a vet, then you’ve come to the right place. From vet qualifications to veterinary school requirements, this guide will take you through all the basic steps for becoming a vet along with some helpful career tips for the veterinary industry.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Become a Vet?

Let’s start simple. To become a vet you’ll need to go to university. There are several options for doing this but the end result is that you’ll need a degree that’s been approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

A veterinary degree also takes a long time to complete—usually five or six years although this can be shortened if you already have another, related degree. You may also need to have a foundation year if you don’t have the prerequisite requirements.

Veterinary School Requirements

Veterinary degrees can be very competitive while requiring a high level of care and dedication. As such, many universities will expect you to have a certain level of experience working with animals in a professional setting before taking you onto their courses.

The best way to get this experience is through volunteering either with veterinary practices or with animal related charities. Depending on your area you may also be able to find a position working with livestock or in a riding stable both of which would reflect well on your application.

On top of that, you’ll need the basic entry requirements for almost any university course. That means 5 GCSEs with passing grades (9 to 4/A* to C) as well as three A-levels. Additionally, your A-levels will need to include biology and chemistry.

Is Veterinary Training Online Worthwhile?

In many industries, it’s possible to complete a degree online via institutions like the open university. This is preferable to many mature students who need to make their studies fit around a full time work schedule and aren’t as interested in a university lifestyle.

Sadly this is simply not possible for veterinary training. Put simply, being a vet is a hands-on job and you can’t learn that without a hands-on component to the work.

That said, there are some online courses that may help get you started. These would make it easier to meet the entry requirements of your degree and provide a basic grounding in many of the concepts. Just be careful to thoroughly vet any online course you take.

An online course is only as valuable as the knowledge and qualifications you get out of it. If a course is offering a qualification be very careful to confirm that it is a real and well-recognised accreditation. If you’re in any doubt, consider reaching out to universities to inquire about whether they would recognise a qualification as part of the entry requirements for their veterinary program.

What Is a Vet Tech?

A veterinary technician (US) or animal technician (UK) is a viable career path for those who want to work with animals but don’t want to go through the extended time, effort, and investment of getting a full veterinary degree.

To become a veterinary technician you’ll need 5 GCSEs with passing grades (9 to 4/A* to C) and these must include English and maths. From there you’ll be able to do an apprenticeship or a college diploma.

While animal technicians earn significantly less than full vets (around £17K to £28K), there are some major advantages. Vets often have to spend a lot of time dealing with the paperwork side of animal care. That means filling out prescriptions, doing admin, and reading up on the latest treatments – not to mention weighing up the benefits of costs and rewards. All told, full vets often spend surprisingly little time working with animals.

Animal technicians are far more hands on. If you like being up close with animals, not to mention working outdoors, then this is the role for you.