Avian Vet school.....help please

[shelbyrenee1329]

Hello everyone I need a little help. I just quit my job of 3 years today, it was a good paying job but that was about all. Anyways I am wanting to look into going to school to be a avian vet. Its what I wanted to do in school then I just got caught up in finding a job then decided this is good enough im just going to stay here, I got tired of all the dumb drama and everything and decided it was time for a big change.
Well I am wanting to look more into now, my overall goal is Vet but depending on money, schooling, traveling, and so on I might settle for Tech but I will decide that later down the road. Anyways I have not done any schooling after high school and need to know what undergrad classes I would need to take (I would do what I could at Jackson Community College) and also what schools are around me ( I have looked and cant find much of anything) I live in Lower Michigan near Ann Arbor. I cant find if the UofM has a good program or not. I would really like something that I do not have to relocate for. Thanks for any help everyone. Im also doing research right now but was hoping I can talk to someone who is a Avian vet or who is going through school on here.
Thanks so much :)

[Honesty]

Wow! I wish you all the luck in the world with this Shelby :) A great career choice :th_biggrin:

I am sure others here will be able to advise you on this!

[Grey]

Congratulations on your decision. You will need to get your Associates and Bachelor degrees, preferably with a healthy dose of Sciences including Biology. Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, etc. You face a lot of hard work, Veterinary schools are almost as competitive to get into as Medical Schools. In your Junior year, you will start applying to Vet Schools which are another 4 years of schooling followed by State Board Exams and Residency for at least a year. If you want to be a Certified Avian Vet, there is another 3-4 years of school with an exam from the American Board of Veterinary Medicine. I wish you good luck on this journey!:th_goodluck:

[Mare]

Yeah,,,what George said :). I have a son graduating from UCDavis this year, premiere vet school. He has a room mate that is in her first year of vet school, this is after "four" years of university school. If being a veterinarian is your ultimate goal, you may have several years of school to accomplish first.

A vet tech is JC classes and can be finished with rather quickly.

[plax]

It should also be said that the certification body for Avian Veterinarians within the United States is the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). ABVP certification is a difficult credential to obtain. It takes at least 3 additional years of study and testing to complete - and that's after 6 years of real clinical practice experience. I've been told that a requirement for 'maintenance of certification' exists as well (with re-testing at 5 or 10 year intervals - I can't remember which). Below are the ABVP eligibility requirements (as listed at [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]):


II. Eligibility Requirements

A. To be eligible for ABVP certification, veterinarians must have:

1. Graduated from a college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA,


or possess a certificate issued by the Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary


Graduates (ECFVG), or are legally qualified to practice veterinary medicine in any state
or country, and



2. Met the education, training, and experience requirements established by ABVP, and



3. Demonstrated unquestionable moral character and ethical professional behavior


B. Veterinarians in the practitioner track must complete five (5) years of clinical practice
experience before application and six (6) years of clinical practice experience before
examination. The first year need not be in the RVS, however, application must be made to
the RVS in which the veterinarian has primarily practiced within the previous five (5) years.

C. Veterinarians in the residency track (ABVP-approved residencies only) must complete a
one- (1) year rotating internship or one (1) year of practice experience and at least one (1) year
of the residency program before application. All credentials residency requirements must be
met before examination (Appendix 1).

D. Veterinarians in a Recognized Certificate Program (ABVP-approved certificate programs only)
must complete all requirements before application. Most programs are at least three (3) years
in duration (Appendix 1). Recognized Certificate Programs must be in the same RVS in which
the person is applying for certification.

[Turquoise]

Geeez, my head is already spinning from all that! I knew there was a lot of schooling for vets, but boy they do make sure you know your stuff for a full fledged board certified avian vet!! No wonder there are so few.

Good luck with your future endeavor Shelby. We definitely need folks like you willing to go the extra mile, or should I say years to help keep our feathered kids safe and healthy! :)

[shelbyrenee1329]

Thanks so much everyone! Im going to start with Baker Colleges Vet Tech Program I think and see where it goes from there. I am going to make some calls and plan to go talk to Baker and Stautzenberger. Its probably going to come down to cost in the end since they are both an hour drive from me and both take about 2 years to complete. We will see! Im excited to go talk to them and see what I can get paid for and what not and looking around. I plan I doing this getting a job then seeing about actual vet school. But at least this will get my foot in the door and I can see what I want to do.
Thanks for the help