Running a Vet Office/Hospital..Becoming A Vet? -

It has always been my dream to Run a Vet Office or Hospital, But of course i want it to be successful. I am not a Vet but I am a vet/technician/assistant. I have considered going to school to be a vet, But was wondering if That would make my business more profitable, considering I want to be very involved in running my business. Also, any tips from people who have done this... Suggestions, things they had to learn the hard way, even simple money saving tips would be great, thanks and no negativity!

In many states you cannot own a veterinary practice unless you are a licensed veterinarian, so if you are intending to own a practice you need to check the laws in your state. You may be able to get around this by owning and providing the facilities and staff while a veterinarian actually owns the practice. But you would need to have the capital to purchase an appropriate building, diagnostic equipment, hospital cages, surgical equipment, exam room equipment, etc etc etc. If you simply want to get into a management position, you can go a couple of different routes--Certified Veterinary Practice Manager or a degree in veterinary technology that focuses on management. You say you are a veterinary technician/assistant, so I m assuming that you are not a credentialed veterinary technician. (There is a difference is those two titles) Therefore if you went the degree route (which I would say is actually the best option as a bachelors degree is going to look much better on your resume and give you other options for what to do while you look for that management position) you would need to enroll in an AVMA accredited veterinary technology degree program and earn you Associates degree and then work towards your bachelor s degree focusing on practice management. St. Petersburg College offers this bachelor s degree program and there is even a special scholarship for people who are following the management track. You can find information on it at their website: http://www.spcollege.edu/hec/vt/index.ht�� There are more than 20 colleges that offer a bachelor s degree program in veterinary technology, so you do have choices as to what college to attend. However, if you really aren t into the veterinary technology stuff this option really might not fit you.St. Petersburg veterinary technology website: http://www.spcollege.edu/hec/vt/index.ht��www.avma.org/AVMA website with a list of all bachelors degree programs: http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vette��The Certified Veterinary Practice Manager s program is offered through the Veterinary Hospital Manager s Association. It requires that you currently be employed in a management position in a veterinary hospital and that you have 18 hours of college credits in management related topics and 48 hours of continuing education in hospital management related topics in order to apply. http://www.vhma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an��