Associate Degree - Hybrid (Online & On-Campus)

Veterinary Technician

The Veterinary Technician Associate’s Degree is designed to prepare students with the skills and procedures to effectively contribute to the health and well-being of veterinary patients. The mission of the Veterinary Technician program is to prepare students to work in a small animal clinic setting. While the emphasis is on small animal settings, the student is also exposed to large animal and research information. Veterinary technicians, while always working under the supervision of a veterinarian, provide many services. Routine duties include restraint of animals, sample collection, nursing care (IV catheter placement, bandage application, medication administration, etc.), feeding of animals, record keeping, office procedures, and client education and communication.

• Perform patient examinations and collect data on vital signs.
• Calculate, prepare, and administer medications by common drug routes and prepare pharmaceuticals as prescribed by a veterinarian.
• Prepare anesthetic delivery systems, induce anesthesia, monitor patients under anesthesia, manage complications, and recover anesthesia.
• Perform dental prophylactic procedures on dogs and cats.
• Collect and process samples for diagnostic tests, such as blood chemistries, differentials, culture/sensitivities and EKGs.
• Recognize and assess behavioral signs of animals and how it relates to husbandry, handling and disease.
• Educate clients on their animal’s health, nutrition, management during illness and preventative medicine as well as euthanasia
• Perform nursing care for small, large and exotic species while being advocates for their patient’s health.