Veterinary   

Learn what a veterinary assistant does in the veterinary office or hospital setting.

If you have ever considered a career as a veterinary assistant, you might have quite a few questions about what it is they do: What vaccinations do cats and dogs? What is the best way to control fleas? What do you do if your dog has a cut? What is the best way to deal with an emergency situation involving a pet? This course answers these questions and more.

You will learn about pet nutrition and a variety of health and safety issues. You will understand how to treat and prevent parasites, including roundworms and heartworms. You will even learn the facts of life, as it pertains to dogs and cats. You will explore current thoughts on spaying and neutering, how to deal with the very emotional issues of euthanasia, pet loss, and how best to assist clients in a time of need.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Learn what a veterinary assistant does in the veterinary office or hospital setting.

History of Veterinary Practice and Dog and Cat Reproduction

This first lesson starts way back at the beginning and introduces how ancient veterinary medicine evolved into the modern-day practice that you're accustomed to. You will learn why a veterinary assistant is just as important to the success of the practice as the veterinarian.

Vaccinology for Dogs and Cats

In this lesson, you will learn how vaccines protect against disease. And just as important, you will learn why they sometimes fail. You will take a close look at how often vaccines should be given, why they may be ill-advised, and why vaccinosis is so controversial.

Parasites Infesting Pets and People

This lesson addresses the parasites that can infest both pets and people. You will see the worms that live in the intestines, and get acquainted with heartworm, a nasty guy that lives in the arteries. You will explore how parasites infect people, what they do, and how to prevent their invasion.

How to Pick the Best Food for Your Pet; Prescription Diets

Have you ever wondered how to pick the best food for your pet? This lesson will give you the tools to make the right decision, and how best to pass the information to your clients. You will also talk about the role of prescription diets in pet health.

Euthanasia: The Procedure, How to Help Clients, and Assisting Children with Pet Loss

This will certainly be the most emotional lesson in the entire course. The topic is euthanasia, and you will look at it from the perspectives of both the client and the hospital employee. You will explore the stages of grief that everyone goes through after a loss.

Workplace Safety and Veterinary Hospital Economics

In this lesson, you will learn why a veterinary hospital can be a dangerous place. You will see how X-rays, anesthetics, and certain drugs can harm you. You will finish this lesson with Economics 101, a glimpse into the cash flow of a typical veterinary hospital.

Pet First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Designed like a short course in human first aid, this lesson will help you cope with almost any veterinary emergency, and you will discuss ways that some emergencies can be prevented. There's even a segment on cardiopulmonary resuscitation for dogs and cats!

External Parasites of Pets, Including the Flea

What is the most important parasite affecting our pets? If you answered the flea, you're right. In this lesson, you will learn all about this parasite. You will hear about other crawling parasites that also live on or in the skin (mange) and how they can be managed.

Confidentiality and Grievances, Client Communications, and Client Education

Did you know that as a hospital employee, any advice you give could end up in a lawsuit? You will find out how to handle these situations and, related to this, how to maintain client confidentiality. You will round off your study on client communications with an introduction to client education programs.

Medical Records and Prescriptions

As soon as you're hired as a veterinary assistant, you will be helping to prepare prescriptions. In this lesson, you will find out how to do this correctly. You will also learn about your role in keeping accurate medical records.

Alternative Therapies in Veterinary Medicine

In this lesson, you will learn all about alternative therapies that some veterinarians are applying in their practices, including acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, and chiropractic care. You will also examine the plusses and minuses of each diet.

Behavior Counseling for Puppies and Kittens and Putting It All Together in a Health Plan

In the last lesson, you will take a close look at animal behavior. You will delve into how best to train puppies and kittens, and more importantly, how to share the information with your clients. At the end of the course, you will see how everything you've learned can be put together for a comprehensive health plan.

Practicing veterinarian teaches you to manage the entire canine breeding cycle, from assessing the health of parents to puppy care.

This course is the definitive guide to the principles of sound dog breeding. If you're a veterinary assistant or preparing to become one, this course will help you understand the essential facts so you can knowledgeably converse with clients on the complexities of canine reproduction.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Practicing veterinarian teaches you to manage the entire canine breeding cycle, from assessing the health of parents to puppy care.

1. Prebreeding Assessment and Management
2. Female Reproductive Anatomy and Disorders
3. Male Reproductive Anatomy and Disorders
4. The Reproductive Cycle and When to Breed
5. Natural Breeding and Artificial Insemination
6. Reasons for Female Infertility: Uterine and Ovarian Disorders
7. Reasons for Female Infertility: Effects of Abnormal Estrous Cycles
8. Reasons for Male Infertility
9. Pregnancy Diagnosis and Care of the Pregnant Bitch
10. Whelping: Normal and Assisted (including cesarean)
11. Postpartum Disease
12. Neonatal Care: Birth to Six Months

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary assistant or educated pet owner.

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary assistant or educated pet owner. This course is the third installment in the "Become a Veterinary Assistant" series.

Throughout the course, you'll benefit from videos that demonstrate many procedures and techniques, as well as state-of-the-art interactive graphics. It's as close as you can get to actually being right there in the veterinarian's office!

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary assistant or educated pet owner.

1. Basic Dog Restraints
2. Basic Restraint Techniques
3. Exams, Pilling, and Nails
4. Blood Collection
5. Blood Tests
6. Urine Tests
7. Surgeries
8. Hygiene 101
9. Gender, Age, and Dosage Calculations
10. Exam Room Skills (TPR)
11. Radiology and Medical Terminology
12. Injections, Vaccines, and Worms

This online veterinary assistant course will prepare you to become a productive member of a veterinary team by helping you learn the fundamental skills needed for a successful career.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 10 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word Online
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this program are included with enrollment. The following eBooks are available for your course. Reading assignments in each lesson will be linked to the eBook for the designated reading.

• Veterinary Assisting Fundamentals & Applications, 2nd Edition, by Beth Vanhorn
• An Illustrated Guide to Veterinary Medical Terminology, 4th Edition, by Janet Amundson Romich

This veterinary assistant training course is perfect for animal lovers looking to pursue a career helping animals. With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that the employment of veterinary assistants will grow 19% by 2033, with an average of 25,800 job openings each year, now is a great time to enroll in an online vet assistant program. As the duties of a veterinary assistant vary widely, this vet assistant course will equip you with all the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure the health and well-being of animals inside the veterinary practice.

Throughout this online veterinary assistant education program, you will learn every aspect of veterinary assisting, including anatomy and physiology, animal restraint, laboratory procedures, emergency care, small and large animal assisting, exotic species, veterinary dentistry, human-animal bond, pharmacy procedures, and more.

The course will also cover how to interact professionally with clients and gain the expertise you need to educate them about key topics in pet care, such as nutrition, vaccinations, and administering medication. This veterinary assistant course concludes with a lesson to prepare you for the job market, in which you will see how to create an effective resume, advance your expertise, and develop strong interview skills.

By course completion, you will truly learn everything you need to know to be successful in your new, fulfilling career as a veterinary assistant.

1. Veterinary Assistant
1. The Veterinary Health-Care Team
2. Veterinary Team Culture and Communication
3. Introduction to Veterinary Medical Terminology
4. Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology, and Terminology (Part I)
5. Small-Animal Behavior and Restraint
6. Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology, and Terminology (Part 2)
7. Veterinary Receptionist Duties and Responsibilities
8. Veterinary Inventory Management
9. Pharmacy Procedures
10. Hospital Safety and Infection Control
11. Physical Exam and Patient History
12. Small-Animal Vaccines and Infectious Diseases
13. Small-Animal Nutrition
14. Small-Animal Nursing Procedures
15. The Human-Animal Bond and Euthanasia
16. Laboratory Procedures for Veterinary Assistants
17. Diagnostic Imaging for Veterinary Assistants
18. Small-Animal Surgical Assisting
19. Hospitalized Patient Care
20. The Role of the Assistant During Emergencies
21. Veterinary Dental Assisting
22. Assisting with Exotic Species
23. Assisting with Large-Animal Species
24. Personal and Professional Development
25. Beginning Your Career as a Vet Assistant
26. Land the Job

What you will learn

• Summarize the roles, responsibilities, and applicable laws and ethics as they pertain to the veterinary healthcare team
• Discuss the fundamentals of animal anatomy and physiology, restraint techniques, and basic examination tasks relevant to veterinary assisting, using proper terminology
• Explain how to perform veterinary assistant pharmacy tasks within the law's scope and discuss vaccinations, infectious diseases, transmission, and prevention
• Describe how to respond appropriately to veterinary medical emergencies, surgeries, and various laboratory procedures
• Understand how to perform the veterinary assistant's responsibilities related to veterinary dentistry

How you will benefit

• This program prepares you to assist veterinarians and veterinary technicians in providing patient care
• Completing this comprehensive course along with your training can help you gain a new job or achieve a promotion
• In addition to hard skills, this program also helps you develop the soft skills required to work effectively with clients and the entire veterinary team
• Employers seek individuals who are passionate about animals and possess the communication and teamwork skills necessary to excel in the field

Tracy Heyland, RVT

Tracy Heyland is a Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT), earning the Academic and Practical Proficiency Award upon graduating. She brings 25+ years of experience in small animal medicine to her teaching, earned the Provincial Instructor Diploma, certified as a Professional Co-Active Coach, and is Fear Free Certified. Tracy has worked in general practice, emergency medicine, veterinary sales, operations management, and teaching positions and runs her own coaching and training company for veterinary teams, leaders, and managers.

Giving back to the veterinary profession is a passion of Tracy's where she volunteers for a veterinary technologist program advisory committee, remotely located spay and neuter projects, and a veterinary technologist association continuing education committee.

Mary Mould

Mary Mould has a bachelor's in veterinary technology and a master's in education. She has taught veterinary technology courses for 22 years and distance education for over 24 years. Completing her education through distance learning has been extremely helpful in understanding her students and the variables that go along with distance learning.

Mary published an article, "Brushing Your Dog's Teeth," in the Veterinary Technology journal and has spoken at the Midwest Veterinary Conference on animal pain management.

Mary is a member of the Association for Veterinary Technology Education (AVTE), Veterinary Support Personnel (VSPN), and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians (NAVTA).

This self-paced course uses an anatomical approach to teach you the medical word components used in veterinary medicine. You will learn medical terms unique to the anatomy, physiology, pathology and treatment of animals.

To work in the veterinary field, you need to understand the medical language unique to the anatomy, physiology and pathology of animals. This self-paced course will teach you the definition and uses of veterinary medical terminology.

You will master veterinary medical terminology through a simplified learning process that builds on commonly used word parts. Each course lesson is designed to build on this foundation, with the material and illustrations focusing on the new word parts and definitions needed for success in the veterinary field.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Learn to pronounce, spell, and define veterinary medical terms. This course provides a step-by-step process that will help you build an understanding of medical language specific to the veterinary field.

1. Ready, Set, Go
2. Where, Why, and What?
3. Musculoskeletal System
4. Head to Toe and What's in a Name?
5. Digestive System
6. Urinary and Cardiovascular Systems
7. Respiratory System
8. Integumentary and Endocrine Systems
9. Reproductive Systems
10. Nervous System and Seeing and Hearing
11. Hematologic, Lymphatic, Immunologic, and Oncological Terminology
12. Physical Exams, Drugs, and Dissection