Veterinary Assistant College Curriculum

• Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrate effective quantitative skills
• Demonstrate computer and information literacy skills
• Office and Hospital Procedures:
  • Front Desk: Greet Clients, Demonstrate proper Appointment Scheduling and make appointments, Prepare appropriate certificates for signature, Admit patient, Perform basic filing and retrieving of medical records, Perform basic veterinary medical record keeping procedures, Demonstrate elementary computer skills, Utilize basic medical terminology, Perform basic invoicing, billing, and payment on account procedures
  • Telephone: Answer and direct phone call, Recognize and respond appropriately to veterinary medical emergencies, by notifying the appropriate hospital personnel, Request records and information from other veterinary facilities
  • Maintain basic cleanliness and orderliness of a veterinary facility: Inventory supplies, Restock Shelves, Maintain x-ray, surgery, and laboratory logs, Perform basic filing and retrieving of medical records, radiographs, lab reports, etc.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of basic cleaning techniques of animal kennels and bedding, examination rooms, hospital facilities, and surgical suites
• Communication and Client Relations:
  • Develop effective client communication skills
  • Write business letters and professional electronic communication with clients
  • Understand ethical conduct in relationship to the day to day operations of a vet hospital
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of each member of the veterinary health team and the important part that each plays in the delivery of excellent care
  • Professional Conduct: Understand the human-animal bond, Demonstrate professional and appropriate appearance and language in the workplace, Demonstrate appropriate use of electronic communication in the workplace (cell phone usage, text messaging, social networking, digital photography, etc.)
• Pharmacy and Pharmacology:
  • Legal Issues: Recognize legal issues involving drugs in the workplace, Recognize general types and groups of drugs and demonstrate proper terminology, Differentiate prescription drugs from over-the-counter drugs and describe proper prescription label requirements
  • Filling medications and inventory control: Label and package dispensed drugs correctly, Store, safely handle and dispose of biological and therapeutic agents, pesticides, and hazardous waste
  • Perform inventory control procedures including restocking supplies and checking expiration dates
  • Vaccinations: Reconstitute vaccines and be familiar with proper protocols, Describe possible routes and methods of drug and vaccine administration that the veterinarian or veterinary technician may choose and demonstrate appropriate small animal restraint for such protocols
• Examination Room Procedures:
  • Restrain patients: small animals, restrain birds. rabbits, pocket pets, and exotics, large animals
  • Basic Procedures: Determine and record temperature, pulse, respiration, body condition score, and weight of patients
  • Trim nails (Required: Cats and Dogs. Optional: Birds and Exotics)
  • Express anal sacs using the external method, Identify external parasites: mites, lice, fleas, and ticks, Recognize AKC dog breeds and CFA cat breeds,
  • Be able to properly identify the gender of small animal species, particularly felines
  • Perform exam room grooming: i.e. trimming nails, external ear canal cleaning, etc.
  • Be familiar with small animal nutritional requirements, pet food labeling standards, dry matter basis calculations, and the differences between pet food products
• Small Animal Nursing (Large Animal Nursing--Optional):
  • Safety Concerns: Demonstrate knowledge of basic normal and abnormal animal behavior, Utilize patient & personnel safety measures
  • Identify potential Zoonotic diseases, Describe isolation procedures, Describe hazardous waste disposal, Describe basic sanitation, Be familiar with OSHA standards
  • Animal Care: Provide routine record-keeping, and observation of hospitalized patients, i.e. stress importance of notations made when cleaning and feeding, Demonstrate a basic understanding of common diseases and medical conditions,
  • Monitor/restrain patients for fluid therapy and record observations, Perform hand pilling (dog, cat), Demonstrate understanding of treatment plan
  • Apply and remove bandages to healthy animals—(equine leg and tail wraps are optional)
  • Perform therapeutic bathing, basic grooming, and dipping of small animals
  • Clean external ear canals, Prepare food & prescription diets - be aware of any special dietary needs
  • Clean & disinfect cages and kennels (stalls are optional)
  • Provide care and maintenance of nursing equipment
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the euthanasia and post mortem care
• Surgical Preparation and Assisting:
  • Assist in performing surgical preparations: Prepare surgical equipment/supplies, Sterilize instruments & supplies using appropriate methods, Identify common instruments, Identify common suture materials, types, and sizes, Assist the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician with preparation of patients using aseptic technique, Operate and maintain autoclaves, Describe operating room sanitation and care, Assist with positioning of surgical patients, Aid the veterinarian/and or veterinary technician with physical monitoring of recovering surgical patients, Maintain the surgical log
  • Facility and Equipment Cleanliness: Maintain proper operating room conduct and asepsis, Perform post-surgical clean up, Fold surgical gowns and drapes
  • Have knowledge of: Surgical equipment, Surgical room and prep area, Instrument cleaning and care, Proper disposal of hazardous medical wastes
• Laboratory Procedures:
  • Assistance in the laboratory: Collect voided urine samples, Determine physical properties of urine including color and clarity, Assist in the collection of blood samples for procedures, Collect voided fecal samples for examination
    Prepare fecal flotation solutions and set up fecal flotations and direct smears, Assist the DVM or veterinary technician in necropsy procedures, Explain how to handle rabies suspects and samples safely, Handle disposal of deceased animals
  • Laboratory Record Keeping: Ensure all laboratory results are accurately recorded, Stock laboratory supplies, File laboratory reports
• Radiology and Ultrasound Imaging:
  • Follow recommended safety measures, Assist the veterinarian and/or the veterinary technician in the completion of diagnostic radiographs and ultrasound including the restraint and positioning of patients, Process diagnostic radiographs, Use hand OR automatic processing in darkroom, Maintain quality control, Label, file, and store film and radiographs Properly care for equipment, Clean screens, Know safety techniques for handling processing chemicals

Objectives:

• Understand how to use your Student Portal.
• Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
• Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.

Objectives:

• Recognize types of animal behavior.
• Understand the role of the veterinary assistant in behavior counseling.
• Identify common animal behavior problems.
• Understand how to handle, restrain, and transport dogs, cats, birds, horses, and other animals.

Additional Unit Material:

Learning Aid: eBook: Textbook for the Veterinary Assistant

Videos:

• Handling and Restraint
• Handling and Restraint of the Horse

Objectives:

• Recognize, understand, and pronounce anatomical and veterinary procedure terminology.
• Understand metric terms and abbreviations.
• Identify the anatomical terms to correctly indicate the orientation and location of animal body parts.
• Recognize cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems, both structurally and functionally.
• Understand the four major classes of joints and explain how they function.
• Describe the structure and function of skin and the animal’s fur.
• Identify the glands and their secretions.
• Explain the structural and functional differences between the organs of the upper and lower respiratory system.
• Understand how the lungs and the parts of the respiratory system work together to supply oxygen to the body’s cells.

Objectives:

• Identify the organs of the digestive system and explain the structure and function of each part.
• Compare the structure of the stomach and large intestine of carnivores and herbivores.
• Recognize the organs of male and female reproductive systems and the events that occur during fertilization.
• Explain the anatomy and functions of the urinary system.

• Understand the organization of the nervous system and how the nervous system receives and interprets.
• Recognize the four senses and their primary functions, which are to provide animals with an awareness of their environment and assist them in their survival. 
• Understand the function of the endocrine system and the major glands and hormones that maintain body homeostasis.

Additional Unit Material:

Learning Aid: Anatomy Charts

Objectives:

• Understand proper nutrition for animals.
• Recognize the veterinary assistant’s role in nutritional care.
• Understand the reproductive systems of the male and female animal.
• Know how to care for the aging animal.
• Understand the unique anatomies of birds and reptiles.
• Identify the body systems common to all reptiles.
• Understand how to take a good medical history.
• Know how to perform a thorough physical examination.
• Assist the veterinarian with the animal patient in ways that are humane, safe, and effective.

Additional Unit Material:

Video: Physical Examination and Bandage Care

Supplements:

• Cat Breeds
• Dog Breeds