Program Description
Veterinary Assistants assist in kennel care, assist veterinary technicians during exams of animals and provide support throughout the veterinary office. They are employed at animal shelters, animal emergency centers and veterinary practices.
Program Outcomes
Successful Completion:
CCBC Credential: Students will have access to a Continuing Education academic record (transcript). Students will be awarded a Continuing Education Workforce Training Certificate. Students will be prepared to work in an entry level position in animal care.
Financial Aid and Payment Options
- Continuing Education Opportunity Grant
- Partial Payment Option (through Nelnet Business Solutions)
- Tuition Waiver for Senior Citizens and Individuals with Disabilities
- Employer/Sponsor Paid Tuition
- Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
- Local Office of Workforce Development
Program Length
16-20 weeks
Veterinary Assistant starts three times a year at CCBC Essex beginning in January/February, June, September.
Program Requirements
High School Diploma or GED
All students must be computer literate and have Internet access. Clinical eligibility is in part dependent upon a criminal background check and random urine drug testing. Cost of the test is the responsibility of the student. Go to http://precheck.com/ for more information.
Students must have the following paperwork turned in to the Coordinator PRIOR to the start of Veterinary Assistant II:
- Tetanus shot (less than ten years)
- Copy of health insurance card
- Copy of high school diploma or GED
Application Process
Open Entry – No screening or documentation required.
Program Course Sequence
|
Course Number
|
Course Title
|
Course Hours
|
Costs
T=Tuition/F=Fees
|
Textbook Information
(approximate cost; subject to change)
|
|
AHE 752
|
Veterinary Assistant I
|
30
|
$440
T-$275/F-$165
|
Handouts online
|
|
AHE 753
|
Veterinary Assistant II
|
30
|
$330
T-$165/F-$165
|
Handouts online
|
|
AHE 754
|
Veterinary Assistant III
|
30
|
$330
T-$165/F-$165
|
Handouts online
|
|
AHE 755
|
Veterinary Assistant IV Clinical
|
45
|
$220
T-$82/F-$138
|
None
|
|
Course Series Totals:
|
135
|
$1320
T-$687/F-$633
|
|
Additional Information
Additional Expenses
Students are responsible for the cost of medical expenses, background checks, uniforms and other miscellaneous expenses totaling approximately $300.
Skills for Success:
See Technical Standards at the end of this document.
Career Opportunities:
Veterinary offices are always looking for entry level staff.
Program Contact Information
Coordinator:
Lauren Perrera
lperrera@ccbcmd.edu
443-840-1160
Essex, HTEC-013
Administrative Assistant:
Maria Buttion
mbuttion@ccbcmd.edu
443-840-1866
Essex, HTEC-005
Technical Standards
Technical Standards for CCBC’s Veterinary Assistant Training Program
The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County’s Veterinary Assistants training program is to prepare individuals interested in working with animals in an entry-level position in animal shelters, animal emergency centers and veterinary practices. The duties of a Veterinary Assistant require the ability to routinely lift animals and sustain long hours of active work. They need to clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. Assistants may provide routine post-operative care, and administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians or veterinarians.
Following is a partial listing of the types of skills typically required for adequate job performance:
Physical Requirements:
A. Sufficient strength and mobility to:
- Lift or move animals up to 50 pounds or more
- Ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body continuously over time without giving out
B. Fine motor coordination sufficient to perform precise tasks such as:
- Ability to make precise movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects
- Ability to keep your arm and hand steady
- Ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs
C. Adequate vision to:
- See details at a distance
D. Sufficient hearing to:
- Hear and give verbal instructions in person under noisy conditions
- Identify and understand the speech of another person
Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism:
Have the ability to:
- Develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with others and maintain them over time
- Provide customer and personal services, including the ability to perform customer needs assessment, meet quality matters standards, and evaluate customer satisfaction
- Maintain proper certifications required to perform the duties of the profession
B. Sufficient communication skills to:
- Provide information to supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates by telephone, written form, email, and in person
- Communicating with people outside of the organization and representing the organization to customers
- Communicate in a calm and professional manner
Intellectual Ability and Emotional Stability To:
- Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Exercise independent judgment to properly perform tasks at hand
- Work calmly and efficiently in a fast-paced, stressful environment
- Maintain calm during emergency situations
Environment Requirements:
- Working in an environment that is often noisy
- Working in an often times stressful and fast paced environment
- Working in an environment with unpleasant odors (feces).
