Veterinary Technology

Award Type: Certificate of Achievement

The Veterinary Technology Program introduces technical skills and veterinary medical concepts necessary to pursue a career as a veterinary assistant and meets the educational requirements of the California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) for veterinary assistants to become Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT)*. *In addition to completing the educational requirements, 4,416 hours of practical work experience with a California-licensed veterinarian are required in order to be eligible to take the veterinary technician licensing exams. The VMB eligibility requirements are subject to change at any time and without notice to educational providers or their students. Veterinary Assistants and Registered Veterinary Technicians are integral to the animal health care team that works under the supervision of veterinarians to perform various types of tasks including veterinary laboratory procedures, surgical and anesthesia assisting, digital imaging (including x-ray technology), dental procedures, medical nursing, emergency care, and veterinary office procedures. The Veterinary Technology Certificate of Achievement program requires the completion of 23 units. The courses are designed to meet the educational requirements of the California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) Alternate Route eligibility category for veterinary assistants to become Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT). The application requirements for the Alternate Route include specific content coverage in the following areas: 1) Dental prophylaxis and extractions; 2) Anesthetic instrumentation, induction and monitoring; 3) Surgical nursing, assisting and instrumentation, suturing techniques, and application of casts and splints; 4) Radiology and radiation safety (including diagnostic imaging); 5) Diseases and animal nursing including zoonotic diseases and emergency veterinary care; 6) IV Catheter placement. The students must have successfully completed BIOL 100 and CHEM 120 (or equivalent) to be admitted into the program.

The graduate of the Certificate of Achievement in Veterinary Technology will:

1. Demonstrate the knowledge necessary to perform animal medical nursing care.
2. Demonstrate the knowledge necessary to perform animal surgical nursing and dental care.
3. Demonstrate the knowledge necessary to safely perform veterinary radiology.
4. Understand the proper techniques for performing veterinary laboratory procedures used in clinical settings.
5. Demonstrate effective communication skills in the performance of veterinary office procedures.