For an all-in-one education, California State University East Bay has developed a veterinary assistant certificate course. In the course of a single class, students learn the ins and outs of the field, from veterinary terminology to medical informatics, ethics in a vet’s office, how to assist a veterinarian during an exam and more. By the end of the certificate program, students are ready to find work as a veterinary assistant.
Purdue’s Veterinary Technology Education program is considered one of the best in the nation. While enrolled in the program, students can earn both a Bachelor or Associate of Applied Science degree while taking American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited coursework, like principles of animal nutrition. In this course, students will learn about the proper way to balance a diet for an animal. Some of the most important concepts are the function of nutrients, the identification of malnutrition, and the means by which different animals can digest food.
Future veterinary assistants can learn about preventing and treating parasite-borne disease in their coursework at Michigan State University’s veterinary medicine program. Through parasitology, students will be able to identify symptoms of parasite-borne illness that might pose a public health risk. Furthermore, students will gain practical knowledge by honing their microscope skills when looking at samples in order to restrict transmission and increase control.
Anyone who wants to make a career out of caring for animals should have a working understanding of their bodies. At the University of Nebraska Lincoln, anatomy and physiology of domestic animals is a necessary course to graduate with a degree in veterinary science. In this class, students learn about the basic anatomy and physiology of the animals veterinary assistants see the most often. From here, students learn about how the structure of an animal’s body determines its function, and how the systems of the body are controlled.