Veterinary Assistant VET.S.STC

Short-term Technical Certificate - 19 Credit Hours

Division: Health Sciences
Department: Veterinary Technology
Effective as of Fall 2025

What is the program about?

This certificate program prepares the student to work within the veterinary hospital, assisting the veterinary technician (nurse) and veterinarian (doctor) with animal care by learning and practicing professionalism, client service, animal behavior and restraint, assisting in veterinary medical procedures, laboratory protocols and collection and preparation of samples, surgical suite care and preparation of animals, and anesthetic monitoring for the stable patient. Students will be offered the opportunity to become Fear Free (R) certified during this program. This certificate will focus on the care of small animals (dogs and cats), but students interested in large animal or exotic animal care may be able to be placed in a suitable clinic in which to gain that experience. Note: All courses in this certificate must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Program Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of and be able to perform all essential skills outlined by the NAVTA Veterinary Assistant certificate when working with a variety of animals, laboratory samples, client care, and clinical tasks.
• Demonstrate the ability to write coherently and effectively with minimal grammatical and spelling errors such that they can communicate in English with clients and contribute to medical records.
• Demonstrate an understanding of verbal and non-verbal communication in order to communicate clinical and animal needs effectively with clients and colleagues.

Career Opportunities

A Veterinary Assistant is a vital member of the medical/patient-care team in a veterinary hospital. Veterinary Assistants do not need to be certified in the state of Ohio in order to work in a veterinary practice, but this program is designed to create a professional, well-trained, experienced employee who will be able to fit into a variety of practices. The veterinary profession lacks sufficient paraprofessionals in this region, the state of Ohio, and the nation - additional trained staff can help to alleviate the stress on current workers. Veterinary assistants are also valuable in other animal-related fields, such as kennel-worker, groom, animal trainer, and animal care-giver (petsitter).

Credentials

The Veterinary Assistant program is approved as a program through NAVTA. This means that completers of the program will be eligible to sit for the "Approved Veterinary Assistant" credentialing exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, the participant would be entitled to use the designation AVA and would receive a documenting certificate. Completers of the program are eligible for employment prior to obtaining their credential, and credentials are not required to work as a Veterinary Assistant in the State of Ohio.

Program Accreditation Information

There is no accrediting body for this certificate, but the department maintains approval through NAVTA.