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Students describe 500-hour veterinary assisting program and career paths
Summary
Students and a program speaker said the veterinary assisting program includes 250 hours of classroom training and 250 hours of hands-on work, leads to a certified veterinary assisting credential, and prepares graduates for roles in veterinary practices and further certification.
Students and a program speaker described a veterinary assisting program that combines 250 hours of classroom training with 250 hours of hands-on experience, leading to a certified veterinary assisting credential, according to the meeting transcript.
The program is intended to prepare students for entry-level work in veterinary practices and to provide a foundation for further certification as veterinary technicians or veterinarians.
"I have a fondness for animals. I find them intriguing and they're very fun to learn about, so I was very interested in being in it," said Speaker 1, a student, describing why they joined the program.
Speaker 2, a student, outlined skills gained in class and lab settings: "I've learned leadership skills, organization skills, put together a vaccine, use the vaccine needles, set things up like that, use the microscope." The student also described hands-on tasks such as grooming and urinalysis.
Speaker 3, a staff member, provided the program structure: "When they graduate, they will have received 250 hours of in class training. So that includes what they do with the curriculum as well as their hands on experience. And then an additional 250 in a veterinary practice, giving them a total of 500, and they leave me if they are successful with their certified veterinary assisting, certification, and they can enter into the career field, begin working towards their certified veterinary technician, or a lot of them, have aspirations to go on to be a veterinarian." Speaker 3 said students also learn reception and kennel-management tasks and basic animal socialization.
The transcript also notes that students participate in agility training and are taught vaccine preparation and the anatomy of needles so classroom learning can be applied in lab and practice settings.
"...that's gonna allow me to become a vet technician to make me a better veterinarian in the long run, which that's my long term goal," said Speaker 2, a student, describing career aspirations.
No formal motions, votes, or policy decisions related to the program appear in the provided transcript segment; the remarks recorded are descriptive of the program and student experience.
