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Courses >
Health Care, Nutrition, & Fitness > Become a Veterinary Assistant
 Do you love animals? Have you ever thought about a career as a veterinary assistant? This course, taught by a practicing veterinarian and college instructor, will give you the information you need to prepare for work in veterinary hospitals.
What vaccinations do cats and dogs really need and how often should they be given? What is the best way to control fleas? What do you do if your dog has a cut? What is the best way to deal with an emergency situation involving a pet? This course will answer all these questions and more.
You'll learn about pet nutrition and a variety of health and safety issues. You値l understand how to treat and prevent parasites, including roundworms and heartworms. You値l even learn the facts of life, as it pertains to dogs and cats.
You'll explore current thoughts on spaying and neutering, and how to deal with the very emotional issues of euthanasia, pet loss, and how best to assist clients in a time of need.
Special lessons will target specific aspects of veterinary assistant duties. Did you know that a veterinary assistant needs to dispense medications just like a pharmacist? You値l learn how to interpret medical prescriptions that look like Greek scribbles to the untrained eye.
You'll also understand the hazards of working in a veterinary setting so that you can protect yourself from x-ray exposure, infections carried by animals, and potential damage from teeth and claws.
Veterinary hospitals are small businesses, not just places of medicine, so you will also gain a complete understanding of their economics - how income is generated and where it goes. You will also explore marketing and communication because they are essential factors in making a business successful.
Even if you are already employed in a veterinary hospital, you will find this course invaluable in helping you understand the reasoning behind decisions and recommendations made by veterinarians. And if you're a pet owner, this course will help you better assess the quality of veterinary care your pets receive.
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Jeff Grognet.
 Jeff Grognet has been a companion animal veterinarian for 25 years. He was a pioneer in the field of veterinary assistant teaching, developing his first course almost 20 years ago. The overwhelming success of his veterinary receptionist/assistant college courses led him to expand his teaching into other areas in high demand, including pet first aid, and alternative medical therapies for companion animals. He practices with his wife at a Veterinary Hospital in BC, Canada. Jeff has published a large and diverse number of articles over the last 20 years. He is a regular contributing author to several magazines as well as a weekly newspaper columnist.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Our first lesson will start way back at the beginning遥ou'll learn how ancient veterinary medicine evolved into the modern-day practice that you're accustomed to. You'll also learn why a veterinary assistant is just as important to the success of the practice as the veterinarian. In the second component of this lesson, you'll learn all about dog and cat reproduction. You'll learn the normal hormonal cycles and breeding times, and then delve into the benefits of sterilization.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
In this lesson, you'll learn how vaccines protect against disease. And just as important, you'll learn why they sometimes fail. We'll take a close look at how often vaccines should be given, why they may be ill-advised, and why vaccinosis is so controversial.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Today, we'll talk about the importance of parasites that can infest both pets and people. You'll see the worms that live in the intestines, and also get acquainted with heartworm, a nasty guy that lives in the arteries. We'll explore how parasites infect people, what they do, and how to prevent their invasion.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Have you ever wondered how to pick the best food for your pet? This lesson will give you the tools to make the right decision, and how best to pass the information on to your clients. We'll also talk about the role of prescription diets in pet health.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
This will certainly be the most emotional lesson in the entire course. The topic is euthanasia, and we'll look at it from the perspectives of both the client and the hospital employee. We'll explore the stages of grief that everyone goes through after a loss. You'll also see what the procedure entails, how to help a grieving client, and tools for assisting children with pet loss.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
In this lesson, you'll learn why a veterinary hospital can be a dangerous place. You'll see how X-rays, anesthetics, and certain drugs can harm you. You'll finish this lesson with Economics 101, a glimpse into the cash flow of a typical veterinary hospital.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
This lesson will help you in a crisis. Designed like a short course in human first aid, this lesson will help you cope with almost any emergency, and we'll discuss ways that some emergencies can be prevented. There's even a segment on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, dog and cat style!
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
What is the most important parasite affecting our pets? If you answered the flea, you're right. In this lesson, you'll learn all about this parasite that lives on the skin. You'll also hear about other crawling parasites that live in the skin (mange) and how they can be managed.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Did you know that, as a hospital employee, any advice you give could end up in a lawsuit? You'll see how to maintain client confidentiality and how to avoid grievances. You'll round off your study on client communications with an introduction to client education programs.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
As soon as you're hired as a veterinary assistant, you become a pharmacist, helping to prepare prescriptions. In this lesson, you'll find out how to do this correctly. You'll also learn about your role in keeping accurate medical records. We'll end the lesson with a short course on marketing, taking a close look at some of the best tools you can use to keep old clients and attract new ones.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
This lesson is probably the most controversial: Here, you'll learn all about alternative therapies that some veterinarians are applying in their practices, including acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, and chiropractic care. And when it comes to pet food, is commercial, home-cooked, or raw the best choice? We'll examine the plusses and minuses of each possible diet.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In our last lesson, we'll take a close look at animal behavior. You'll delve into how best to train puppies and kittens, and more importantly, how to share the information with your clients. At the end of the course, you'll see how everything you致e learned can be put together for a comprehensive health plan covering everything from behavior, vaccinations, and nutrition to castration, euthanasia, and alternative therapies.
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"Absoultely 100% worth every bit of taking this course. Jeff did a great job with the arrangement of assignments and content. I felt the content was very useful and fitting the level of this course description. It more than met my expectations. WONDERFUL COURSE!"
"A very worthwhile course for anyone with pets, volunteers at shelters or even a veterinary assistant!"
"For me, I had no previous experience with animals. I was never even allowed to have a pet. This course was amazing at teaching me pet care, nutrition, and what really goes on inside the vet office. I feel as though I now have enough knowledge to answer any questions that people may have. I also feel that this course is good for any age...I am 21 and I know I can feel comfortable and smart and not inadequate in an animal working environment! Thanks so much for the course!"
"I am a volunteer in a Humane Society no-kill facility and this course has been very helpful for me. I am a recently retired RN nurse practitioner so I have a lot of health care education and experience for people and this course provided a lot of practical information for companion animals. It was a pleasure to take this course."
"I am in my late 40's, and my mom owned a kennel my whole life, until she passed last year. That being said, I was amazed at the things I remember her doing as I read the lessons, but never really knew exactly why. It was so enlightening. I learned so much that made sense to me, now that I am older. The instructor was very clear, and understanding. My final word is, no matter how long you have been around animals, there is so much to learn in this course. Very well worth your time. Thanks for a wonderful job!"
"I did a lot of reading on my own pertaining to most of these topics before taking this course. I was surprised by how much more I learned through this course. It took everything I already knew to a greater depth. It also gave me insight into the workings of a veterinary practice that will help my understanding of the decisions and procedures made by my veterinarian and staff."
"I found this course to be an excellent introduction to becoming a veterinary assistant. I feel that I now have a clear understanding of what a career in the veterinary assistant field would entail. I would recommend this course to anyone considering this field."
"I found this course to be very informative and beneficial not only as a pet owner but also as I attend college to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. Dr. Jeff did a great job with the lesson plans, easy to understand, great additional suggestions for more information and quite informative. Thanks for the opportunity to take part in such a great program."
"I love animals and took this class hoping it will help get my foot in the door at a veterinarian clinic. I have learned so much about how to better care for my babies. The course was interesting and informative and very easy to read and understand. I recommend anyone with pets to take this if for no other reason than you love your pets and want the best for them. I'm glad I took it."
"I loved the course I discovered many new things and can better assist clients at the Hospital where I work."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Recommended Courses:
Students who enrolled in Become a Veterinary Assistant were also interested in the following courses:
Become a Veterinary Assistant II: Canine Reproduction
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Medical Terminology
Become a Veterinary Assistant III: Practical Skills
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