Veterinary Medical Terminology

Learn to pronounce, spell, and define veterinary medical terms. This course provides a step-by-step process that will help you build an understanding of medical language specific to the veterinary field.

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6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs
Starting  May 14, 2025
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science

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Learning method

Veterinary Medical Terminology

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Course code: vmt

To work in the veterinary field, you need to understand the medical language unique to the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of animals. This online course will teach you the definition and uses of veterinary medical terminology.

You will master veterinary medical terminology through a simplified learning process that builds on commonly used word parts. Each course lesson is designed to build on this foundation, with the material and illustrations focusing on the new word parts and definitions needed for success in the veterinary field.

What you will learn

  • To approach a medical term and systematically divide it into word parts and understand its meaning
  • Basic anatomy and physiology of animals seen in veterinary practice
  • Tests, diseases, and procedures done in veterinary medicine
  • Recognize abbreviations used in clinical practice
  • Apply critical thinking skills to participate in online discussions

How you will benefit

  • By understanding the basics of dissecting and defining word parts, you will be able to comprehend veterinary medical terminology used in a variety of settings
  • By learning basic anatomy and physiology, you will have a solid understanding animal health conditions
  • By applying medical terminology to clinical case studies, you will be able to process medical information to understand how veterinary professionals interact with each other

How the course is taught

  • Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
  • 6 Weeks or 3 Months access
  • 24 course hours

This lesson provides the basics of how medical terms are formed, analyzed, and defined.

This lesson provides terms used in everyday dialogue regarding animal body systems, positioning of animals, and relationships between body parts.

In this lesson, you'll learn medical terminology related to the skeletal and muscular systems. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for both systems are described.

This lesson consists of common terms for landmarks on an animal's body, as well as terms used in the animal industry to describe males and females of selected species, terms for their young, and for groups of their species.

In this lesson, you'll learn about the anatomy of the digestive system. Clinical terms related to this system, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the digestive system are described.

This lesson explores the anatomy, clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures of the urinary and cardiovascular systems. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the urinary and cardiovascular systems are included.

The structures of the respiratory system and the breathing process are described in this lesson. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the respiratory system are included.

Veterinary medical terms related to the integumentary and endocrine systems are explored in this lesson. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the integumentary and endocrine systems are included.

It's time to learn all about reproduction. The male and female reproductive systems, mating, pregnancy, and birth, as well as diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures of the reproductive system, are the topics of this lesson.

This lesson covers the nervous system and the functions and structures of the eyes and ears. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the nervous system and eyes and ears are included.

Three systems are described in this lesson: the hematologic, lymphatic, and immune systems. The specialty of oncology is also described in this lesson. Clinical terms, diagnostic tests, pathology, and procedures for the hematologic, lymphatic, and systems, as well as oncology terms, are included.

This lesson relates to tests, procedures, and treatments used in the care of animals in the veterinary medical field.

Dr. Janet Romich

Dr. Janet Romich received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Romich received the Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association's Veterinarian of the Year Award for her work in teaching and mentoring veterinary technician students. She has authored the textbooks An Illustrated Guide to Veterinary Medical Terminology, Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Veterinary Technicians and Understanding Zoonotic Diseases; she also co-authored Veterinary Technician Dictionary. She continues to work as a relief veterinarian in both small and laboratory animal settings.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.​

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.​

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.​

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.