Accreditation
The Veterinary Technology program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173, as a program for educating veterinary technicians.
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Mission Statement
The veterinary technology program prepares students to become entry-level veterinary technicians in positions that may include any area in the full spectrum of veterinary medicine (small, large, exotic or laboratory animal nursing). Students receive a solid foundation in general education and basic science courses as well as technical courses and laboratories relevant to veterinary technology.
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Nature of the Work
Owners of pets and other animals today expect superior veterinary care. To provide this service, veterinarians use the skills of veterinary technicians, who perform many of the same duties for a veterinarian that a nurse would for a physician.
Veterinary technicians typically conduct clinical work in a private practice under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. For example, they may perform laboratory tests such as urinalysis and blood counts, assist with dental care, prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and assist veterinarians in a variety of other diagnostic tests. Some veterinary technicians record patients' case histories, expose and develop radiographs, and provide specialized nursing care. In addition, experienced veterinary technicians may discuss a pet's condition with its owners and train new clinic personnel. Veterinary technicians usually care for small pets, such as cats and dogs, but can perform a variety of duties with mice, rats, sheep, pigs, cattle, monkeys, birds, fish, and frogs.
Besides working in private clinics and animal hospitals, some veterinary technicians work in research facilities under the guidance of veterinarians or physicians. In this role, they may administer medications, prepare samples for laboratory examinations, or record information on an animal's genealogy, diet, weight, medications, food intake, and clinical signs of pain and distress. Some may sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment and provide routine postoperative care. Occasionally, veterinary technicians may have to euthanize seriously ill, severely injured, or unwanted animals.
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Work Environment
While people who love animals get satisfaction from helping them, some of the work may be unpleasant, physically and emotionally demanding, and sometimes dangerous. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that full-time veterinary technicians experienced a work-related injury and illness rate that was much higher than the national average. At times, veterinary technicians must clean cages and lift, hold, or restrain animals, risking exposure to bites or scratches. These workers must take precautions when treating animals with germicides or insecticides. The work setting can be noisy. In some animal hospitals, research facilities, and animal shelters, a veterinary technician is on duty 24 hours a day, which means that some work night shifts. Most full-time veterinary technicians work about 40 hours a week, although some work 50 or more hours a week.
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Employment
Employment of veterinary technicians is expected to grow 36 percent nationally over the 2008-2018 projection period.
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Earnings
Median annual wages nationally of veterinary technologists and technicians were $28,900 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $23,580 and $34,960. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $19,770, and the top 10 percent earned more than $41,490.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition (http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
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Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the associate degree program in Veterinary Technology will:
- Compare favorably in their knowledge of the core technical duty areas evaluated on the Veterinary Technician National Examination with those students completing a similar program nationally
- Be technically proficient at the entry level
- Demonstrate the use of critical thinking skills to identify and solve problems in discipline-specific situations
- Adopt the appearance, attitudes, and conduct that represent the professionalism needed for success in the field of veterinary technology
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in Veterinary Technician Assistant will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Perform basic veterinary recordkeeping procedures
- Collect specimens and perform basic laboratory procedures
- Provide basic animal nursing care
- Assist the veterinarian or veterinary technician in diagnostic, medical, and surgical procedures
- Assist the veterinarian or veterinary technician in diagnostic imaging procedures
- Demonstrate basic client communication skills
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
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Essential Functions
The purpose of an Essential Functions List is to allow students who are considering a career to be informed of the physical, emotional, and psychological demands related to training and employment in a field of study. These lists are provided to allow prospective students to make informed career choices by providing them with a summary of the physical abilities and personality traits that are generally required for the successful completion of a curriculum and result in employment in their field of study after graduation.
Veterinary Technology is a career with many different paths; however, an accredited educational program has the responsibility to ensure that every student is technically competent in the procedures and tasks that are essential to the functioning of a technician in a clinical setting. To this end, the Veterinary Technology faculty members have developed the following list of essential functions/technical skills that students should be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, at the time of admission to the Veterinary Technology program.
Students must possess sufficient strength, coordination, mobility, and manual dexterity to perform the following procedures accurately, safely, and efficiently:
- Be physically capable of handling equipment and animals that weigh up to 50 pounds
- Move, reach, manipulate, and operate equipment and controls
- Access supply and storage areas
- Enter, maneuver in, and quickly exit cages, stalls, and other animal handling areas (may involve stooping, kneeling, crawling, and/or climbing)
- Move between animal holding facilities, treatment areas, and surgical suites without physical impairment
- Spend prolonged periods of time walking, standing, sitting, crawling, and bending
- Reach, push, or pull animals or equipment in confined areas
Students must be able to demonstrate the following abilities:
- Normal natural or corrected visual and auditory acuity to allow for patient assessment at a distance
- Tolerance of high volume areas such as dog kennels and swine facilities
- Recognition of signals, alarms, emergency signals, and voices while in animal care or treatment facilities and while wearing protective garb
- Recognition of the presence of fire, gas, or toxic reagents for maintaining clinic and patient safety
Students must possess the following skills:
- Critical thinking and problem solving skills to assess patient status and response to therapy
- The ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously
- Reading and writing skills that enable them to assess medical records and treatment plans, make legally binding notes on patient status and care, and accurately complete logbooks
- Computer skills that enable them to input, access, and assess client and patient information, as well as perform hospital management tasks
- Strong and positive interpersonal skills with the ability to interact appropriately with individuals from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds
- Personal initiative to work independently and with small groups of people
- Stress management skills to handle stressful situations related to pain, injury, death, and dying
- Initiative and self-motivation to continue life-long learning
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Program Expenses
The recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires all colleges and universities to notify students and prospective students of all program costs for which they will be responsible. Students will be responsible for the following expenses:
- Tuition ($75 per credit hour)
- Registration fee ($39)
- Student activity fees ($30)
- Accident insurance fee ($6)
- Instructional and technology supply fee ($55)
- Dosimetry badge fee ($25 when enrolled in VETT 1070 and VETT 2300)
- Georgia Veterinary Technician registration application fee ($50)
- GVTAA student membership ($10 per year/optional)
- Immunizations
- Rabies vaccine series (Approximately $600)
- Tetanus (Approximately $30)
- Tuberculosis test (Approximately $40)
- Laboratory supply fee (Varies - See course descriptions for exact costs)
- Malpractice insurance ($15 annually)
- Physical examination (Approximately $150)
- SCNAVTA/NAVTA student membership ($15 per year/optional)
- Textbooks (Approximately $2,625 for entire program)
- Uniforms and related supplies (Approximately $300)
- Veterinary Technician National Examination ($300)
These expenses are based on costs in effect at the time this catalog was published. Prices are subject to change.
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Gainful Employment
Information on graduation rates, job placement rates, median loan debt incurred by students and other gainful employment information is available on the college website.
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Admission Requirements
The Veterinary Technology program uses a competitive admission process to select students. The Veterinary Technology program admits students once per year to begin program-specific (VETT) courses at the beginning of Fall Semester. Applicants must submit all required documentation for admission at the associate-degree level to the Admissions Office by June 1 to receive consideration in the selection process. Prospective students may gain admission to the college initially as Health Care Science or program students/applicants to Veterinary Technology in order to complete any learning support classes and required general education and health core courses. Applicants not selected for the program may reapply during subsequent admission intake periods. There is no waiting list between intake periods; applicants must complete the application process for each attempt for entry into the Veterinary Technology program.
Program faculty members recommend that applicants to the Veterinary Technology program have volunteer or paid practical experience in a veterinary hospital or an animal care facility prior to seeking admission to the program. This experience should be under the supervision of a registered veterinary technician or licensed doctor of veterinary medicine. While there is no specific requirement for the number of hours of experience, it is important that applicants be fully aware of the profession and job requirements prior to enrolling in the program.
The number of students accepted into the program is limited. To receive consideration for admission to the Veterinary Technology program, applicants must submit the following information to the Admissions Office by the June 1 deadline:
- Completed and signed application for admission to the college and the required $20 nonrefundable application fee
- Official transcripts from every college attended demonstrating that they have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale on all college coursework attempted previously (the admissions committee will consider high school grade point averages (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) if applicants have not attended college in the past)
- Documentation of completion of college algebra (MATH 1111), biology (BIOL 1111 and BIOL 1111L), chemistry (CHEM 1211 and CHEM 1211L), and introduction to computers (COMP 1000) or equivalent courses with final course grades of C or better (applicants transferring from other colleges must confirm the transferability of equivalent coursework with the college's director of registration and records before the June 1 application deadline)
- Completed and signed Veterinary Technology Program Intent Form (blank forms are available in the Admissions Office and online at www.athenstech.edu/oldcatalog/programsofstudy.cfm - select Selective Admissions Forms)
- Valid SAT test scores (test scores must be less than five years old on the application deadline date)
- A personal statement essay attached to and addressing the questions listed on the Veterinary Technology: Personal Statement Guidelines and Signature Form (blank forms are available online at www.athenstech.edu/oldcatalog/programsofstudy.cfm - select Selective Admissions Forms)
- A photocopy of applicant's official birth certificate, passport, driver's license, or state-issued photo identification card to document that they are at least 18 years old
- The signature form included in the Veterinary Technology Program Policies and Procedures Manual confirming they have reviewed and understood the material included in the manual (the manual and signature form are available online at www.athenstech.edu/oldcatalog/programsofstudy.cfm - select Selective Admissions Forms)
- A signed document acknowledging that the commission of a felony may prevent graduates from becoming registered veterinary technicians in the State of Georgia and acknowledging that they may be required to complete drug testing and/or background checks at their own expense prior to participating in internships, practicums, or clinical activities at certain host sites for these activities (see Drug Testing/Background Checks) (blank documents are available from the program chair or the Admissions Office and online at www.athenstech.edu/oldcatalog/programsofstudy.cfm - select Selective Admissions Forms)
Applicants who are on academic probation or are academically dismissed from the college as of the June 1 application deadline will not be considered for admission. Because performance in math and science has proven to be an excellent predictor of success in the Veterinary Technology program, and because communications skills (reading and writing) and personal experiences contribute greatly to achieving that success, candidates will be ranked using the following criteria:
- Prerequisite course grade point average (BIOL 1111, BIOL 1111L, CHEM 1211, CHEM 1211L, COMP 1000, MATH 1111)
- SAT scores (math, critical reading)
- Faculty evaluations of the applicant's personal statement
Although applicants must have a minimum grade of C in the prerequisite courses, it should be noted that the prerequisite course grade point average is one of the main criteria for selection in health and life science programs, so grades of C are typically not competitive.
Applicants invited to join the program at the end of the selection process will be required to attend a scheduled, mandatory New Veterinary Technology Student Orientation prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester for which they have been accepted (typically in July; failure to attend or, in the event of a catastrophic event, to make alternate arrangements to obtain the information presented will result in the forfeiture of admission to the program).
At the beginning of the Fall Semester when students begin VETT courses, they must submit the following documents to the Veterinary Technology program chair:
- A completed Veterinary Technology Physical Examination Form with the results of a recent medical examination with a qualified healthcare provider indicating that the student is in satisfactory health to work with animals (Physical Examination Forms will be distributed by the program chair at the mandatory New Veterinary Technology Student Orientation and/or through the United States Postal Service)
- Verification of malpractice insurance (see Malpractice Insurance)
- By September 30 of their first semester of enrollment, students will be required to submit official immunization records proving they have received vaccines against rabies, tetanus, and measles/mumps/rubella
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Readmission Policy
If students withdraw from the program for any reason, they must follow the steps detailed under Life Sciences Programs Readmission. In addition, students seeking readmission will abide by all policies and procedures in place at the time of their request for readmission.
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Residency Policy
Only in the event that the program slots cannot be filled with Georgia residents who meet the minimum admissions criteria can out-of-state students be admitted to the Veterinary Technology program.
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