Veterinary Nursing

This course enables students to supplement coursework with practical work experience. Students will observe the daily functions of a variety of area veterinary hospitals and practice the skills of a veterinary assistant under direct supervision. Students have a set rotation schedule for attendance at a specific facility on a weekly basis. The schedule may include weekend rotations.

A course that highlights basic and advanced nursing procedures, including but not limited to restraint, behavior awareness, physical exams, reproduction, necropsy, specimen collection, euthanasia, companion animal diseases, emergency and critical care, laws and ethics, and practice management skills for veterinary technicians/veterinary nurses.

This is an advanced course for veterinary assistants designed to build on the material from VETN 100. Students will gain knowledge and hands on experience in a variety of topics including: understand common and zoonotic diseases of animals; read pet food labels and understanding nutritional concepts; perform proper prescription labeling and understand general pharmacy requirements; assist with surgical patient preparation; perform basic lab work; and assist with diagnostic imaging.

This course is designed to provide the student with the understanding of anatomy and physiology of domestic species that are most often encountered in food animal and companion animal practice. Body systems include: cardiac, lymphatic, digestive, reproductive, urinary, respiratory and endocrine. All information will be comparative with each species including canine, felines, equine, porcine, ruminants and avian.

An externship allowing students to observe companion, food and equine practices. Students will observe all aspects of a working clinic. Externships will allow valuable exposure to the reception area, treatment and surgical areas, radiology, laboratory, kennel and stables.

This course includes large animal husbandry, restraint techniques, diseases, nursing and herd health management. The student will acquire the knowledge and skills through lecture and laboratory. Special topics include anatomy, reproduction, and nutrition and will be discussed as they relate to each species.

This course consists of three sections: anesthesia, surgical nursing and dental procedures. The anesthesia section includes an overview of pharmacology, the use and application of anesthetic agents, the physiological effects of anesthetic agents, monitoring procedures, pain management, and basic anesthetic protocol. The surgical nursing section includes the understanding of sterile techniques including the methods by which sterilization is achieved, appropriate behavior in a surgical setting, care of equipment and instruments, and the roles of the operating room staff. The dental section includes a basic understanding of dental anatomy, instrument identification and function, dental exams and cleaning, personnel safety and client education.

This course is designed to instruct veterinary nursing students on the pharmacology and physiology of drugs, rules on filling prescriptions, and handling, storing, and documentation of controlled substances. Emphasis will be placed on classification of drugs, route and methods of administration of drugs, calculating dosages, and physiological action on the systems of the body.

A course in the normal and therapeutic nutritional needs of various species of animals. Topics include components of food, calculating energy requirements, digestion, and life stage needs.

This course includes the study of internal and external parasites of domestic animals. The student will learn identification, life cycles, routes of transmission, prevention and treatment protocols for the various parasites. Laboratory techniques used for identification will be covered in detail. The student will also learn the importance of public health safety, including procedures and protocols.