Students are advised to study biology, anatomy and physiology concepts in preparation for the Vet Tech degree.

M140 Math for Healthcare Applications is recommended for this program but not required. Students with M140 Math for Healthcare Applications will receive more points on the Veterinary Technician AAS application than other core math classes. Students who chose not to take M140 Math for Healthcare Applications should practice medical math concepts to prepare for the coursework in the Veterinary Technician AAS degree.

Dosage Calculation:

• Embracing the Everyday Math of Veterinary Medicine: Why It Matters for Both Veterinarians and Vet Techs – Vetcetera
• Quizlet VTNE Flash cards: https://quizlet.com/842721434/vtne-medical-calculations-flash-cards/
• Pressbook: Drug Dose Calculation – OSU CVM Veterinary Clinical and Professional Skills Center Handbook
• Khanmingo: https://www.khanmigo.ai/

Animal A&P:

• Vet Set Go: https://www.vetsetgo.com/i-want-to-be-a-vet/anatomy-learn-your-way-around-an-animal
• Open Source Textbooks: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/348

Rabies Vaccine Notice: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who work directly with animals that could have rabies receive a 2-dose PrEP with titer once every three years. If you have questions regarding this vaccination series, please speak to the program director, listed below.

Why do I need it? the CDC recommends anyone working with animals be prophylaxed with the rabies vaccine. Therefore, the AVMA CVTEA requires either students or all mammals in our program be fully vaccinated. Students who decline the vaccine may encounter challenges in the final semester of the program finding vaccinated cattle/horses/goats/and or sheep to work with while completing the required skills necessary to graduate.

Where do I get my rabies vaccine? Schedule an appointment with your local doctor or County Health Department to get the vaccine. Check with your health insurance provide to determine if it is covered. Your local provider or health department may have to order the vaccine. Please reach out to our program director if you have more questions.

Technical Standards

The technical standards for the Great Falls College Veterinary Technician Program are listed below and are considered criteria for admission to the program.

If you have questions or concerns about your ability to meet the technical standards with or without accommodations, or if you would like to arrange reasonable accommodations, you should contact Disability Services. Applicants who disclose a disability are considered for admission if they are otherwise qualified so long as such accommodation does not significantly alter the essential requirements of the curriculum and the educational program or significantly affect the safety of patients or others.

To successfully complete the Veterinary Technician program, students must demonstrate their competency in carrying out tasks necessary for safe and effective practice in the field, including:

Observation/Sensory-Motor

• Accurately identify and assess heart, breath, abdominal, and other bodily sounds
• Accurately assess skin and mucous membrane color for abnormal/normal changes and observe pupil changes
• Accurately differentiate colors and recognize patient odors
• Detect and respond appropriately to activation/warning signals on equipment (including auditory and visual signals)
• Detect significant environmental odors
• Distinguish fine print on various medication labels
• Observe and assess the conditions of a patient accurately, at a distance and close at hand, and observe body language when performing nursing assessments and interventions or administering medications
• Observe digital or waveform readings
• Perceive signs of disease and/or infection as manifested through physical examination, including visual images of the body surfaces, palpable changes in various organs and tissues, and auditory information (vocalization, heart, bowel, and lung sounds)
• Read gradients/calibrations on a syringe

Communication

• Accurately document treatment information
• Communicate accurately and effectively in English with other students, faculty, staff, patients, clients, and other professionals in a respectful manner
• Communicate effectively in classroom presentations, seminars, simulations, veterinary partner sites, conferences, and online formats
• Convey or exchange accurate information clearly and efficiently to obtain a thorough patient history, identify problems presented, and explain treatment plans
• Effectively communicate with and respond appropriately to other healthcare professionals’ questions, requests, and directions in classroom, lab, and clinical settings
• Process and communicate information on the patient’s status, including changes in behavior, activity, appetite, and posture with accuracy in a timely manner to members of the healthcare team

Psychomotor

• Adjust and operate diagnostic or therapeutic devices by manipulating knobs, dials, and keyboards
• Assemble medical equipment and supplies
• Conduct laboratory and diagnostic tests and carry out physical assessments
• Coordinate fine and gross muscular movements to treat patients in emergency situations
• Engage in patient care delivery in all settings and deliver care to all life stages
• Execute physical movements required to provide general care and treatment to all patients in all healthcare settings
• Move and position heavy and/or large equipment and patients
• Operate equipment typically found in the healthcare environment, including but not limited to anesthesia machines, IV pumps, blood pressure equipment, hydraulic and manual cattle chutes, fixed and portable radiology machines, and safe handling equipment
• Perform basic life support, ventilation/compression (including CPR), and other basic life support functions
• Perform inspection, palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers
• Provide holistic nursing care and perform or assist with procedures, treatments, and medication administration
• Respond to emergencies precisely, consistently, accurately, and quickly
• Safely transport large patients
• Turn/reposition recumbent patients

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative

• Accurately perform mathematical calculations and calculate medication dosages & IV rates from instructions given
• Analyze, collect, and synthesize data to reach diagnostic and therapeutic judgments and to develop an appropriate plan of care
• Demonstrate factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge
• Effectively perform chart reviews and continuous assessment of the patient’s status
• Effectively prioritize multiple tasks
• Effectively take and record veterinarian orders, patient histories, and subjective/objective findings
• Exercise sound judgment in patient assessment
• Maintain accurate clinical records on patient care
• Manage the demands of time constraints and frequent interruptions
• Measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, synthesize, and problem-solve in the context of the level and the focus of their curricular program
• Perform data entry tasks using available technology
• Perform universal precautions against contamination and nosocomial transmission
• Provide all aspects of patient care, including medication administration and treatments according to veterinarian orders and guidelines
• Provide an in-depth rationale for the plan of care
• Use and interpret information from assessment techniques/maneuvers, such as those used to assess respiratory and cardiac function, blood pressure, blood sugar, neurological status, etc.
• Use and interpret information related to physiologic phenomena generated from diagnostic tools (stethoscope, otoscope, ophthalmoscope) during a comprehensive examination of a patient

Behavioral and Social Attributes

• Abide by the professional standards of practice defined by the discipline
• Demonstrate compassion, sensitivity, and concern for patients, clients, and other veterinary professionals
• Demonstrate understanding and adherence to professional standards of veterinary nursing
• Function effectively under physically taxing workloads, including in times of physical and mental stress
• Function effectively under stress and adapt to an environment that may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways
• Maintain appropriate professional decorum in high-stress situations and when exposed to unusual sights and smells
• Maintain confidentiality with regard to all phases of work

If students complete the following steps

• Maintain a good academic standing at Great Falls College
• Earn at least a C in all their Veterinary Office CTS courses
• Successfully complete their Veterinarian Office degree by the required date listed on the Veterinary Technician AAS Application
• Secure an approved Veterinarian Vet Partner

They will be eligible to apply for the Veterinary Technician AAS degree.

Is the Veterinary Office certificate of studies a prerequisite for the Veterinary Technician program?

Yes. Each fall, Great Falls College will offer a Veterinary Office certificate of technical studies. The 18-19 credits that make up this program are the prerequisites to get into the Veterinary Technician associate of applied science program. You may want to take some of the credits before the fall semester to lighten your load, especially for those needing an additional math course (based on math placement scores). You can discuss this with your advisor.

What does a Vet Office certificate do for me if I don’t go on to the Vet Tech program?

If you complete the Veterinary Office certificate but do not move on to the Vet Tech program, you will have the skills to manage the business functions of a veterinary office, including providing customer service, visitor reception, patient intake and discharge services.

When will I apply for the Vet Tech program?

While the courses in the Vet Office certificate are the required prerequisites for the Veterinary Technician associate of applied science degree, you will apply for the Vet Tech program before completing that first semester of the Vet Office certificate. However, you will need to successfully complete the certificate before being officially accepted into the Vet Tech program. The Vet Tech program will start in the spring semester each year.