Veterinary Office - Great Falls College

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.

Jamie Dennis

Veterinary Technician Program Director

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