Veterinary Technician Associate of Applied Science

Program Overview:

The Veterinary Technician curriculum is designed to prepare students for a career as a Veterinary Technician. Students are taught the skills and procedures to effectively contribute to the health and well-being of the animal patient.

The RCTC Veterinary Technology program is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. This program prepares students to be eligible to sit for the VTNE which leads to licensing as a Veterinary Technician.

Program Outcomes:

Upon completion of the Veterinary Technician program at RCTC, students will achieve the following outcomes:

• Participate in facility management utilizing traditional and electronic media and appropriate veterinary medical terminology and abbreviations.
• Communicate in a professional manner in all formats – written, oral, non-verbal, and electronic.
• Safely and effectively administer and dispense prescribed drugs to patients.
• Demonstrate and perform patient assessment techniques in a variety of animal species.
• Understand and demonstrate husbandry, nutrition, therapeutic and dentistry techniques appropriate to various animal species.
• Safely and effectively manage and maintain patients in all phases of anesthesia.
• Safely and effectively select, utilize and maintain anesthetic delivery and monitoring instruments and equipment.
• Understand and integrate all aspects of patient management for common surgical procedures in a variety of animal species.
• Understand and provide the appropriate instruments, supplies and environment to maintain asepsis during surgical procedures.
• Demonstrate knowledge of proper handling, packaging and storage of specimens for laboratory analysis to ensure safety of patients, clients, and staff.
• Properly perform analysis of laboratory specimens.
• Safely and effectively produce diagnostic radiographic and non-radiographic images.
• Safely and effectively handle common laboratory animals used in animal research.
• Understand the approach to providing safe and effective care for birds, reptiles, amphibians, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and ferrets.

Career Opportunities:

Veterinary Technicians are qualified to provide a diverse range of medical skills and responsibilities that include advance nursing care, anesthesia monitoring and induction, clinical laboratory testing and analysis, critical care support, surgery assisting, dental prophylaxis, radiographic imaging and client education.

Additional Information:

Application to the Veterinary Technician AAS degree program will occur during fall semester from the pool of students that are enrolled in prerequisite courses.

This is a special admittance program. The steps to apply to the Veterinary Technician Programs can be found online at https://www.rctc.edu/program/vt/admission/.

VETERINARY TECHNICIAN AS

MINNESOTA TRANSFER CURRICULUM (MnTC)/GENERAL REQUIREMENTS (16 CREDITS)

GOAL 1: COMMUNICATION (3 CREDITS)

• COMM 1114 – Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3 cr) OR COMM 1130 – Interpersonal Communication (3 cr) OR ENGL 1117 – Reading and Writing Critically I (4 cr)

GOAL 3: NATURAL SCIENCES (7 CREDITS)

• BIOL 1220 – General Biology I (4 cr)
• CHEM 1101 – Elements of Chemistry (3 cr)

GOAL 5: HISTORY AND THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (3 CREDITS)

• PSYC 1611 – Psychology of Adjustment (3 cr) OR credits from MnTC Goal 5

GOAL 6: HUMANITIES AND THE FINE ARTS (3 CREDITS)

• PHIL 1125 – Ethics (3 cr) OR credits from MnTC Goal 6

PROGRAM CORE REQUIREMENTS (59 CREDITS)

• MATH 1026 – Mathematics for Vet Technicians (1 cr)
• VT 1010 – Vet Medical Terminology & Anatomy (3 cr)
• VT 1110 – Intro to Animal Health Technology (3 cr)
• VT 1220 – Small Animal Nursing Techniques I (3 cr)
• VT 1410 – Vet Surgical Nursing & Anesthesia (2 cr)
• VT 1510 – Veterinary Office Procedures (2 cr)
• VT 1610 – Fundamentals of Diagnostic Imagining (3 cr)
• VT 1710 – Intro to Vet Tech Field Experience (2 cr)
• VT 1810 – Parasitology (2 cr)
• VT 1900 – Small Animal Care and Management (2 cr)
• VT 2020 – Comparative Vet Anatomy & Physiology (2 cr)
• VT 2230 – Small Animal Nursing Techniques II (3 cr)
• VT 2240 – Small Animal Nursing Techniques III (2 cr)
• VT 2250 – Large Animal Procedures (3 cr)
• VT 2260 – Veterinary Surgical Nursing II (2 cr)
• VT 2270 – Laboratory and Exotic Animal Care and Management (3 cr)
• VT 2360 – Veterinary Dentistry (1 cr)
• VT 2720 – Veterinary Technician Field Experience (4 cr)
• VT 2820 – Clinical Laboratory Techniques I (3 cr)
• VT 2830 – Clinical Laboratory Techniques II (3 cr)
• VT 2900 – Kennel Management and Nutrition (2 cr)
• VT 2910 – Pharmacology and Disease for Veterinary Technicians (4 cr)
• VT 2920 – Small Animal Disease & Diagnostics (2 cr)
• VT 2930 – Applied Pharmacology and Nutrition (2 cr)

RECOMMENDED COURSE SEQUENCES

FULL-TIME

• Semester 1 – Fall (16 CREDITS): VT 1010*, VT 1110*, MATH 1026*, MnTC Goal 1, MnTC Goal 3 (CHEM 1101)*, MnTC Goal 6
• Semester 2 – Spring (17 CREDITS): MnTC Goal 3 (BIOL 1220), VT 1220, VT 1510, VT 1900, VT 2020, VT 2910
• Semester 3 – Summer (11 CREDITS): MnTC Goal 5, VT 1410, VT 1710, VT 1810, VT 2900
• Semester 4 – Fall (16 CREDITS): VT 1610, VT 2230, VT 2250 OR VT 2260, VT 2270, VT 2820, VT 2920
• Semester 5 – Spring (15 CREDITS): VT 2240, VT 2250 OR VT 2260, VT 2360, VT 2720, VT 2830, VT 2930

*Indicates prerequisites for acceptance into the Veterinary Technician program.

Course descriptions can be found at: RCTC course descriptions