Publication Details
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| Become a Veterinary Assistant | ||
| Price: | $99.00 | |
| Business Focus: | Health Care, Nutrition, & Fitness | |
| Instructor: | JeffGrognet | |
| Course Code: | pcv | |
| Delivery Method: | Instructor-led Online Course | |
| Frequently Asked Questions | ||
| Course Overview: |
| Do you love animals? Have you ever thought about a career as a veterinary assistant? This course, taught by a practicing veterinarian and college instructor, will give you the information you need to prepare for work in veterinary hospitals. What vaccinations do cats and dogs really need and how often should they be given? What is the best way to control fleas? What do you do if your dog has a cut? What is the best way to deal with an emergency situation involving a pet? This course will answer all these questions and more. You'll learn about pet nutrition and a variety of health and safety issues. Youll understand how to treat and prevent parasites, including roundworms and heartworms. Youll even learn the facts of life, as it pertains to dogs and cats. You'll explore current thoughts on spaying and neutering, and how to deal with the very emotional issues of euthanasia, pet loss, and how best to assist clients in a time of need. Special lessons will target specific aspects of veterinary assistant duties. Did you know that a veterinary assistant needs to dispense medications just like a pharmacist? Youll learn how to interpret medical prescriptions that look like Greek scribbles to the untrained eye. You'll also understand the hazards of working in a veterinary setting so that you can protect yourself from x-ray exposure, infections carried by animals, and potential damage from teeth and claws. Veterinary hospitals are small businesses, not just places of medicine, so you will also gain a complete understanding of their economics - how income is generated and where it goes. You will also explore marketing and communication because they are essential factors in making a business successful. Even if you are already employed in a veterinary hospital, you will find this course invaluable in helping you understand the reasoning behind decisions and recommendations made by veterinarians. And if you're a pet owner, this course will help you better assess the quality of veterinary care your pets receive. |
| Instructor Biography: |
| Jeff Grognet has been a companion animal veterinarian for 20 years. He was a pioneer in the field of veterinary assistant teaching, developing his first course over ten years ago. The overwhelming success of his veterinary receptionist/assistant college courses led him to expand his teaching into other areas in high demand, including pet first aid, and alternative medical therapies for companion animals. He practices with his wife at a Veterinary Hospital in BC, Canada. Jeff has published a large and diverse number of articles over the last 15 years. He is a regular contributing author to several magazines as well as a weekly newspaper columnist. |
| Course Syllabus: | |
| Lesson 1 Syllabus | Our first lesson will start way back at the beginningyou'll learn how ancient veterinary medicine evolved into the modern-day practice that you're accustomed to. You'll also learn why a veterinary assistant is just as important to the success of the practice as the veterinarian. In the second component of this lesson, you'll learn all about dog and cat reproduction. You'll learn the normal hormonal cycles and breeding times, and then delve into the benefits of sterilization. |
| Lesson 2 Syllabus | In this lesson, you'll learn how vaccines protect against disease. And just as important, you'll learn why they sometimes fail. We'll take a close look at how often vaccines should be given, why they may be ill-advised, and why vaccinosis is so controversial. |
| Lesson 2 Objective | Look at the history of veterinary practice, learn the reproductive cycles, and reasons for sterilization. |
| Lesson 3 Syllabus | Today, we'll talk about the importance of parasites that can infest both pets and people. You'll see the worms that live in the intestines, and also get acquainted with heartworm, a nasty guy that lives in the arteries. We'll explore how parasites infect people, what they do, and how to prevent their invasion. |
| Lesson 3 Objective | Understand how vaccines produce immunity to disease and why they can sometimes fail. Review vaccine schedules. Recognize that vaccines can have adverse effects. |
| Lesson 4 Syllabus | Have you ever wondered how to pick the best food for your pet? This lesson will give you the tools to make the right decision, and how best to pass the information on to your clients. We'll also talk about the role of prescription diets in pet health. |
| Lesson 4 Objective | Understand the importance of treating parasites in pets. Realize how parasites can infest people (zoonoses). |
| Lesson 5 Syllabus | This will certainly be the most emotional lesson in the entire course. The topic is euthanasia, and we'll look at it from the perspectives of both the client and the hospital employee. We'll explore the stages of grief that everyone goes through after a loss. You'll also see what the procedure entails, how to help a grieving client, and tools for assisting children with pet loss. |
| Lesson 5 Objective | How to choose a food for your pet. How we can help prevent disease through nutrition. |
| Lesson 6 Syllabus | In this lesson, you'll learn why a veterinary hospital can be a dangerous place. You'll see how X-rays, anesthetics, and certain drugs can harm you. You'll finish this lesson with Economics 101, a glimpse into the cash flow of a typical veterinary hospital. |
| Lesson 6 Objective | Understanding the euthanasia procedure. Helping clients cope with the death of a pet. |
| Lesson 7 Syllabus | This lesson will help you in a crisis. Designed like a short course in human first aid, this lesson will help you cope with almost any emergency, and we'll discuss ways that some emergencies can be prevented. There's even a segment on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, dog and cat style! |
| Lesson 7 Objective | How to protect yourself while working at a veterinary hospital. Understand the financial aspects of a veterinary office. |
| Lesson 8 Syllabus | What is the most important parasite affecting our pets? If you answered the flea, you're right. In this lesson, you'll learn all about this parasite that lives on the skin. You'll also hear about other crawling parasites that live in the skin (mange) and how they can be managed. |
| Lesson 8 Objective | Learn introductory pet first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. |
| Lesson 9 Syllabus | Did you know that, as a hospital employee, any advice you give could end up in a lawsuit? You'll see how to maintain client confidentiality and how to avoid grievances. You'll round off your study on client communications with an introduction to client education programs. |
| Lesson 9 Objective | Understand the flea life cycle and how to control it, as well as other external parasites. |
| Lesson 10 Syllabus | As soon as you're hired as a veterinary assistant, you become a pharmacist, helping to prepare prescriptions. In this lesson, you'll find out how to do this correctly. You'll also learn about your role in keeping accurate medical records. We'll end the lesson with a short course on marketing, taking a close look at some of the best tools you can use to keep old clients and attract new ones. |
| Lesson 10 Objective | Appreciate the legal ramifications of working in a veterinary hospital. Learn how to communicate effectively with clients. See how client education programs can be structured. |
| Lesson 11 Syllabus | This lesson is probably the most controversial: Here, you'll learn all about alternative therapies that some veterinarians are applying in their practices, including acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, and chiropractic care. And when it comes to pet food, is commercial, home-cooked, or raw the best choice? We'll examine the plusses and minuses of each possible diet. |
| Lesson 11 Objective | Review hospital records and how to handle them. Learn how to prepare a prescription. See how marketing can be implemented in a veterinary hospital. |
| Lesson 12 Syllabus | In our last lesson, we'll take a close look at animal behavior. You'll delve into how best to train puppies and kittens, and more importantly, how to share the information with your clients. At the end of the course, you'll see how everything youve learned can be put together for a comprehensive health plan covering everything from behavior, vaccinations, and nutrition to castration, euthanasia, and alternative therapies. |
| Lesson 12 Objective | Acquire an understanding of alternative approaches to veterinary medicine. |