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Northern College

Veterinary Assistant

Turn your love for animals into a career. If you dream of working with animals full-time, then your future starts here. Northern’s Veterinary Assistant program is a one-year certificate that lays the foundation for a great job and it’s also the gateway to your continuing animal education.

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Referenced from: Program Outlines Archive

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Northern ONTARIO

ASSOCIATION OF

VETERINARY

Veterinary Assistant

OF ONTARIO

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Academic Year

2024 - 2025

Credential

College Certificate

Program Delivery

Full - Time

Duration

1 Year

Length

2 Semesters

Program Code

H057 (HL) - Haileybury Campus

DESCRIPTION

Turn your love for animals into a career. If you dream of working with animals full-time, then your future starts here. Northern’s Veterinary Assistant program is a one-year certificate that lays the foundation for a great job and it’s also the gateway to your continuing animal education.

You’ll learn to prepare medication, counsel clients on patient care, and assist with lab work and surgery prep. Under the direction of a vet, you’ll learn how to safely handle animals, provide basic care, and use physical restraints, as required. You’ll also become a pro in the office - answering calls, booking appointments and taking care of business. That all adds up to you claiming your place as a valued team member at a kennel, shelter, grooming facility, municipality, veterinary company, and more.

Our Veterinary Technician program is accredited by:

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Graduates may find employment in veterinary practices, federal and provincial institutions, universities, humane societies, pet food outlets, veterinary companies, grooming facilities and kennels.

  • Veterinary assistant
  • Veterinary attendant
  • Employed by animal hospitals, clinics, shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, dog training schools, and pet grooming establishments

VOCATIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

  1. Competently conduct veterinary office and hospital procedures related to client reception and customer service, patient admission, record-keeping and billing, and basic cleanliness and orderliness of a veterinary facility.
  2. Interact and communicate effectively, professionally, and ethically with clients and other members of the veterinary health team, and with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of that team.

Program Outline | March 2024

Disclaimer: Information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Content of programs and courses are revised as needed and/or required. Program outlines and information are subject to changes and may be delivered in different or alternate ways then listed in this document. You are advised to always reach out to Northern College if you have questions related to content on the website or outline publications.

Veterinary Assistant

  1. Assist with veterinary pharmacy-related tasks that are within the scope of duties of a veterinary assistant, including recognizing general types and groups of drugs, as well as the legal issues involving all drugs; competently filling medications and maintaining inventories while safely dealing with hazardous waste; and supporting animal vaccinations.
  2. Conduct basic examination room procedures including restraining animal patients, recording basic vital signs, taking accurate history, identifying breeds and sex, providing exam room grooming, applying ear and eye medication, as well as being familiar with small animal nutritional requirements.
  3. Provide animal nursing in a safe and professional manner within the scope of duties of a veterinary assistant.
  4. Assist in performing surgical preparations and maintaining facility and equipment cleanliness, within the scope of the duties of a veterinary assistant.
  5. Provide assistance to laboratory procedures and record keeping, within the scope of duties of a veterinary assistant.
  6. Provide assistance to radiology and ultrasound imaging, within the scope of duties of a veterinary assistant.

PROGRAM COURSES

The following reflects the planned course sequence for full-time offerings of the program. Programs at Northern College are delivered using a variety of instruction modes. Courses may be offered in the classroom or lab, entirely online, or in a hybrid mode which combines classroom sessions with virtual learning activities.

| Semester 1 | Semester 1 | Hours | |

Source: https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/08/Veterinary-Assistant-2024.pdf