Transform learning into making a difference on a veterinary health care team.

The two-year Veterinary Technician Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to enter the Veterinary profession by offering an authentic learning experience working alongside highly credentialed professionals in our on-campus veterinary medical facility and in our partnering facilities in the local community.

You benefit from learning in the 10,100 square-foot Veterinary Learning Centre and Clinic. This facility includes a reception area, exam rooms, husbandry area, surgical suite, dental suite, radiography room and more. This facility is similar to a real-life small animal clinic, enabling you to have an on-campus learning experience using the equipment you would also use in the field.

As a student, you have the unique opportunity to provide medical care to shelter animals and help prepare them for adoption. While in the program, you become a vital member of the veterinary health care team, developing and acquiring valuable knowledge and skills that can then be applied to a variety of areas within the Veterinary Learning Centre and Clinic.

This includes:

• physical exams and patient care
• preparing and administering medications
• specimen collection and sample analysis
• surgical assisting and anesthesia
• producing diagnostic radiographs
• providing nutritional support

Additional benefits of this program are its numerous accreditations. It is accredited by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians; certified by the Canadian Council on Animal Care; and registered with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Graduates are eligible for consideration for registration by the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians and by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

This challenging and rewarding program offers quality academics and practical experiences, which provide a solid foundation for graduates who are entering various career paths within the exciting veterinary technician profession. Graduates of this program may find employment in a variety of professional settings, which include:

• small, large, or mixed animal veterinary practices
• animal shelters
• veterinary pharmaceutical companies
• medical equipment and nutritional sales
• zoological parks and wildlife facilities
• research facilities
• provincial and federal government agencies
• post-secondary institutions and regulatory bodies

SUCCESS FACTORS

This program is well-suited for students who:

• Are able to commit to a full-time program of study that includes having the ability to dedicate two hours of studying outside of class for each hour of instructional lecture or lab.
• Have a strong background in math and science.
• Have flexible schedules and can perform shift work including early mornings, evenings, weekends and holiays.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have the ability to develop professional relationships with coworkers and clientele.
• Have exceptional critical-thinking skills.
• Can take direction and accomplish tasks efficiently.
• Are self-motivated, can work independently, can thrive in a team environment and are comfortable in a leadership role.
• Are detail oriented, organized and committed to achieving excellence in their work.
• Are dedicated to providing high quality veterinary medical care with compassion towards animals and people.
• Have good manual dexterity and strong fine motor skills.
• Have the ability to lift and carry up to 25kg, stand for long periods of time and handle a physically demanding environment.
• Are comfortable working within a variety of clinical settings, managing large and small patients and handling biological materials.

Careers

Graduates may find employment as veterinary technicians in small, large, or mixed animal veterinary practices, humane societies, veterinary pharmaceutical, medical equipment and nutrition industries, zoological parks, university and research facilities and provincial and federal government agencies.

Pathways

Please note: There may be more pathways available for this program than are listed here. Please use our Pathways search tool to see every option.

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Perform basic patient examinations and collect data on vital signs.
2. Restrain and manage small animals in clinical situations.
3. Administer medications by common drug routes and prepare pharmaceuticals as prescribed by a veterinarian.
4. Prepare anesthetic delivery systems, induce anesthesia, and monitor patients under anesthesia.
5. Prepare and maintain the surgical area and assist during surgical procedures.
6. Perform dental prophylactic procedures on dogs and cats.
7. Produce standard diagnostic radiographs.
8. Collect and process samples for diagnostic laboratory work.
9. Perform common veterinary diagnostic tests, such as blood chemistries, differentials, culture and sensitivities and EKGs.
10. Perform basic veterinary practice management including computer applications.
11. Recognize behavioural signs of small animals.
12. Counsel clients especially in the area of pet nutrition.
13. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Application Information

VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
Program Code 6320X01FWO

Applications to full-time day programs must be submitted with official transcripts showing completion of the academic admission requirements through:

ontariocolleges.ca
60 Corporate Court
Guelph, Ontario N1G 5J3
1-888-892-2228

Students currently enrolled in an Ontario secondary school should notify their Guidance Office prior to their online application at www.ontariocolleges.ca.

Applications for Fall Term and Winter Term admission received by February 1 will be given equal consideration. Applications received after February 1 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as places are available.

International applicants please visit this link for application process information: https://algonquincollege.force.com/myACint/.

For further information on the admissions process, contact:

Registrar`s Office
Algonquin College
1385 Woodroffe Ave
Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8
Telephone: 613-727-0002
Toll-free: 1-800-565-4723
TTY: 613-727-7766
Fax: 613-727-7632
Contact: https://www.algonquincollege.com/ro

Program Resources

As an accredited College, a graduate is eligible to become a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT). The Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians designates this credential to those graduates who meet specific criteria. Registration requirements for RVTs are found at the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians website. They include but are not limited to, the following:

• Graduate from an OAVT accredited college.
• Successfully complete the registration examination.
• Complete the OAVT Professionalism and Ethics Workshop.
• Submit a clear Police Criminal Records Check.

The Veterinary Technician program highly recommends that all applicants review the OAVT areas of expertise for Registered Veterinary Technicians. This is available at www.oavt.org.

It is strongly recommended that applicants have previous experience working with animals or become familiar with the Veterinary Technician profession before entering the program. Applicants are also advised that holiday, weekend, early morning and evening hour assignments are to be expected as the students are responsible for the care of the animals and the cleaning of the facilities seven days a week. This takes place before and after regular class hours. The program contains extensive team/group work. Students must be as comfortable working in a team environment as they are working independently.

The minimum passing grade for the core theory courses in this program is 60%. The minimum passing grade for the practical clinical sessions in this program is 70%. All clinical practice and scheduled labs are mandatory. Absences negatively affect the final grade and may result in the student earning an F grade in the course should they be absent for 20% or more of the scheduled la time. Students can have a maximum of one failure in a given course. Students failing a core course for the second time are permanently withdrawn from the program with no chance to reapply. Should a student earn a failing grade, however, satisfy the criteria for being granted a supplemental privilege, they are permitted a maximum of two supplemental exams for each semester they are registered in the program. Students who fail three courses in one semester are not eligible for supplemental exams and are withdrawn from the program for one year. Students who are unsuccessful in a Level 01 course must reapply through ontariocolleges.ca to be considered to return full-time to the program. Off cycle students who are looking to return to the program in Level 02, 03 or 04 are to contact the Program Coordinator and submit a request to be considered to return.

All Level 01, 02, 03 and 04 courses must be successfully completed in order to progress on to VET1423 - Veterinary Practicum.

Further details on how a student can progress through the program can be found in the Veterinary Technician Program Student Handbook which is accessible to students registered in the Veterinary Technician Program.