Program Overview

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Veterinary Technician

Program Overview

Get the skills and learn procedures to improve the health and well-being of veterinary patients.

Madison College offers two paths to becoming a Veterinary Technician. Students working as veterinary assistants can learn semi-remotely as "Satellite" students.

Satellite students are employed as veterinary assistants working an average of 20 hours per week in a veterinary clinic. Hands-on skills are completed during select face-to-face labs, while theory is completed 100% online. For more details contact the Program Director or the School of Health Sciences.

Madison College's Veterinary Technician Program has been accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) since 1974.

Program Requirements

You must demonstrate the ability to meet the essential functions of the Veterinary Technician program.

Transfer Credit

The Veterinary Technician program only accepts transfer credit for the 091 courses from other AVMA accredited programs/schools. Course syllabi and AVMA Essential Skills covered in those courses need to be provided to the Veterinary Technician Program Director for evaluation and consideration of transferability.

Following successful completion of this associates degree, students may complete a Bachelors of Animal Science at either UW River Falls or UW Platteville in two additional years.

Program Details

• 12 credits of core program courses available each semester.
• Veterinary Technician classes are offered at the Madison College Truax campus.

Careers

Earning your Associate Degree in Applied Science program at Madison Area Technical College prepares you for valuable work as a Veterinary Technician or Laboratory Animal Technician.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians are some of the fastest growing occupations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 21% job growth from 2022 to 2032.

Technicians are usually employed by:

• Small/companion services
• Large animal/equine facilities
• Mixed animal or exotic animal practices
• Humane societies
• Research environments

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find employment as:

• Hospital Managers
• Facility Managers
• Pet Food Company Representative
• Drug Company Representative

Resources

• Request Student Accident Insurance

Accreditation

Madison College's veterinary technician program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities.

Curriculum and Experience

Pre-Program Courses

• Principles of Animal Biology (4 credits)

First Semester

• Intro to Veterinary Office Preparations and Procedures (2 credits)
• Animal Disease 1 (2 credits)
• Animal Anatomy & Physiology 1 (3 credits)
• Veterinary Medical Terminology (2 credits)
• Animal Care and Management 1 (3 credits)

Second Semester

• Animal Disease 2 (2 credits)
• Pharmacology 1 - Animals (2 credits)
• Lab Animal Science 1 (2 credits)
• Veterinary Assistant and Technician Preparation for Surgery (1 credit)
• Veterinary Clinic Work Experience 1 (2 credits)
• Animal Care and Management 2 (3 credits)
• Written Communication (3 credits)

Third Semester

• Surgical Nursing 1 (3 credits)
• Animal Nursing 1 (2 credits)
• Diagnostic Imaging (3 credits)
• Veterinary Laboratory Procedures 1 (4 credits)
• Oral/Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)

Fourth Semester

• Pharmacology 2 (2 credits)
• Advanced Topics in Veterinary Medicine (1 credit)
• Veterinary Clinic Work Experience 2 (2 credits)
• Surgical Nursing 2 (3 credits)
• Veterinary Laboratory Procedures 2 (4 credits)
• Contemporary American Society (3 credits)
• Psychology Of Human Relations (3 credits)

Admission

To Apply

Students need to complete the petition process to get into core-program classes for this program.

• View the admission requirements for application deadlines, materials, and requirements.

After Acceptance

Once you have been accepted in a pre-program status, your next step is to complete the Petition Requirements.

Additional Notes

Students are required to meet the current admission and petition requirements. Requirements are subject to change based on updates to accreditation requirements or Madison College program assessment data.

Petition

After Admission (Petition Requirements)

• Run a Degree Progress Report to confirm which pre-program requirements are satisfied
  ot satisfied and specific ways to satisfy requirements.
• Complete the Petition Requirements for Veterinary Technician. Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. A grade of C- will not be accepted.

Mandatory workshop in Brightspace

• Prerequisites:
  • Algebra (testing, college coursework or bachelor’s degree in a related biological science)
  • Chemistry (high school or college coursework)
  • English and Reading (testing, college coursework or bachelor’s degree)

Course Requirement

• Principles of Animal Biology

Petitioning

This program petitions for entry into the following term:

• Fall - Petition window opens on April 1

After Petitioning

If awarded a seat, you will receive instructions regarding the below required items. If you do not complete the required items, it may result in losing your seat and starting the application process from the beginning.

• A background check is not required for entry into the Veterinary Technician program. However, convictions of crimes or pending charges may be grounds for denial of license if the circumstances of the conviction or charge are related to professional practice.
• Complete the Veterinary Sciences Job Shadow Form.
• Consult your physician:
  • It is recommended that Veterinary Technician students get a physical exam before starting the program
  • It is required for all students to receive the 2-dose pre-exposure rabies vaccinations prior to entering the Veterinary Assistant or Veterinary Technician programs.
• Attend a mandatory Advising and Registration session. Students awarded a seat in the core program will receive additional information on these sessions.
• Enroll in core program courses. Students who are awarded a seat are expected to start the core program courses for the awarded term. Students who choose not to begin the core program courses or are not able to begin core program courses may be discontinued from pre-program status.

Transfer Opportunities

UW System Schools

• UW Oshkosh
• UW Platteville
• UW River Falls

Wisconsin Private Schools

• Carroll University
• Concordia University
• Lakeland University
• Milwaukee School of Engineering

Out-of-State Schools

• Bellevue University
• Capella University
• Colorado State University Global Campus
• Franklin University
• University of Missouri

Career Outcomes

Madison College Veterinary Technician Program prepares graduates for entry level veterinary technician positions. Our mission is to provide accessible, high-quality, learning experiences in the field of Veterinary Medicine to improve animal and human health.

• 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, nonverbal and electronic.
• Read and follow protocols and procedures accurately and within time constraints.
• Work as a team member demonstrating initiative, and applying time and stress management techniques.
• Identify and manage stressful and emotional work situations.
• Follow and uphold applicable laws and the veterinary technology profession’s ethical code to provide high quality care to patients.
• Safely and effectively administer prescribed drugs to patients, and accurately dispense and explain drugs to clients.
• Demonstrate and perform patient assessment techniques, husbandry, nutrition, therapeutic and dentistry techniques in a variety of animal species (including laboratory animal species, companion animals and food animals).
• Safely and effectively manage patients in all phases of anesthetic procedures, as well as safely and effectively select, utilize and maintain anesthetic delivery and monitoring instruments and equipment.
• Demonstrate and integrate all aspects of patient management for common surgical procedures in a variety of animal species.
• Properly package, handle and store specimens for laboratory analysis, properly carry out analysis of laboratory specimens. (Blood, urine, feces, tissues, skin scrapes, discharge, body fluids)
• Safely and effectively produce diagnostic images.

Veterinary Technician National Exam Scores

• January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024
  • The three-year pass rate (based on a September 1 to September 1 reporting year) on the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE): 75.2% pass rate for first-time test takers (National average is 64%).
  • The number of first-time candidates that have taken the VTNE, for the corresponding timeframe as the reported VTNE pass rate: 117 first-time test takers.

Graduate Summary

• Number of Program Graduates: 29 (2022), 56 (2023), 42 (2024)
• Number of Surveys Sent: 29 (2022), 56 (2023), 42 (2024)
• Number of Surveys Returned: 14 (2022), 40 (2023), 21 (2024)
• Percent of Surveys Returned: 48.3% (2022), 71.4% (2023), 50.0% (2024)
• Available for Employment: 14 (2022), 38 (2023), 16 (2024)
• Percent Available for Employment: 100.0% (2022), 95.0% (2023), 76.2% (2024)
• Not in Labor Market: 0 (2022), 2 (2023), 2 (2024)
• Percent Not in Labor Market: 0.0% (2022), 5.0% (2023), 9.5% (2024)

Graduate Employers

• Baraboo Valley Veterinary Clinic
• Brodhead Veterinary Medical Center
• Companion Animal Hospital
• Country Hills Animal Health
• Dept of Veterans Affairs
• Healthy Pet Veterinary Clinic
• Johnson Creek Veterinary Care
• Kronenwetter Veterinary Care
• Lodi Veterinary Hospital
• Progressive Veterinary Svices
• Truesdell Animal Care Hospital
• UW - Madison School of Veterinary Medicine
• UW Madison's Veterinary Teaching Hospital
• Village Animal Clinic
• Wisconsin Community Veterinary Center

Related Program

• Veterinary Assistant