Veterinary Technician, AAS

Overview

Career Exploration Form- Virtual Shadowing(PDF)
Career Exploration Form - In-Person Shadowing(PDF)

American Veterinary Medical Association

Veterinary Technician National Exam Pass Rates (PDF)

Narrative

If you love animals and want a career that keeps you in constant contact with them, being a Veterinary Technician is an affordable and accessible way to achieve your goal. Veterinary technicians are animal care professionals knowledgeable in the care and handling of various species, basic principles of normal and abnormal life processes, routine laboratory and clinical procedures, and veterinary medical and surgical nursing.

Certified veterinary technicians find employment in small and large animal veterinary facilities, the pet food industry, specialty practices, diagnostic labs, pharmaceutical research centers, zoo and wildlife organizations, animal shelters, and educational institutions. The job opportunities are numerous and varied. With more Americans than ever sharing their homes with companion animals, the need for formally trained veterinary technicians in veterinary practices continues to grow.

Working jointly with Lehigh Carbon Community College, Northampton's Veterinary Technician program will provide you with all the necessary coursework, hands-on training, guidance and experience you need to begin an exciting career working with animals.

Graduates of the program are prepared to sit for the veterinary technician national board examination. Students that pass the exam may obtain certification.

The Veterinary Technician program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).

Mission Statement

Lehigh Carbon and Northampton Community Colleges Veterinary Technician Program provides excellent, comprehensive learning experiences to prepare students with the knowledge and critical skills to develop into competent veterinary nurses. The program instills in its students a commitment to be a lifelong learner, a competent communicator, and provide excellent patient care and compassion for animals.

Features

Northampton's program provides academic and practical experience through a combination of veterinary technology and general education core courses. One-third of veterinary technology courses include laboratory experience including exposure to small, large and exotic animal species.

The culminating experience of the program is a summer externship experience during which students can expand and build proficiency of clinical skills at veterinary hospitals. Instructors in the program are practicing veterinarians and credentialed veterinary technicians working in the field.

Classes are held on NCC and LCCC campuses. There is a clinical science laboratory on the Northampton campus and a Veterinary teaching facility adjacent to the LCCC campus provided exclusively for the veterinary technician students. Classes are offered during the day and the program takes 2 full years (fall, spring and summer to complete).

Career Potential: Veterinary Technician, Biologic Research Labs, Lab Animal Technician, Small Animal Practice, Large Animal Practice, Exotics and Specialty Practices, Zoos, Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers, Pharmaceutical Companies, Teaching Institutes, Diagnostic Labs, Aquariums, Animal Shelters, Animal Feed Companies

Any questions or concerns? Contact one of our Program Directors: Dr. Lisa Martini-Johnson at: LMartini-Johnson@northampton.edu or Lmartinijohnson@lccc.edu.