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Kenya McCullum
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The Best NAVTA-Approved Online Vet Assistant Schools
Animal lovers who want to train for veterinary assistant careers need to find a school that provides the quality education necessary to become certified and land a job after graduation. In order to help, we’ve created a list of the best online vet assistant schools across the country. After thoroughly evaluating programs, we found the following online vet assistant programs offer the best educational value to students. All of these schools have been approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
Featured Programs
Penn Foster College
PROGRAM: Veterinary Technician Associate Degree
Our AVMA-CVTEA fully accredited Veterinary Technician training program can help you gain the skills to take the first steps towards an exciting new career in the booming field of veterinary technology. In our online veterinary technician school, you’ll study a wide range of topics and gain real-world vet technician experience during the clinical externship portions of the program. Plus, our online courses allow you to earn your associate degree and prepare for the VTNE exam at home or on the go, and study on your schedule.
Ashworth College
PROGRAM: Veterinary Technician
Earn your AVMA CVTEA accredited associate degree through our flexible, affordable, and career-focused vet tech program online. The program includes 270 hours of clinical experience, giving you hands-on practice working with animals while you do your coursework online. Upon graduating with your Veterinary Technician Associate Degree, you will be eligible to pursue professional credentialing/testing or licensure and ready to reach your potential in the booming pet care industry.
Animal Behavior College
Animal Behavior College’s vet assistant program, which generally takes about a year to finish, allows online students to complete coursework at their own pace. The curriculum is divided into 11 stages, most of which are offered online. During the first nine stages, Animal Behavior College provides the foundation that students need to prepare for a vet assistant career by covering topics such as animal restraint, examination room procedures, surgical assisting, small animal nursing, and radiology. In addition, students learn the business of running an animal clinic by becoming familiar with medical records, inventory, and working effectively with other members of a veterinary team. Also, Animal Behavior College provides a module that instills career building skills, such as resume writing and interviewing.
After learning these concepts, students move on to the tenth stage of the program where they get the hands-on experience they need to gain a full understanding of what veterinary assistants do. During this externship, which can take up to 20 weeks to finish, students get training at one of the school’s 4,000 partner facilities for at least 100 hours. In the last stage of the program, students demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum by taking a final exam.
In addition to these instruction modules, the school offers short-term programs that students can enroll in to learn about specialized topics. There programs, which are available to those who have completed at least nine stages of their vet assistant training, cover areas like pet fostering, dog walking, animal nutrition, and pet massage.
In Spring 2019, the tuition for Animal Behavior College’s veterinary assistant program was $2,999. The school also offers payment plans and allows military spouses to use government education benefits to help pay for their tuition.
VetBloom
VetBloom offers an online veterinary assistant program made up of five modules that can be completed in 26 weeks. Students are taught a variety of topics that professionals need to know, such as basic medical terminology, animal anatomy and physiology, diseases and their treatments, and nutrition. Also, students in this program learn skills such as animal grooming, performing medical calculations, and updating patient records, as well as the front desk skills like discharge procedures and phone etiquette.
After completing these five modules, VetBloom students are required to participate in a clinical externship for six weeks, where they work in a full-service animal clinic or hospital for a minimum of 120 hours. During this time, trainees get the opportunity to practice skills they learned throughout the program while observing the work of experienced professionals.
As of May 2019, VetBloom’s program costs $4,000, which includes the fee for taking the certification examination. The school offers payment plans and accepts employer tuition reimbursement payments. In addition, VetBloom accepts government benefits provided to military spouses.
How to Find Quality Online Veterinary Assistant Schools
All students are different in terms of their career goals and needs, so it’s important to find an online vet assistant program that will help them achieve their specific professional aspirations. In order to achieve their goals, there are certain qualities that all students should consider when evaluating schools, including the following:
- NAVTA Approval:
Future vet assistants should give preference to schools approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. While graduating from a NAVTA-approved program isn’t mandatory to be a vet assistant, approval certifies the program meets the high standards of training students need, as well as ensures that they are able to qualify to sit for the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) certification examination. - AVA Exam Preparation:
Veterinary assistants who want to become certified must first pass the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) exam, so training programs should offer a curriculum that prepares students to perform well on this test. Prospective students should look at the coursework that schools offer to verify that a program will deliver this preparation.. - Affordability:
Online vet assistant programs should position students to have a successful career, and not break the bank with exorbitant tuition and fees. Students should compare the costs of quality programs and consider what payment options are available to them. - Employer Connections:
Enrolling in an online vet assistant program is not only an opportunity to gain a foundation in the veterinary assisting field, it is also a chance for students to network with organizations that may hire them after graduation. As a result, students should look for programs that are well-connected with veterinary hospitals and clinics so they can get help meeting their externship requirement, as well as network with future employers. Also, in some cases, schools may offer career services to help students find a job after graduation.
Inside Look at Attending Vet Assistant School Online
People who are interested in enrolling in an online vet assistant program may be concerned about how online schools will truly teach them everything they need to know since there are certain skills that require hands-on practice. These programs are effective because there are some concepts that vet assistant students can be taught online, like animal physiology and anatomy. In addition, these programs require that students participate in externships, which gives them the chance to get the clinical training they need.
How long does a veterinary assistant program take to complete?
The exact time it takes to complete an online vet assistant program depends on the specific school that students enroll in. However, people can generally expect to finish their studies in about a year and a half.
What are some common courses and program requirements?
The curriculum of an online vet assistant program is carefully crafted to give students the theoretical knowledge they should have to work in the field, which is augmented by the hands-on training required to graduate. The goal of the coursework is to prepare students to earn their certification and to that end, programs may require that they complete the following classes.
Client Relations
Veterinary assistants are required to not only be good with animals, but also their owners. This class teaches students how to effectively communicate with the customers of a veterinary practice in order to build long-term relationships with them. Topics covered may include how to console people who are grieving the loss of a pet, avoid compassion fatigue, and properly use nonverbal communication when talking to customers.
Animal Anatomy and Physiology
Students in this course learn how the bodily systems of animals function, as well as the ways that veterinarians treat specific medical problems. The course covers the nervous system, hormones, skin, fur, and organs.
Medical Records
In order to provide the best care, veterinary clinics must have accurate patient records. A large part of a veterinary assistant’s job is to maintain these records, so this class provides instruction on how to document all patient events completely and accurately. In addition, students may study basic medical calculations.
Veterinary Business Practices
This class familiarizes future veterinary assistants with the nuts and bolts of how a veterinary practice is run, which can be useful for those who aspire to advanced managerial roles. The curriculum may cover pet health insurance, attracting and retaining clients, appointment scheduling, working as a team member, and inventory control.
Externship
An externship is required to give vet assistant students a chance to experience the realities of the job and see how the concepts they learned in class are practiced in a real clinical setting.
How Much Does Online Vet Assistant School Cost?
The cost of tuition and fees for online vet assistant programs varies among schools. The following provides a glimpse at what some programs charge.
| 1 | 1. U.S. Career Institute, Veterinary Assistant Certificate | $589 |
| 2 | 2. Blackstone Career Institute, Veterinary Assistant Certificate | $1,214 |
| 3 | 3. Ashworth College, Veterinary Assisting Diploma | $699 |
For more information on how to pay for online vet assistant schools, check out EduMed’s financial aid guide.
Steps to Earn Your Vet Assistant Certification Online
Finding the right online vet assistant school is only the first of several steps to entering the field. The following outlines the path that people must take to earn the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) certification.
Salary Outlook and Career Growth for Veterinary Assistants
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that vet assistant positions will grow by 19 percent between 2016 and 2026. This means that in the coming years, there will be 16,300 new jobs created for these professionals, driven by the fact that there has been an overall increase in pet-related spending among consumers.
People who enter this field can expect to make a median income of $27,540 per year, according to BLS. In addition, the top earners in these positions make above $38,890 annually, while the lowest 10 percent of workers make under $19,950.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Resources for Further Research
Students get intensive training when they enroll in online vet assistant programs, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take advantage of additional information that will help them deepen their understanding of the field. The following are five resources that veterinary assistant students can use to enhance their classroom instruction.
A Day in the Life of a Veterinary Assistant
This video from Carrington College provides a look at the daily work of a vet assistant.
Approved Veterinary Assistant FAQs
This page provides information on the Approved Veterinary Assistant certification that is required to obtain employment after students complete their training programs.
National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America
The NAVTA represents the interests of veterinary assistants and technicians, providing resources such as industry journals, access to continuing education courses, and advice on coping with job-related stress. In addition, the organization offers scholarships for those studying to enter the field, as well as discounts for insurance and resources professionals use.
This publication keeps professionals in the veterinary field abreast of the latest industry news, such as new products, trends, and practice advances. It also includes information about the treatment of small animals like cats and dogs, larger animals like horses and cows, and less common pets, including ducks and rabbits.