MCCCD Program Description

Introduction to Veterinary Technology

Course: VET101

First Term: 2020 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Introduces the role of the veterinary paraprofessional to the veterinary science industry. Addresses professional development, including ethics, professionalism, and legal implications of veterinary practice. Students will be introduced to animal husbandry and nutrition, animal behavior, species and breed identification, the human-animal bond, biosecurity, equine medicine, livestock medicine, companion animal medicine, and lab animal medicine.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Discuss the economic impact of animal-related industries in the global economy. (I) 2. Identify the scope of career opportunities and the requirements for education, training, certification, licensure and experience. (I) 3. Compare and contrast the animal husbandry for different species. (IV) 4. Recognize and communicate common patterns of animal behavior. (IV) 5. Identify common animal species and breeds. (IV) 6. Define the concepts of nutrition and metabolism, and communicate the importance of each in maintaining animal health. (IV) 7. Develop an understanding of the human-animal bond and analyze how it is perceived in different cultures. (IV) 8. Recognize and apply bio-security and safety protocols in industry settings to maintain animal and human health. (III) 9. Distinguish between personal convictions and professional duties and explain how this relates to ethics and professionalism. (I, III) 10. Apply medical terminology to animal husbandry and preventative medicine. (II) 11. Recognize and communicate the concepts of the human-animal bond to pet ownership, pet loss and compassion fatigue. (V)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Introduction to Veterinary Technology A. Educational Success 1. Library Use 2. Life-long learning 3. Financial Literacy B. Definitions, roles and job duties 1.Veterinary technician 2.Veterinary technologist 3.Veterinary assistant C. Careers and career paths 1. Professional organizations 2. Job settings 3. Governing organizations D. Legal applications E. Ethical responsibilities F. Professional attitudes G. Economics in veterinary medicine and animal related industries II. Medical Terminology A. Root words B. Combining forms/combining vowels C. Prefixes D. Suffixes E. Common abbreviations III. Safety Issues A. Bio-security in animal production B. Bio-security in laboratory animal production C. OSHA regulations IV. Domestic Animals A. Identify different breeds B. Animal nutrition and principles of feeding C. Animal husbandry and preventative medicine 1. Equine 2. Livestock- Bovine, sheep, pigs, goats 3. Companion animals 4. Laboratory animals D. Behavioral characteristics 1. Normal 2. Abnormal V. Human-animal bond A. Pet ownership B. Pet loss and grieving C. Compassion fatigue

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: May 5, 2020

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.