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Technical Standards Required for Admission to Veterinary Technology

Technical standards refer to non-academic requirements for entrance to the program. In order to be admitted, candidates must be able to meet these requirements with minimum accommodation.

Communication

Veterinary Technicians are responsible for conveying information to clinicians and other veterinary staff members. They are also responsible for much of the client education that goes on in a veterinary hospital. For these reasons, students will be expected to understand and speak English and interact and communicate appropriately with others.

Veterinary Technicians are responsible for keeping daily logs and medical records. Students are expected to be proficient in reading English and writing it legibly. They must be able to receive and issue instructions concerning the care of patients without the risk of misunderstanding. They must also have good observation skills and be able to perform accurate calculations.

Sensory

Veterinary Technicians must have functional use of senses to safely and correctly assess patients and interpret and record data. Students must be able to detect changes in skin and mucus membrane color. They must be able to use a compound microscope to identify cells and organisms and be able to differentiate colors of stained objects. They must be able to detect sounds related to patient movement, sounds ausculted via a stethoscope and sounds associated with patient monitoring devices.

Physical

A Veterinary Technician requires good manual and physical dexterity and excellent hand-eye coordination. Students admitted to veterinary science must be able to ambulate and function in a safe manner. Students must be able to handle and perform laboratory exercises (including therapeutics and restraint) on dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, laboratory rodents and rabbits.

Motor skills such as lifting, bathing, positioning and transporting animals are required. They must be physically capable of lifting, carrying loads up to 50 lbs. Students should be able to move freely to observe, assess and perform patient care in emergency and non-emergency situations. They should be able to sit, bend, walk and stand for most of the work day and have unrestricted movement of limbs.

Manual dexterity and fine motor skills are also necessary. Students will be expected to handle surgical instrument in a sterile setting as well as perform injections, venipuncture and catheter placement on a variety of animals. Students must be able to perform these tasks without risk of injury to themselves, colleagues or the patient.