Veterinary Assistant Level II Certificate

The Veterinary Assistant is a Level II certificate program that requires completion of 46 semester credit hours. Veterinary Assistants are a valuable part of the veterinary health care team who assist both the veterinarian and the veterinary technician. Although the certificate program does not qualify the student to be eligible for the Registered Veterinary Technician examination, it can be used as a stepping stone for the Veterinary Technolo­gy Associate of Applied Science degree program. All courses taken with the certificate are directly applicable to the associate degree.

A limited number of qualified students are admitted to the Veterinary Technology program every fall semester. Prospective students must have the following to apply: meet the general admission requirements to Palo Alto College, have successfully completed all parts of the TSI, have successfully completed each required prerequisite  course with a grade of “C” or better, three letters of recommendation (one from veterinarian and two from other sources), have successfully completed 80 hours of work experience in a veterinary clinic, and a complete application. Applications must be received by June 1. All applications will be reviewed, ranked, and the selected number of qualified applicants will be accepted into the program and notified by June 15. Accepted students will be required to have a physical exam, tetanus prophylaxis and pre-exposure rabies prophylaxis before entrance for the fall semester.  All VTHT courses must be passed with a grade of 70 or better. NO VTHT course older than 5 years, prior to graduation, may be counted toward the AAS degree or certificate in Veterinary Technology.

For further information, refer to the Veterinary Technology website: alamo.edu/pac/vet-tech.