Standards for Veterinary Science

1. Explain the role of veterinary science professionals in the workplace and community.
2. Describe the history of the field, including the contributions of traditionally underrepresented groups.
3. Explain the difference between animal rights and animal welfare.
4. Explain the importance of the Animal Welfare Act and other similar laws and regulations regarding animal welfare.
5. Explain the historical significance of the animal rights and animal welfare debate including how it has impacted the management of animals today.
6. Explain the history of laboratory animal
7. Identify the three R’s of research.
8. Identify the different members and positions of a laboratory animal research team.
9. Describe the function and purpose of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS).
10. Describe the role of an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) in the laboratory and research setting.
11. Summarize the ethical considerations inherent to the use of animals in research and laboratory experiments.
12. Understand implications and impact of animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect.

Skills:

1. Describe the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the major body systems in small animals, livestock, equine and dairy species (e.g., skeletal, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, muscular, urinary, reproductive, nervous, endocrine, and integumentary).
2. Locate and diagram the various components of internal and external anatomy.
3. Distinguish the differences in the body systems of various species.
4. Explain the three main planes used in animal anatomy (i.e., sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes).
5. Identify and explain anatomical directional terms (e.g., anterior, posterior, distal, proximal, dorsal, inferior, superior, etc.).
6. Differentiate between normal and abnormal characteristics in the body system.
7. Identify common disorders associated with each system for various species.
8. Identify and define anatomy and physiology terms in a medical record.
9. Recognize the word parts of medical terms found in a medical record (e.g., root, prefix, and suffix).
10. Construct a diagram of one organ from each body system of a given species.
11. Present on a common disorder of each body system.

Skills:

1. Define, describe, and use common industry terminology specific to common companion, exotic, livestock, equine, dairy, and laboratory animals regarding sex, reproduction, groups, age, and purpose/function.
2. Identify characteristics of common livestock, equine and dairy species, companion, exotic, and laboratory animal breeds.
3. Properly identify the sex of companion, exotic, livestock, equine and dairy, and laboratory animals.
4. Compare and contrast normal and abnormal animal behavior for companion, exotic, livestock, equine, dairy, and laboratory animals breeds.
5. Identify housing requirements for companion, exotic, livestock, equine, dairy, and laboratory animals and industry practices for the management of animal housing.
6. Explain the basic nutritional needs of companion, exotic, livestock, equine, dairy and laboratory animals.
7. Describe common diets seen in the veterinary industry (i.e., prescription, therapeutic, raw, and commercial diets, etc.).
8. Explain the principles of maintaining proper environmental conditions to ensure animal health.
9. Follow sanitation protocols for cleaning animal cages, kennels, stalls, and
10. Be able to describe reproductive cycle of companion, exotic, livestock, equine, dairy, and laboratory animals.
11. Describe the specific management and breeding strategies used when caring for breeding animals.

Skills:

1. Demonstrate the various front desk duties performed in a veterinary practice.
2. Demonstrate various ways to schedule appointments.
3. Demonstrate how to respond to emergencies.
4. Relay and request information from other facilities.
5. Use basic computer skills to file and retrieve medical records.
6. Identify various appointment types including wellness, recheck, tech visit, urgent, and emergency.
7. Identify the steps in determining what constitutes an urgent or emergency visit.
8. Demonstrate how to perform inventory procedures, restock, and rotate
9. Describe the roles and responsibilities of each member of the veterinary health team in a clinical setting.
10. Identify ethical considerations regarding confidentiality.
11. Utilize proper medical terminology and abbreviations used in veterinary practice.
12. Record information and read charts for client data.
13. Describe how to handle cash, check, and charge transactions.
14. Identify and describe the purpose of key sections in a veterinary facility, (i.e., exam room, laboratory, pharmacy, kenneling area, etc.).

1. Outline the key features of quality customer service.
2. Demonstrate professional and appropriate appearance, (dress code, scrubs, safe shoes) and language in the workplace.
3. Describe how to respond to customers, vendors and other industry professionals using electronic communications.
4. Demonstrate how to answer phones and direct clients.
5. Explain the importance of prioritizing client concerns, facilitating scheduling prompt appointments.
6. Explain the importance of appropriate communication and the use of conflict resolution in handling customers.
7. Demonstrate ability to use, update, and store medical records.
8. Describe the human animal bond.
9. Demonstrate understanding of human animal bond in various contexts including understanding the VCPR, euthanasia, compassion fatigue and burnout, and supporting confrontational clients.
10. Explain client options for disposal of euthanized or deceased animals.
11. Describe the proper preparation and disposal of deceased animals according to industry standards.
12. Discuss how to admit a patient.
13. Discuss how to discharge a patient.
14. Demonstrate an understanding of ethical considerations in the sharing of patient information and care.
15. Demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality considerations in the sharing of patient information and care.

1. Describe common pharmaceutical materials used in veterinary practice (e.g., antibiotics, corticosteroids, analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, anti-fungal).
2. Explain specialized pharmaceutical materials used in veterinary practice (e.g., pour-on, spot-on products, premixes for feeding, products for adding to drinking water, raw pharmaceutical materials).
3. Indicate legal issues surrounding prescription, over the counter (OTC) medications, and controlled substances.
4. Explain how controlled substances are handled and logged.
5. Identify the chemical classifications of controlled substances (e.g., narcotics, stimulants, depressants, opioids).
6. Identify and describe the five schedules of controlled
7. Recognize the impact of improper drug use I the veterinary science field.
8. Categorize groups of commonly used drugs by their
9. Explain how to interpret, label, and package dispensed drugs correctly.
10. Demonstrate or explain proper storage, handling, and disposal of biohazards, pesticides, and therapeutic agents.
11. Prepare and perform inventory procedures such as restocking supplies and rotating stock by expiration date.
12. Discuss how to complete a drug inventory sheet.
13. Identify core vaccines verses recommended vaccines for both large and small animals.
14. Understand vaccine protocols for species commonly seen in veterinary medicine.
15. Describe how to prepare vaccines.
16. Identify common vaccination locations and routes on the
17. Describe the different routes and methods of drug administration.
18. Solve medical math problems using conversions, drug calculations, and dosing.
19. Calculate medical conversions such as pounds to kilograms, milliliters to ounces,
20. Demonstrate medical math calculations to determine required dilutions, percentages, and conversions for proper dosing.

Skills:

1. Perform basic clinical procedures on small animals and livestock, equine and dairy (e.g. apply restraint, record and update medical history and report chief complaint, determine patient temperature, pulse, respiration rate, body condition score, and weight, etc. [“Basic” defined by NAVTA AVA]).
2. Describe the components of a physical exam on an animal.
3. Explain the importance of a thorough patient history.
4. Define the role of the veterinary assistant, veterinary technician, and veterinarian during a physical exam.
5. Describe the symptoms commonly associated with animals affected by rabies (dumb and furious rabies).
6. Define temperature, pulse, and respiration (TPR) and explain how they relate to the health of the animal.
7. Obtain and record weight of small animals and livestock, equine, and dairy animals in both pounds and kilograms.
8. Obtain and record the temperature, pulse, and respiration of small animals.
9. Obtain and record the temperature, pulse, and respiration of livestock, equine and dairy.
10. Identify and categorize common diseases and medical conditions found in animals.
11. Demonstrate nail trimming on cats, dogs, rabbits, and birds.
12. Demonstrate how to trim the hooves of small ruminants.
13. Demonstrate or describe how to express anal glands.
14. Demonstrate how to clean external ear canals.
15. Perform therapeutic bathing, basic grooming, and dipping of small animals.
16. Apply and remove bandages on a variety of animals.
17. Prepare food and water based on the animal’s nutritional
18. Explain the disposal of animal remains according to current industry and OSHA standards.
19. Summarize the grieving process as it relates to veterinary medicine.
20. Demonstrate sanitation protocols and levels of cleanliness required (clean, disinfect, sterilize) for cleaning the various rooms of the facility.
21. Demonstrate sanitation protocols for cleaning animal cages, kennels, stalls, and
22. Calculate dilution of cleaning chemicals.
23. Describe animal first aid techniques.
24. Demonstrate animal CPR using an animal model.
25. Evaluate mucous membrane color and determine capillary refill time (CRT).

1. Demonstrate basic animal nursing on a variety of animal species (e.g., take TPR, monitor, feed, clean animal and/or bedding, etc.).
2. Compare and contrast normal and abnormal animal behavior.
3. Develop a client survey sheet that investigates normal vs. abnormal animal behavior.
4. Evaluate and explain how to utilize patient and personnel safety measures.
5. Identify and explain common zoonotic diseases common in clinical practices.
6. Identify and describe zoonotic diseases endemic in the New England region.
7. Explain and describe the difference between isolation and quarantine procedures.
8. Identify essential procedures included in an infection control and biosecurity plan.
9. Identify methods of microorganism transmission and report signs and symptoms of infection and apply infection control measures.
10. Apply and maintain infection control techniques including PPE used for transmissions-based precautions.
11. Describe how and where to dispose of hazardous waste.
12. Explain the differences between restraining small animals and livestock, equine, and dairy species.
13. Demonstrate various humane methods of restraining small animals.
14. Demonstrate various humane methods of restraining dairy, livestock, and equine species (types of twitches – lip, neck, chain, humane, and rope, and nose tongs/leads, etc.).
15. Remove and place small animals into various caging systems.
16. Demonstrate the ability to restrain small animals for procedures.
17. Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of restraint devices (i.e., e-collar, snare, catch pole, muzzles, cat bag, etc.).
18. Demonstrate the ability to use multiple restraint devices at the same time (i.e. muzzle and cat bag).
19. Demonstrate the ability to remove and place fractious small animals and livestock, equine, and dairy species into various caging systems.
20. Demonstrate the ability to restrain exotic animals for procedures.
21. Demonstrate the ability to change physical restraint positions depending on the situation (e.g., standing, sitting, sternal, lateral).
22. Discuss how to handle animals that are paralyzed or unable to walk or stand on their own.

1. Summarize the principles of surgery.
2. Identify common veterinary medical surgical instruments (towel clamps, scalpel handle and blade, needle driver, thumb forceps, suture scissors, etc.)
3. Demonstrate the ability to operate and maintain an autoclave.
4. Follows industry standard procedures for cleaning all surgical instruments.
5. Follows industry standard procedures for ultrasonic cleaning of instruments.
6. Assist with preparation for surgical procedures while maintaining asepsis.
7. Demonstrate surgical prep (hand scrub, prepping an animal, opening surgical packs/gloves).
8. Identify types of monitoring devices and their uses in veterinary practice, (electrocardiography (ECG), pulse oximetry, capnometry, direct and indirect arterial blood pressure monitors, blood gas analysis, etc.)
9. Describe operating room sanitation and care (i.e., post-surgical clean up).
10. Identify common suture needles and material types and sizes (i.e. absorbable, non- absorbable, natural, synthetic, braided, or monofilament).
11. Describe how to properly dispose of hazardous medical waste.
12. Demonstrate how to position a patient for common surgical procedures such as spay, neuter, and limb surgery.
13. Compare injectable anesthesia, inhaled anesthesia, and local anesthesia.
14. Describe the four phases of anesthesia (i.e., paranesthesia, induction, maintenance, and recovery).
15. Explain the different planes of anesthesia.
16. Identify common suture closures (i.e., continuous, interrupted, Ford interlocking, purse-string).
17. Maintains all dental equipment in clean and usable condition for performing prophylaxis treatments.

1. Perform various laboratory procedures on small, livestock, equine, and dairy species (e.g., prepare fecal sample, urine sample, and blood sample for analysis).
2. Identify common internal and external parasites found in clinical practice.
3. Collect and prepare a fecal sample for analysis.
4. Collect and prepare a voided urine sample for analysis.
5. Compare and contrast a fecal floatation vs. direct smear.
6. Describe how to do a gross inspection of a urine sample.
7. Maintain a laboratory log.
8. Describe the process for or prepare a Wright’s, Gram Stain, or differential stain.
9. Describe the process or prepare blood for various laboratory tests.
10. Prepare a sample for a Packed Cell Volume/Total Solids (PCV/TS) test.
11. Demonstrate the process to prepare a blood sample for use of an in-house analyzer.
12. Demonstrate how to run a blood sample on an in-house analyzer.
13. Prepare a blood smear slide.
14. Prepare an ear smear.
15. Describe how to perform a skin scraping.
16. Identify procedures for culture and sensitivity tests.
17. Understand the role of the veterinary assistant in necropsy procedures.
18. Explain how to handle rabies suspects and samples in accordance with state law.
19. Understand the Massachusetts rabies laws in relation to veterinary medicine.

1. Summarize the principles of radiology and ultrasound imaging.
2. Identify the PPE used when taking a radiograph.
3. Explain the practice of radiation safety used within the facility.
4. Maintain a radiology log.
5. Describe how to set up an X-Ray or ultrasound to perform diagnostics.
6. Describe the difference between traditional X-ray set up and Digital X-ray set up.
7. Use (or describe the use of) identification markers for radiographs.
8. Demonstrate how to position a patient for a radiograph and ultrasound.
9. Describe how to use a caliper to measure body thickness.
10. Explain the dangers of radiation exposure.
11. Demonstrate cleaning and preparation of related tools and equipment.
12. Describe the purpose and function of a dosimetry badge.