Veterinary Assistant Program

The veterinary assistant program at Skagit Valley College prepares students to assist veterinarians, laboratory animal specialists, and zoological professionals in treating animals. They also have the option to become a kennel attendant, animal caretaker, groomer, zookeeper, or animal trainer. The program focuses on providing patient management, care, and clinical procedure assistance, and owner communication. Program courses include: animal health and nutrition, animal handling, clinical pathology, radiology, anesthesiology, dental prophylaxis, surgical assisting, and clinical laboratory procedures. Get more details below including other Washington colleges that offer veterinary assistant program.

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Skagit Valley College

16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline, WA

Established in 1926, the Skagit Valley College is a community college that serves the counties of Skagit, San Juan and Island in the state of Washington.  SVC has two campuses that are located in Mount Vernon (main campus) and Oak Harbor in Washington. The school aims to expand the opportunities as well as the horizon of the students thus they offer stringent academic programs and ensure a dynamic learning experience among the students.

 SVC offers two-year associate degrees of more than 20 disciplines. Moreover, the community college also offers online courses to those out-of-district, -state or -country students.  Aside from associate degrees, the community college also offers certificate courses as well as non-credit courses and workshops to those who want to enrich their lives with new knowledge.

The tuition fee rates are governed by the Skagit Valley College Board of Trustees. The students pay a flat rate of $106 per credit hour non-inclusive of technology fees, general fee and insurances. Moreover, students are only allowed to take up to 18 credits per semester otherwise they incur overcharge fee of $96.

Since the school offers associate degrees, SVC students who wish to pursue a four-year education can apply for transfer to colleges or universities where they wish to get their bachelor’s degree. Transferring credits to other institutions can be very easy as the school is affiliated with the local four year colleges and universities in Washington.

Students Enrolled in the Veterinary Assistant Program

Get more details below regarding enrollment, academics, and school demographics. Skagit Valley College offers a less than one year certificate program in veterinary assistant.

Students by Gender (2019)

Students by Race (2019)

Source: IPEDS Survey 2012-2020: Data obtained from the US Dept. of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data may vary depending on school and academic year.

Career Options for Graduates

Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary

Description

Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Description

Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.

Career Outlook & Projections ()

According to the BLS, veterinary technologists and technicians employment is expected to grow at a rate of 18.7% from 2014 to 2024

Salary & Wages

• Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division
  • Total Employment: 910
  • Average Hourly Rate: $17.97
  • Average Annual Salary: $37380
• Tacoma-Lakewood, WA Metropolitan Division
  • Total Employment: 300
  • Average Hourly Rate: $17.20
  • Average Annual Salary: $35780

Source: Job descriptions, estimated salary and wages, and projected job growth are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).