Demonstrate personal and professional characteristics and qualities expected of a veterinary technician. This course covers appropriate client and staff relations, telephone etiquette, scheduling, managing records, client services and education. Laws and ethics regarding the practice of veterinary medicine, legal requirements for record keeping and veterinary practice management software will also be covered.
Examine the body systems of warm and cold-blooded vertebrates, learning activities include animal dissections. Specific body systems covered throughout this course are nervous, endocrine, immune, hematopoietic, sensory, urinary, and reproductive. Anatomy and physiology of exotic species will also be explored. This course is part of a two-course series that establishes the essential framework required for becoming a veterinary technician.
Introduces the basics of livestock management. Examines management of the dairy herd with concentration on nutrition, feedstuff's classification, reproduction, genetics, animal behavior, animal health and sustainable agriculture practices. Learners explore basic husbandry and care procedures for animals. This is offered in an online format.
Analyze the nutritional needs of dairy cattle during each stage of their life. Topics covered include: roles of digestive nutrients, nutritional requirements at various growth stages, relationship between forage quality and nutrition, ration balancing through calculation of feed and dry matter intake. Learners explore various methods of feeding dairy animals, including grazing system principles. Learners evaluate the use of dairy nutrition feed technologies.
Analyze various drugs and other substances used in veterinary medicine. Learners will analyze drug classification, effects, side effects, and client education related to a wide variety of medication use in the field of animal medicine. Learners will apply principles of measurement, administration and safe storage of drugs used in veterinary medicine. This course is part of a two-course series.
Establish the basics of animal nursing including patient history, restraint for medical procedures, and preventative medicine on both large and small animal patients. Topics covered Include venipuncture, wound management, client education, diagnostic imaging, and small animal nutrition. This course is only offered in spring and summer semesters.
Investigate hematology and urinalysis. Learners will practice sample collection and perform venipuncture on common domestic species. Labs will consist of learners practicing diagnostic procedures such as CBCs, blood chemistry and urinalysis.
Expands on learner’s ability to demonstrate skills learned throughout the program. This course will help students prepare for career related employment as they gain on-the-job experience. During the internship, the learner, instructor and internship site representative will be communicating on the strengths and opportunities for improvement of the learner. Internship experiences for this course may be farm or a variety of agriculture career fields.
Examines proven strategies designed to help learners achieve greater personal, academic, and professional success. Learners will apply personal responsibility thinking and behaviors; self- management, awareness, and motivation strategies; as well as interdependence skills to develop a proactive life plan.
Introduces the key concepts that a businessperson needs to understand. Learners explore three primary financial statements: the balance sheet, the income statement and the cash flow statement. Application of accounting processes: cash and accrual methods, recording business transactions, making a trial balance, creating financial statements and keeping records. Examination of various benchmarks utilizing financial statements.
Introduces learners to the format and types of questions given in the math, chemistry, and anatomy & physiology portions of the HESI test. Sample questions and possible study materials will be discussed. Upon completion of the course, learners will have a greater understanding of the test. Additionally, course completion will assist in determining if learners feel ready to test, or would like to pursue additional study opportunities prior to testing.
Develop an understanding of terms and abbreviations used in the practice of veterinary medicine. Through reading, writing, and speech, learners will master combining forms as they relate to bodily structures, and word parts for the understanding and definition of medical procedures, treatments, and conditions.
Examine the body systems of vertebrate animals. Learning activities include animal dissections. This course establishes the essential framework required for becoming a veterinary technician.
Participate in surgical procedures including dog and cat sterilization surgeries. Other surgical procedures may occasionally be performed as needed. Learners will participate as anesthetists, sterile surgical assistants, and non-sterile assistants throughout the course.
Perform animal health practices and activities as it relates to calves. This hands-on lab provides learners with firsthand exposure to the duties, responsibilities and management opportunities that are present on a dairy operation. Each lab will build upon the skills from the previous lab. In this first lab, the focus will be on calf care; pre-birth through newborn calf care. Learners will have the opportunity to explore and analyze best management practices in calf feeds, nutrition, vaccinations, veterinary needs and housing options.
Perform animal health practices and activities as it relates to lactating cows. This hands-on lab provides learners with firsthand exposure to the duties, responsibilities and management opportunities that are present on a dairy operation. Each lab will build upon the skills from the previous lab. In this fourth lab, the focus will be on lactating cows. Students will have the opportunity to explore and analyze best management practices in lactating cow feeds, nutrition, vaccinations, veterinary needs and housing options.
Perform the every day medical calculations used in veterinary medicine with accuracy. Learners will perform metric conversions, calculate drug dosages and fluid rates and practice filling prescriptions.
Demonstrate basic laboratory procedures including: storage, cleaning and the principles of microscopy. Learners will study parasites of common domestic species, including prevention, lifecycle, treatment, and impact on animal health. Labs will concentrate on diagnostic parasitology.
Exposes students to biology and other life sciences. Through a variety of practical learning activities, learners will investigate basic biological principles emphasizing cell biology, fundamental processes of life, introductory genetics, and biodiversity. Learners will use the scientific method to complete basic research. Animal Science is diverse and the program offers flexibility for students to explore both basic and applied aspects of animal biology.
Familiarizes learners with the Agriculture Center of Excellence and standard operating procedures. Learners will begin to develop a strategic college plan. Learners will be exposed to the various opportunities available throughout their program of study. This course will acquaint students with basic husbandry practices for dairy animals to prepare them for future courses; learners will work directly with the dairy animals throughout the program.
Build on the concepts learned in Veterinary Pharmacology 1. Learners will continue to analyze drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. This is the second course of a two-course series.
Perform physical exams and evaluation of the general health of equine patients. Learners will learn diagnostic sampling techniques, parenteral and enteral medication administration, venipuncture, wound management techniques, and common restraint techniques for medical procedures. Other topics of study include nutrition, radiology, toxicities and disease management.
Explore husbandry and care of exotic pets, pocket pets, birds and animals used for research. Topics covered include housing requirements, sanitation, nutrition, radiology, restraint and handling. Learners will practice hands on skills including administering medications, diagnostic sampling techniques and physical examinations of rats, mice, birds, rabbits, and other small mammals. This course may also work with reptiles. This course is only offered in fall semester.
Learners will gain experience with patient preparation for common surgical procedures, presurgical diagnostics, aseptic technique, and surgical assisting.
Introduces topics that relate to working in a farm environment. Topics include personality, family relationships, decision-making and social relations as they apply to everyday living and working in an ongoing family operation or entry into the non-family farm job market. Personnel management techniques include: development of goals, determining personnel needs, finding and recruiting the right people, performance appraisals, training, promotions and terminations.
Application of federal and Wisconsin income tax laws regarding farming are covered in this course. Understanding how taxes affect the financial picture in a business is critical to the agriculture professional. Learners will apply income tax laws throughout the course as various topics are covered regarding taxation. Learners will prepare individual, Schedule F, and other supporting forms used in reporting financial information.
Develop knowledge in anesthesia and surgical assisting with an emphasis on Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT) for companion animals.
