Online Vet Assistant Programs

How to Find The Best Vet Assistant School?

There are many factors to consider when determining which vet assistant school is right for you.

You need to think about your educational needs, desires, and expectations.
You have to weigh which school will get you to achieve your career goals faster.

It can be daunting, yes.

But with the qualities listed below, we hope you’ll have a much easier time with your school evaluation and decision-making.

NAVTA Approval

The most important thing you have to look at is if the school is approved by NAVTA.

Even if it’s not mandatory to enroll in a non-NAVTA approved program, doing so means you’ll get a higher standard of training.

Plus, you get to qualify for the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) certification examination.

AVA Exam Preparation

Passing the AVA exam means earning an AVA title and certification.

To prepare for it, you need to attend a NAVTA-approved training program, which will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge.

We encourage you to look at the school’s syllabus to verify if they’ll help you with the preparation.

Affordability

Before you enroll, make sure you can afford the tuition and other miscellaneous fees.

We urge you to compare the costs over the quality of education you’ll receive between schools.

Look also into the payment options available to you.

Employer Connections

You may not know this, but building an educational foundation is just the beginning.

The school has to help you build connections with companies that will hire you upon graduating.

The best connection to make is those with vet hospitals and clinics, as well as reputable vets.

By doing so, you’ll have more chances to gain a profound internship experience than others.

Quality Online Veterinary Assistant Schools

There are many schools you can enroll in to get your vet assistant education.

Here are our top picks you can consider.

Penn Foster College

Their program provides students with the needed skills to work in a vet hospital or clinic.

The good thing about their program is they offer flexibility in their online education.

That is, they allow you to complete the coursework at your own pace and schedule.

Program completion means you’re now qualified for all the duties expected of vet assistants, such as:

Prepare animals for surgery
File medical records
Restrain anxious pets
Clean examination rooms and kennels

Later, you’ll also take part in hands-on training at an off-site facility.

There you’ll work under the guidance of an experienced vet or even a vet tech.

The externship usually takes eight weeks to finish, after which you’ll have to work at least 100 hours at a small animal clinic.

At the time of writing, Penn Foster’s tuition amounts to $859 if you pay in full.

But they also have monthly payment places at $59/month, totaling $929.

What’s more, this is a military-friendly school.

So veterans can use their government education benefits to pay for it.

Animal Behavior College

Their program also allows you to complete the program at your own pace.

It consists of 11 stages, and the majority of them can be taken online.

The first to the ninth stage covers the basics such as:

Animal restraint
Surgical assisting
Radiology
Exam room procedures
Small animal nursing

In addition, you’ll also learn how to run and manage an animal clinic.

You’ll become familiar with inventory, medical records, and working well with a vet team.

One perk about ABC is that they provide skills useful in building your career, like:

How to write a resume
How to prepare for an interview

The tenth stage is where you’ll get the needed hands-on experience through an externship.

It usually takes 20 weeks to complete and will be conducted at one of their partner facilities.

At the 11th stage, you’ll demonstrate the extent of your knowledge through the final exam.

Other than this, they also offer short-term programs where you learn specialized topics.

But take note that they’re only available for those who completed stages one to nine.

The courses cover areas like:

Dog walking
Pet fostering
Pet massage
Animal nutrition

The tuition is approximately $2,999.

It’s expensive, but you can make use of their payment plans should you choose to study here.

Also, if you’re a military spouse, you can use the government education benefits to pay tuition.

VetBloom

Their program has five modules and takes 26 weeks to finish.

During the studies, you’ll learn topics like:

Animal anatomy and physiology
Basic medical terminology
Nutrition
Animal diseases and treatments

Meanwhile, you’ll also learn skills like:

Animal grooming
Updating patient records
Performing medical calculations
Phone/conversation etiquette
Discharge procedures

After completing all modules, you’ll then move on to do a six-week clinical externship.

You get to work for a minimum of 120 hours in an animal hospital or clinic.

And this will give you the chance to practice the skills you’ve learned in the program.

What’s more, you’ll learn more even by just looking at the way experienced vet assistants work.

In terms of tuition, it costs $4,000, with the certification exam fee included.

They also have payment plans available, as well as:

Employer tuition reimbursement payments
Government education benefits for military spouses

Attending Vet Assistant School Online

Enrolling in a vet assistant program is a great step towards this rewarding career.

After all, online education is still in the developing process.

It makes them concerned about how schools can effectively teach them things.

For one, these programs teach the concepts online.

For another, you’ll participate in externships for real-life clinical training.

Generally speaking, you can expect to finish your studies in about 1 ½ years.

But this length varies as most online courses are self-paced.

Overall, the main goal is to prepare you to earn your certification.

The following are some of the classes you’ll have to take.

Client Relations

In this line of work, you’ll work with animals, pet owners, and a vet team.

So here, you’ll learn effective communication skills that allow you to build relationships.

It’s a useful skill especially when you have to:

Console grieving owners
Use nonverbal communication

Plus, it lessens burnout and emotional fatigue.

Animal Physiology and Anatomy

This class will let you learn:

How animal bodily systems function
Ways vets treat medical problems

Administration and Management

Your duties aren’t limited to taking care of animals.

You’ll also have to manage the day-to-day operations of the clinic, like:

Maintaining patient records
Basic accounting and other clerical skills

Veterinary Business Practices

The class teaches you how a vet practice is conducted in real life.

That’s why it covers topics such as:

Pet health insurance
Scheduling appointments
Client retainment
Inventory control
Teamwork

Externship

The class gives you a chance to experience the job in real life.

Moreover, it puts your knowledge to the test in a clinical setting.

Tuition and Other Costs

The tuition and fees vary among schools and cannot be exactly stated.

Nonetheless, we added the tuition fees of other vet assistant schools for you.

Earning The Vet Assistant Certification

Enrolling and studying at a vet assistant program is only the first step toward your promising career.

You have to pass and earn your AVA certification, as we mentioned earlier on this page.

So here are the steps for getting your certification.

Step 1

Find and enroll in a NAVTA-approved vet assistant program.

Step 2

Complete the set coursework.

Step 3

Do the externship at a partner vet facility.

Step 4

Take the AVA exam and pass it.

Step 5

Renew your designation every two years.

Additional Helpful Resources

Getting your education or certification shouldn’t stop you to pursue more knowledge.

You should take advantage of additional information available to help advance your career.

We placed helpful resources below for you that you can reference from time to time.