veterinary assistant programs illinois

Last Updated on August 28, 2023

With the state of Illinois being in the top 5 most vet practicing states in the nation, it is important that prospective students know how to get involved with veterinary assistant programs Illinois. Monetary support, education and experience vary widely depending on location and intended focus. In order to help you find a program that fits your needs, we have listed a few places to start looking.

Discover your path to the rewarding field of veterinary medicine with one of our veterinary assistant programs in Illinois. Our vet tech schools offer short-term courses, leading to a certificate or diploma, or take high school graduates directly into a two-year veterinary technology associate’s degree program.

Are you interested in obtaining valuable information on veterinary assistant certification, veterinary assistant requirements, veterinary assistant jobs, how to become a vet assistant in Illinois, University of Illinois vet tech program, amongst others? Collegelearners is the right stop for you. Be sure to surf through our catalog for more information on related topics.

Veterinary Assistant Training

veterinary assistant certification

Not every aspiring veterinary assistant student has an interest in attending veterinary school at some point. Yet, in order to become a veterinary assistant, one needs to attend veterinary assisting program. Aside from the academic requirement, there are several things to consider when picking one’s program.

Veterinary clinics and hospitals employ veterinary assistants who administer medications to pets, draw blood, monitor equipment, sterilize instruments and equipment, herd animals into position for treatment, and maintain patient records. These veterinary assistants are tasked with assisting a veterinarian in care and treatment of animals. The BA in veterinary technology is a degree program that lets you combine coursework in science and animal health; it will prepare you for entry-level employment at animal hospitals or private practice once you graduate.

  • Small animal nursing
  • Vet practice management
  • Doggy daycare/boarding
  • Animal grooming
  • How to work with customers/owners
  • Secure a veterinary assistant internship

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers are responsible for many daily tasks, such as feeding, weighing, and taking the temperature of animals. Other duties may include giving medication, cleaning cages, and providing nursing care before and after surgery and other medical procedures.

Vet Assistant |

vet assistant programs chicago

SCHOOL WEBSITEMAIN ADDRESSONLINE PROGRAMAVMA ACCREDITED
Fox College18020 Oak Park Ave, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477NoYes
Joliet Junior College1215 Houbolt Rd, Joliet, Illinois, 60431-8938NoYes
Parkland College2400 W Bradley Ave, Champaign, Illinois, 61821-1899NoYes
Rockford Career College1130 South Alpine Road, Rockford, Illinois, 61108NoYes
Vatterott College-Fairview Heights110 Commerce Ln, Fairview Heights, Illinois, 62208NoNo

Joliet Junior College—located in the third highest employing region for vet techs in the nation—boasted an astounding 96 percent first-time pass rate among its graduates on the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) between 2016 and 2019.

This is a two-year, 72-semester-hour program, designed for 48 full-time students. Courses include small animal nursing; animal care; clinical pathology; laboratory animals; surgery technology; exotic animal and wildlife management; and more. Also, students are expected to complete two supervised externships in nearby animal clinics and facilities in order to receive hands-on instruction in the fundamentals of the profession. These clinical care courses provide at least 720 hours of clinical experience. Students have the option of choosing day or evening courses and some courses are offered online or in a hybrid format.

Parkland College of Champaign offers a veterinary technology program, which had an impressive 92.6 percent first-time VTNE pass rate among its graduates between 2016 and 2018.

Courses include small animal nursing; diagnostic imaging; animal management; large animal nursing; surgery technology; common veterinary drugs; and more. Students complete several lab courses as well as a full-time clinical practicum at a veterinary clinical site approved by the program director. Parkland’s selective program ensures that each of its students meets a rigorous list of technical abilities prior to graduation.

Enroll in the Veterinary Assistant Program at Skagit Valley College

Rockford Career College has an online video tour of its veterinary technician program to give prospective students a flavor for the environment. This two-year associate of applied sciences degree in veterinary technology offers courses such as animal clinical procedures; large animal medical techniques; veterinary anatomy systems and functions; clinical pathology; principles of surgery; husbandry and disease; husbandry and disease; small animals, and more.

General education requirements are delivered in an online format. There are a number of rabbits, rats, and cats that live on-site for students to practice handling, many of which are adopted at the end of school terms. The school works mainly with animals from rescue and humane societies—120 to 150 animals every 10 weeks— and the laboratory has blood-work, radiographic, and other types of commonly used veterinary equipment. Rockford vet tech graduates have a VTNE first-time pass rate of 65 percent (2016-2019).

The Fox College, located southwest of Chicago, offers an 18-month veterinary technology AAS degree at their Tinley Park campus. Courses include clinical medicine; veterinary pharmacology; anesthesia; large animal theory; surgical nursing; radiology; veterinary office procedures; and more. In addition there is a VTNE preparation course, as well as a veterinary externship. Between 2016 and 2019, 65.5 percent of its 226 graduates passed the VTNE on the first attempt. In addition to coursework, Fox College maintains an on-site kennel with dogs, cats, and rodents to help students develop care-taking and sanitation competencies through mandatory kennel duty during the program.

There is also one non-accredited program available in Illinois. Non-accredited programs may be in the accreditation process or may not want to seek accreditation. Regardless this does not necessarily mean they are not quality programs.

Vatterott College-Fairview Heights offers a veterinary technician AAS degree. The program consists of 90 weeks and 94 quarter-credit-hours of classroom instruction and labs, and 24 quarter-credit-hours of general education courses. Students can begin the program every ten weeks.

Courses for this program include veterinary law and ethics; radiology; shelter management; parasitology; animal disease and control; anesthesiology and surgical procedures; animal nursing; and more. The program also includes a career skills course and students complete a veterinary externship at the end of the program. VTNE first-time pass rates were not available for Vatterott.

veterinary assistant salary

The average salary for a veterinary assistant is $13.96 per hour in Illinois.

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