Veterinary Office Assistant Specialist

Hours: 360 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Open, Mentor Supported
Retail Price: $2,595.00

Course Overview:

The Veterinary Office Assistant handles daily administrative duties of the veterinary team. This course outlines step-by-step instructions for completing these daily tasks such as scheduling appointments, billing and accounting, communicating effectively and compassionately with clients, managing medical records, budgeting, marketing, managing inventory, using outside diagnostic laboratory services, and more. Make a difference in the lives of animals and the people who love them while working as a Veterinary Office Assistant in a veterinary hospital, animal shelter, zoo, or university.

At the completion of this course you should be able to:

• Identify the roles of the veterinary office team
• Identify the elements of the veterinary practice as a business
• Comprehend strategies for managing client relations
• Identify systems for managing client records, inventory, and budgets
• Identify common veterinary procedures, diseases, and treatments

NOTE: This program DOES NOT License, Certify, or Register Veterinary Technicians in any state through the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

Veterinary Medical Terminology provides a visual approach to learning medical terms and understanding the basics of veterinary medicine. A systematic process of breaking down medical terms into their component parts allows readers to comprehend the root medical concepts and apply critical thinking skills when faced with new and unfamiliar medical terminology. Case studies exemplify how medical terminology would be experienced in an actual veterinary practice.

The software provided with this course makes review of the concepts fun through use of interactive games and audio pronunciation of the terms.

At the completion of this course you should be able to:

• Comprehend the core elements of veterinary medical terminology
• Identify the steps to analyze prefixes and suffixes
• Comprehend the function and structure of systems of the body
• Identify common anatomical terminology for various animals
• Recall terms to describe procedures performed on various systems of the body to treat injury and disease

Course Outline:

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 1
The Veterinary Health Care Team

• Veterinary Health Care Team Members
• Kennel assistants
• Veterinary technicians
• Veterinarians
• The Receptionist Team
• Phone Etiquette
• Common Forms
• Client Relations
• Team Management
• Leadership Styles
• Delegation
• Veterinary Ethics and Legal Issues

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 2
The Veterinary Practice as a Business

• Human Resources
• Organizational Behavior
• Employee Development
• Hiring Process
• Positive Stress
• Negative Stress
• Coping with Stress
• Coping with Burnout
• Practice Design
• Ergonomics
• Motion Economy
• Retail Area
• Treatment Area
• Technology in the Office

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 3
Marketing and Client Management

• Outside Diagnostic Laboratory Services
• Packaging Specimens
• Shipping Specimens
• Results
• The 4 Ps of Marketing
• Marketing Strategies
• Branding
• Client Communications
• Email and Letter Etiquette
• Client Compliance
• Recall Systems
• Interacting with a Grieving Client
• Five Stages of Grief
• Human and Animal Bond

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 4
Appointment, Records & Inventory Management

• Appointment Management Systems
• Computer Schedule System
• Managing Walk-ins
• Medical Records Management
• Legibility of Records
• Choosing a File System
• Inventory Management
• Inventory Controls
• Manufacturers and Distributors
• Controlled Substances
• DEA License
• Drug Logs

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 5
Accounts Receivable, Insurance, and Budgets

• Controlled Substance Log
• Radiology Log
• Surgical Log
• Laboratory Log
• Accounts Receivable
• Accepting Payments
• Collection Procedures
• Pet Health Insurance
• Premiums
• Deductibles
• Co-Pay
• Preparing a Budget
• Maintaining a Budget
• Key Performance Indicators
• Bookkeeping Services
• Taxes

Veterinary Office Assistant Module 6
Safety, Security & Clinical Assisting

• Occupational Hazards and Safety Issues
• Zoonotic diseases
• Disease Transmission
• Security Systems
• Theft
• Cameras and Recording Devices
• Clinical Assisting
• Common Diseases
• Blood Sampling
• Calculations and Conversions
• Monthly Finance Charges
• Inventory Turns Per Year
• Professional Development
• Career Planning
• Self-Assessment

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 1
Introduction to Medical Terminology

• Anatomy of a Medical Term
• Prefixes & Suffixes
• Combining Vowels & Forms
• Analyzing Medical Terms
• General Pronunciation Guidelines
• Positions & Planes
• Grouping Things Together
• Labeling a Diagram
• The Skeletal System
• Function & Structure of the Skeletal System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Skeletal System
• The Muscular System
• Function & Structure of the Muscular System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Muscular System

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 2
Common Anatomical Terms

• Two Words, Same Meaning
• Common Anatomical Terms for Equine
• Common Anatomical Terms for Cattle
• Common Anatomical Terms for Goats
• Common Anatomical Terms for Sheep
• Common Anatomical Terms for Swine
• Common Anatomical Terms for Dogs & Cats
• The Digestive System
• Function & Structure of the Digestive System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Digestive System
• The Urinary System
• Function & Structure of the Urinary System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Urinary System

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 3
Body Systems - Part 1

• The Cardiovascular System
• Function & Structure of the Cardiovascular System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Cardiovascular System
• The Respiratory System
• Function & Structure of the Respiratory System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Respiratory System
• The Integumentary System
• Function & Structure of the Integumentary System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Integumentary System
• The Endocrine System
• Function & Structure of the Endocrine System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Endocrine System

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 4
Body Systems - Part 2

• The Reproductive System
• Function & Structure of the Reproductive System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Reproductive System
• The Estrous Cycle
• Mating, Pregnancy, and Birth
• The Nervous System
• Function & Structure of the Nervous System 
• Central Nervous System
• Peripheral Nervous System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Nervous System
• Function & Structure of the Eye
• Pathology & Procedures of the Eyes
• Function & Structure of the Ear
• Mechanism of Hearing
• Mechanism of Equilibrium
• Pathology & Procedures of the Ears 

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 5
Systems & Diseases 

• The Hematologic System
• Pathology of the Hematologic System
• The Lymphatic System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Lymphatic System
• The Immune System
• Pathology & Procedures of the Immune System
• Oncology
• Pathology & Procedures of the Oncology
• Basic Physical Examination
• Laboratory Terminology
• Pathogenic Organisms
• Types of Diseases
• Endoscopy
• Imaging Techniques
• Pharmacologic Terms
• Surgical Terms

Veterinary Medical Terminology Module 6
Dealing with Specific Animals

• Anatomy, Breeding, & Vaccinations
• Dogs & Cats
• Descriptive Terms
• Horses, Donkeys, Mules, and Ponies
• Mode of Movement
• Markings, Equipment, and Management Terms
• Terms for Unsoundness in Horses
• Ruminants: Cattle, Sheep, Goats, and Camelids
• Pigs and Swine Management Terms
• Equipment and Industry Terms
• Birds, Poultry, and Pet Bird Terms
• Rodents, Ferrets, and Rabbits
• Reptiles and Amphibians

All necessary materials are included.

NOTE: This program DOES NOT License, Certify, or Register Veterinary Technicians in any state through the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

System Requirements:

• Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 2 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)

• Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.