Ann Best, MHS, Assistant Dean
Phone: (419) 995-8080
Email: best.a@rhodesstate.edu
Office: CK 224D

Rhodes State College has partnered with Colby Community College to offer the prerequisite courses required for admission into their Veterinary Nursing Program. Students are required to take general education courses at Rhodes State College, work with a community veterinary hospital for observation and internship, and take online veterinary nursing courses through Colby Community College.  After graduation, students are required to pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination and register with the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board to practice as a veterinary technician/nurse.

A veterinary technician/nurse is involved in many different aspects of veterinary medicine and performs many of the duties vital to animal care.  Employment opportunities are growing faster than average, according to the U.S. Department of Labor,  and include work in veterinary hospitals, humane societies, zoos, colleges and universities, pharmaceutical companies, pet food companies, research laboratories, feed yards, and dairies. 

Pre-requisites:

Students can start any semester and work with Rhodes State College for the first year to complete all pre-requisites and application to the Colby Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing Program.

• 20 hours of general education prerequisite courses taken through Rhodes State College*
• 4 hours of veterinary nursing courses taken online through Colby Community College*
• Minimum of 30 hours of observation/work experience at a community veterinary hospital verified with appropriate documentation using DLVNP Veterinary Observation Work Experience Form

*Prerequisite courses must be completed with a "C" or better to be eligible to apply to the program.  Admission to the program is a selective process.

Technical Standards
See here for details.

First Year
First Semester		Hours
SDE 1010	First Year Experience	1
BHS 1390	Medical Terminology	2
BIO 1210	Biology I	4
COM 1110	English Composition	3
PSY 1010    or ECN 1410    or ECN 1430	General Psychology    or Macro Economics    or Micro Economics	3
	Term Hours	13
Second Semester
CHM 1110	Introductory General Chemistry	4
COM 2110	Public Speaking	3
	Term Hours	7
	Total Hours	20

Additional Requirements:

Complete steps 1-4 and 6 in the application procedures for the Colby Community College Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing program

First Year First Semester

• VN 115 Introduction to Veterinary Nursing (Colby Distance Learning-1 credit hour)
• Veterinary Hospital Observation/Work Experience:  30 hours minimum - download, print, complete observation and form then fax to 785-460-4666

First Year Second Semester

• AG 149 Principles of Animal Science (Colby Distance Learning -3 credit hours)

Complete steps 9-11 of the  application procedures 

***all courses must be successfully completed with a grade of "C" or better for application to the Colby Community College Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing program.

Because students enrolled in the Pre-Veterinary Tech/Nursing Program will be pursuing their degree from Colby Community College there is a Consortium Agreement form that must be completed for Financial Aid purposes.  Please contact the Assistant Dean to complete this form each semester enrolled at Rhodes.

Admission Requirements:

Students complete prerequisite requirements through Rhodes State College, on-line veterinary nursing courses through Colby Community College, and live observation/work experience through a community veterinary hospital of their choosing.  Upon successful completion of prerequisite courses with a "C" or better and submission of the Veterinary Observation/Work Experience Form a student is eligible to apply to the Colby Community College Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing program.

The program requires selective admission. Once admitted the students complete traditional classroom course work online while obtaining hands-on experience in veterinary hospitals of their choosing.  Students are not required to meet at scheduled times each week for class nor attend campus visits.  However,  there is an on-campus weekend mentorship known as a "fly-in" once during the fall semester for the microbiology, large animal and laboratory animal/exotic pet courses if a student does not have access to these species in their community.

The program requires 60 credit hours of program specific coursework in addition to the prerequisite coursework for a total for 82 credit hours.

Full-time program curriculum

Part-time program curriculum

Accreditation

Rhodes State College and Colby Community College are each accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604

The Colby Community College On-Campus and Distance Learning Veterinary Nursing Programs are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association(AVMA) Center for Veterinary Education Accreditation (CVTEA) as programs for educating veterinary technicians.

Being a graduate of an AVMA-accredited veterinary nursing program is required by most state regulatory boards and state credentialing agencies in order to take the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) and other applicable state examinations. Interested individuals should check with their state’s licensing agency for information on specific credentialing requirements. Some states do not offer credentialing for veterinary technicians.

American Veterinary Medical Association(AVMA) Center for Veterinary Education Accreditation (CVTEA)
1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360
Phone: 800-248-2862
Fax: 847-925-1329

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