School of Business and Technology Diploma
Provincially licensed (PVTA, PVIA)

Veterinary Assistant

Care for animals and the people who love them, training in nine months for front-desk and clinical support roles in veterinary practice.

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A direct path to employment, Robertson graduates finish ready for the workforce with practicum placement and hiring support from Robertson Workforce.

Prefer to learn in person? Please contact us.

Learn more about Workforce

The clinic's bridge between clients and care

Credential Diploma · 9 Months
Practicum 4 weeks

Veterinary Assistants play a dual role within a veterinary practice – they are often the first person that a client will interact with at the veterinary practice when they call or visit and they are also the people working behind the scenes, assisting the veterinary technologists with routine tasks.

Hands-on animal care, clinical support, and office skills

  1. 1.

    Animal care fundamentals

    • Animal Husbandry – 40h
    • Animal Nutrition – 60h
  2. 2.

    Health and disease

    • Animal Parasites – 40h
    • Common Conditions – 60h
    • Pet Immunity & Vaccines – 40h
  3. 3.

    Clinical assisting

    • Animal Restraint – 40h
    • Veterinary Assisting – 60h
    • Veterinary Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology – 40h
    • Veterinary Pharmacy – 40h
  4. 4.

    Front office operations

    • Veterinary Office Procedures – 60h
    • Customer Service – 20h
  5. 5.

    Workplace technology and careers

    • Microsoft Office Applications – 80h
    • Career Preparation – 40h

Where animal lovers turn passion into work

Job titles graduates land

Veterinary Assistant Veterinary Medical Assistant Veterinary Office Assistant

Recent graduate placements

Pet Insurance Offices Pet Shelters Veterinary Clinics Veterinary Hospitals

Potential Earnings

$31,200–$53,040

in a year or less, after graduation

jobbank.gc.ca

9 months, broken into 13 courses

Animal Husbandry

40h

This course introduces learners to the proper care and husbandry of common small animals seen in veterinary practice, with a focus on cats and dogs.

Animal Nutrition

60h

This course has been designed to introduce learners to the critical features of animal nutrition as they relate to cats and dogs.

Animal Parasites

40h

This course will introduce learners to the common internal and external parasites of small animals that are typically seen in veterinary practice.

Animal Restraint

40h

This course introduces learners to the restraint techniques used in veterinary practice to safely and effectively restraint pets for routine veterinary procedures.v

Common Conditions

60h

This course introduces learners to common, non-communicable conditions of cats and dogs that are seen in veterinary practice.

Customer Service

20h

This course provides a foundation for customer service, and recognizes that clients and colleagues can all be considered customers. Focus is on building customer relationships through the development of positive customer care approaches that includes respect for diversity and ensures organizational integrity.

Microsoft Office Applications

80h

This course will prepare learners to perform functions common to all Microsoft Windows applications. Elements include the ability to create and manipulate Word, Excel, or PowerPoint applications, modify the display of toolbars and other on-screen elements, use online help, and perform file management, editing, formatting and printing functions common to most Windows applications.

Pet Immunity & Vaccines

40h

This course introduces learners to common infectious diseases of cats and dogs, and the vaccinations and sanitation protocols used to increase immunity and prevent the spread of these diseases.

Veterinary Assisting

60h

This course introduces learners to the basic principles of veterinary assisting for cats, dogs, and exotics (small mammals, reptiles, birds).

Veterinary Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology

40h

This course introduces learners to the “language” of the veterinary profession, and the basic anatomy and physiology of cats and dogs.

Veterinary Office Procedures

60h

This course introduces learners to the basic administrative skills used in the day-to-day operations of a veterinary practice.

Veterinary Pharmacy

40h

This course introduces learners to pharmacology, the various drugs available in veterinary medicine, and how to accurately dispense medications for patients.

Career Preparation

40h

This course introduces learners to career preparation strategies. Learners will be introduced to job search strategies, interviews and other career management strategies.

Your tuition, start to finish

Program Tuition

Includes all applicable fees, ebooks and courseware

Fees, ebooks, courseware included

$12,995

Tuition total

$12,995

Testimonials from graduates.

Business and Technology

Winnipeg

Robertson showed me that it’s never too late. Anytime is a good time, you just have to make that decision and you’ll be supported along the way.

Katherine

Veterinary Assistant Graduate

Enrolling now for upcoming cohorts

Applying to Robertson College is simple, with no fee to apply and no commitment. If you'd rather talk it through first, book a 15-minute call with an advisor: they'll walk you through admission, financing, and which way to learn is best for you.

Robertson showed me that it's never too late. Anytime is a good time, you just have to make that decision and you'll be supported along the way.

Katherine, Veterinary Assistant Graduate