Veterinary Assistant Scribe

Career Outlook

Veterinarians are under an increasing weight of administrative tasks that pull them away from patient care. With Veterinary Assistant Scribes, veterinarians can increase productivity, improve efficiency, have quality PMS documentation, and help minimize the risk of burnout and turnover.

Veterinary Assistant Scribes play a critical part in optimizing the patient care experience by building the perfect medical record.

Being a Veterinary Assistant Scribe is a unique opportunity to get frontline experience, from working in a fast-paced hospital environment to observing an array of interesting cases, to collaborating effectively with a medical team. It’s the chance to learn from practicing veterinarians, grow your knowledge, and start your career in veterinary medicine.

Our specialized training program is your gateway to becoming a Veterinary Assistant Scribe, a unique role that combines your passion for animals with the precision of data management. Join us on this extraordinary journey where you’ll be the silent hero behind every healthy and happy tail.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Veterinary Assistants is projected to grow 20 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 26,800 openings for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Occupation Outlook

As the world of animal healthcare continues to evolve, the role of a Veterinary Assistant Scribe has emerged as a key player in ensuring the well-being of our beloved animal companions. In the coming decade, the outlook for Veterinary Assistant Scribes is set to shine with promising opportunities. The pet care industry is booming, and the need for dedicated professionals who can seamlessly blend animal care with meticulous documentation is on the rise. Here is a glimpse into the promising outlook:

  1. Rapid Industry Growth: The pet care industry is expanding at an impressive rate. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers is projected to grow by 20% from 2022 to 2032, a rate much faster than the average for all occupations.
  2. Increased Emphasis on Documentation: With growing awareness of the importance of accurate record-keeping in animal healthcare, the demand for Veterinary Assistants Scribe is expected to continue to rise.
  3. Pet Ownership Trends: The increasing number of pet owners who view their animals as family members fuels the demand for skilled Veterinary Assistants. As more people seek comprehensive care for their pets, the need for professionals in this field continues to rise.

See the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report for Veterinary Assistant – Scribes

Program Overview

Veterinarians are under an increasing weight of administrative tasks that pull them away from patient care. With Veterinary Scribes, veterinarians can increase productivity, improve efficiency, have quality documentation, and help minimize the risk for burnout and turnover.

Course Outcomes

At the end of Veterinary Assisting element of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain how to dissect a medical term in terms of prefixes, word roots, combining forms, and suffixes.
  2. Define general medical terms and abbreviations used in veterinary medicine.
  3. Define veterinary medical terms and abbreviations that apply to each body system including those for anatomy, physiology, diagnostic procedures, and pathological conditions.
  4. Define terms that describe body parts and anatomy specific to various species of animals.
  5. Define common terms that denote sex, age, birthing, grouping, and general descriptions of animals.
  6. Define veterinary medical terms and abbreviations associated with examination, pharmacology, pathology, surgery, dissection, and laboratory procedures.
  7. Define specific veterinary terms and abbreviations used to describe canines, felines, equines, ruminants, swine, birds, and other species.
  8. Explain the foundations of veterinary practice in terms of ethical, legal, safety, practice management, and professional communication.
  9. Explain the concepts associated with veterinary diagnostics.
  10. Explain the concepts associated with veterinary therapeutics.
  11. Explain the concepts associated with animal nursing care and husbandry for different animal species.

At the end of the Veterinary Scribe element of this course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the intrinsic value of a medical scribe to a veterinarian, including the role, responsibilities, etiquette, and personality of a functioning and successful scribe.
  • Describe the functions of electronic health record (EHR) systems used in veterinary practices.
  • Understand the basis of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR).
  • Competently document patient histories, physical exams, and treatments using SOAP, PVMR, and SOVMR.
  • HIPAA compliance and confidentiality in veterinary records.
  • Understand the components and mechanics of an EHR regarding scribing utilizing hands‐on practice and demonstrate competency in same.
  • Apply scribe workplace fundamentals through directed multimedia scenarios.
  • Obtain scribing practice with case presentations and medical charting.
  • Prepare to add a significant new skillset to your resume.

Certification

Students completing this program can sit for the Veterinary Assistant Certification (VET) exam administered by the National Workforce Career Association (NWCA).

Veterinary Assistant

  • Veterinary Practice
  • Communications, Professionalism, and Legal Concepts
  • Veterinary Safety and Aseptic Techniques
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Canines and Felines
  • Birds
  • Pocket Pets, Rabbits, and Laboratory Animals
  • Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish
  • Zoo Animals, Exotic Animals, and Wildlife
  • Beef and Dairy
  • Cattle
  • Equine
  • Swine, Sheep, and Goats
  • Animal Nutrition
  • Microbiology and Parasitology
  • Animal Restraint and Handling
  • Physical Exam and Patient History
  • Veterinary Assistant Procedures
  • Laboratory Procedures
  • Radiology and Imaging Procedures
  • Pharmacy Procedures
  • Surgical Procedures

Scribe

  • What is a Scribe?
  • The Provider/Scribe Team
  • Language of Veterinary Medicine
  • Phrasing, Abbreviations, Jargon, and Slang
  • Commons Diseases, Procedures, and Sound-A-Like Terms
  • Importance of Record Keeping in a Veterinary Practice & Animal Care
  • Documentation Importance
  • Veterinary Medicine Laws and the Medical Record
    • Consequences, Confidentiality, and Legibility
  • VCPR – Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship
    • Examples of VCPR in Practice
    • Types of Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationships
  • Chart Overview
  • Electronic/Paper Charts
  • Components of the Medical Record
    • History, Physical Exam, Problem Lists, Procedure Reports, Progress Notes, Discharge Summary, and Diagnostics
  • Laboratory, Imaging, and Pathology in Veterinary Medicine
  • Charting Methods
    • SOAP – Subjective, Objective, Assessment, & Plan
    • PVMR – Problem-Oriented Medical Record
    • SOVMR – Source-Oriented Veterinary Medical Record
  • Pharmacology
    • Veterinary Medications, Prescriptions, Rx Requirements
    • Preventing Rx Errors
  • Final Exam
  • All-inclusive Program Fee
    $2,404.77*
    *Payment upfront, via bank draft

The all-inclusive program fee covers everything a student needs to successfully complete the Veterinary Assistant Scribe program, including:

  • Tuition
  • Textbooks
  • Materials
  • Course fee

Payment Options

  • Pay Up Front - 10% Tuition Discount
  • Military Discount - 10% Tuition Discount
  • Monthly FlexPay - Interest-free Installment Plan
  • Employer Sponsorship

This program qualifies for the MyCAA Tuition Assistance Program sponsored by the Department of Defense—a program designed for military spouses.

Young female medical assistant working at the hospital and medical staff

Externship Program

Upon completing the online training program, a student is eligible* for our optional Veterinary Assisting Externship. The Veterinary Assistant Externship is a standard 40-hour unpaid rotation.  The purpose of the Externship is two-fold: to give each student hands-on instruction and practice conducting a variety of procedures with supervision and to connect each student with a potential employer in their local market.

As a participant in this Clinical Externship, you must agree to provide a resume to their assigned Externship Coordinator no less than three weeks following initial contact. Failure to provide such a resume will result in students not participating in the externship opportunity. In addition, the following terms and conditions apply to the Externship:

  • All externship opportunities are subject to the facility’s availability, scheduling, and staffing needs.
  • Students provide their transportation to externship facilities.
  • Attendance and punctuality at the facility are required.
  • Students agree to comply with all facility policies, including, but not limited to, the policy on professionalism, dress, uniform, and proper hygiene practices for a medical setting.
  • The healthcare facility for which you volunteer is under no obligation to offer you employment (or any other employment benefit) after your clinical externship experience.
  • All externship assignments are final and remain at the discretion of the facility. Under no circumstances are we or the facility to which you are assigned considered an employer for students completing their clinical externship experience.
  • Additional documentation including health records, immunizations, drug screening, criminal background checks, etc. may be required by the externship facility.

By participating in this process, students are entering into an unpaid volunteer clinical externship opportunity which, at no time, constitutes an employee-employer relationship. The facility is under no obligation to continue your clinical experience, nor should you maintain these expectations.

*Students who wish to participate in this course’s optional, but highly recommended clinical externship, must complete their program with a grade of 70% or higher on the final exam and overall course average. All externship placements are subject to the availability, scheduling, and staffing needs of the externship sites.

Is an Externship position guaranteed if I successfully complete this program?

We will coordinate an externship for each eligible student at a healthcare organization in their local area. In over eight years of providing this service, we have not had an instance where we could not do this—pandemic or no pandemic. With this said, we cannot guarantee a placement due to circumstances outside our control which include a lack of healthcare organizations located in a rural area, acts of God, situations where healthcare organizations have curtailed their operations due to a pandemic or other cause or in situations where a student chooses not to meet the outlined requirements.

Everything You Want To Know About our Veterinary Assistant Scribe Program

Request Information

 If you have questions, would like to request information, or would like to request an enrollment application, please contact us.

Request Information

 If you have questions, would like to request information, or would like to request an enrollment application, please contact us.