Welcome to YCCPCS' Certified Veterinary Assisting program, where a love for animals and a genuine desire to keep them healthy, are combined together in a series of hands-on courses geared towards preparing students to become assistant veterinary nurses.

      The term veterinary assistant typically refers to a person who assists in the medical care of animals but is not a credentialed veterinary technician, laboratory animal technician, or veterinarian. Training can be obtained on the job or through a comprehensive program offered by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians of America (NAVTA) or by the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

The roles and responsibilities of the veterinary assistant emphasize providing support to the veterinary team in any capacity deemed necessary. On any given day for example, the veterinary assistant may be asked to exercise patients, provide restraint, assist with routine clinical laboratory procedures, maintain hospital cleanliness, assist with radiographs, draw blood, vaccinate, and even assist with client education.

YCCPCS' program is affiliated with Animal Care Technologies or ACT (approved by the CVMA) and consists of three components: the online 12-unit course augmented by direct instruction; hands-on technical skills; and finally clinical practice in a veterinary facility. The direct instruction component is broken into four classes including a quarter long introductory class, followed by a two period first year course, a two period second year course, and finally, the capstone class where students are applying all they have learned in a real clinical externship.

Melanie Sparks MA, RVT