Animal Health Technology

What can you expect from our program?

In the Animal Health Technology (AHT) program you will be trained to provide hands-on care to a variety of animals both large and small. You will be taught a Canadian Veterinary Medical Association accredited curriculum delivered by staff boasting over 150 years of accumulated veterinary experience! Our campus features a small animal clinic, and a working farm with a variety of large animals on site. This provides our students with many opportunities to gain experience in handling, treating and caring for live patients of all sizes.

What will you learn?

In the Animal Health Technology program you will learn diagnostic laboratory procedures, animal disease, anatomy and physiology, surgery and anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, dentistry and client communication. Animal Health Technology students work as team leaders with Veterinary Medical Receptionist and Veterinary Technical Assistant students to provide care for the animals in our program.

Patient monitoring
Intravenous fluid therapy
Wound and bandage care
Pain control
Charting & medical record maintenance
Physiotherapy/hydrotherapy
Sample collection
Microscopic evaluation of blood, urine, feces, and other body fluids
Parasite identification
Quality control, operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment
Diagnostic imaging including: x-rays (traditional and CR-digital), ultrasounds and MRI
Anesthesiology (sedation, nerve blocks, local and general anesthesia)

Surgical assistance
Dentistry (plaque and tartar removal, tooth polishing, x-rays, non-surgical extractions, assisting in endodontic, orthodontic and advanced procedures)
Emergency and critical care (patient triage, evaluation of vital signs and recognition of abnormal conditions, critical care medications and procedures)
First aid and CPR
Critical care nursing
Reception duties
Medication dispersement
Client education (disease prevention, dental care, obesity management)
Home care instruction
Nutritional counseling

As a graduation requirement, students will participate in a 6 week industry practicum, working directly with industry professionals. While not a guarantee, students find that often these placements lead to full-time employment.

Credential: Diploma

Length of Program: 15 to 16 months (offered in an accelerated format with minimal breaks)

Method of Delivery: Blended. The program will begin with two online courses which will be completed prior to arrival on campus. Upon completion of the online courses, students will be on campus for three back to back 4-month semesters, delivered over 12-months. See chart below or view PDF

Directed Field Study/Work Term/Practicum: Yes, this program includes a 6 week practicum at the end of the term.

Program Intakes: Three intakes per year: Winter intake (February/ March program start), Summer intake (July program start), Fall intake (October program start).

Program Dates: Please visit our Dates & Schedules page to confirm start and end dates of your desired program and confirm campus closures.

Applications Open: October 1 for the Summer intake, December 1 for the Fall intake, March 1 for the Winter intake.

Selection Process for Admission: Competitive Entry
The number of qualified applicants will exceed the number of available seats within the program; therefore applicants with the highest overall average will be offered admission. Applicants with lower averages will be placed on a wait list and contacted in the event that a seat becomes available.

Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Books, and Supplies: Please refer to the current Fee Schedule for details.

Program Tuition & Fees: $12,300 / Books & Supplies: $1,500.

*These fees are provided as estimates only for the purposes of budgeting. Please note that this is an estimate for domestic students (international students should refer to the Fee Schedule) and all fees are subject to change.

What do I need to apply?

Admission Requirements:

65% or better in English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2
65% or better in Math 30-1 or 30-2
65% or better in Biology 30
65% or better in Chemistry 30
Complete 40 hours of job shadowing and/or employment and must submit a Verification Form signed by your employer, verifying the hours have been completed. PLEASE NOTE: Your application will remain "pending" until the Verification Form has been completed and submitted.
Meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement (completed at minimum 3 years of formal education taught entirely in English or provide the results of a recognized English Language Proficiency exam)

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants offered admission typically have an overall average in the required courses of 80% or higher.

Academic Upgrading and High School Applicants: It will be necessary to provide proof of enrolment in any required 30-level courses not yet completed (ie. a timetable, list of courses signed by the counselor/principal or letter from institution or staff/instructor) AND a final mark of 65% or better in the corresponding 20-level courses.

Alternate Admission Option: Prospective applicants who do not meet the academic requirements for the Animal Health Technology Diploma program can consider applying to the Veterinary Medical Receptionist Certificate program. If they successfully complete the VMR Certificate with a 3.5 GPA or higher, they are then eligible for admission to the AHT Diploma program.

Out of Province Applicants: Please refer to the Provincial Equivalency Chart for course equivalencies.

International Applicants: Olds College welcomes AHT applications from international applicants and those who have completed their high school education outside of Canada. Please note it will still be necessary to meet all of the noted admission requirements, including English Language Proficiency. Further information is available on our website under International Students.

Directed Field Study Required: 6 week practicum in the industry to be completed at the end of the program (can be completed at a location of the student’s choosing).

International Students will require a Co-Op Work Permit as well as a Study Permit for this program.

How do I submit my 40 hours of job shadowing and/or employment?

Verification of Job Shadowing/Employment

Job Shadowing/Employment Verification Form

The Verification Form must be signed by the Veterinarian, AHT, or person who most closely supervised the applicant in the location where the job shadowing and/or employment hours were gained. This form may only be signed and submitted after the minimum of 40 hours of job shadowing and/or employment hours have been completed.

Applicants to the Olds College Animal Health Technology (AHT) accelerated diploma program are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of job shadowing and/or employment in a single Canadian veterinary clinic. More information is available on the verification form.

How to host/confirm placement for a practicum student?

Hosting a Practicum Student

Olds College AHT and VMR programs are looking for locations to host students to complete their industry practicums!

Host an Olds College Animal Health Technology (AHT) or Veterinary Medical Receptionist (VMR) practicum student

Confirming Practicum Placement

Have you been contacted by an Olds College student and would like to confirm practicum placement?

Olds College Practicum Student - Confirmation Form

Admitted Student Information

Program Dates: Find out when you term start and end dates are, so that you know when you are expected to be in attendance. For more information, please review the Program Dates & Fee Schedule.

Class Registration: You will be registered into your classes automatically. This will happen approximately 1 month prior to the start-date for your program. You will be notified once you have been timetabled into your courses. You will be able to see your class schedule in your My Olds College account. If you need to make any changes to your class registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Technology Recommendation: It is strongly recommended that you come to Olds College with the following technology:

A laptop is preferred

As part of your student accounts, all students have access to Office 365 for the duration of their time with Olds College. To access this you just need to follow these steps:

Go to portal.office.com
Enter your Olds College email address and password
Once logged in there is a button on the right that says "Install Office Apps"

This will give you access to the full Office suite on your computer, for both Windows and Mac based platforms.

Materials & Supplies:

The following items are required to be purchased prior to the start of your program:

Coveralls (long sleeve/washable/no Carharts or TuffDuck brands)
minimum of two sets of scrubs (can be any color or pattern)
Rubber boots (we recommend a regular pair and an insulated pair)
Indoor shoes to be worn in hospital areas
Soft leather gloves to be worn during large animal labs (optional)

The following items can be purchased from the Olds College Campus Store:

Stethoscope
Penlight
Thermometer
Two wrap around coats (blue)

Order your Textbooks for your Online Courses

Information on other required textbooks and any further supplies will be provided as you attend each class. All books and supplies will be available during the first few weeks of classes in the College Campus Store.

Other Important Information:

Dress Code: You are required to adhere to a dress code that includes wearing scrubs and wraps in the hospital areas and laboratories, coveralls on the farm, and no revealing, torn, or dirty clothes worn during classes.
Time Requirements: As this programs involves learning with animals, you will be actively involved in the animal care throughout the program. This requires you to perform duties in the evenings and on weekends and holidays. You will be involved in the chores and day to day care of the animals that are required for the program. Students are scheduled to complete animal care rotations on a weekly (Wednesday to Tuesday) rotational basis (including weekends).
Physical Program Requirements: The AHT program is physically demanding and students must be in good health and be physically capable of performing the program requirements. This includes week long rotations in teams (including weekends) caring for our cats, dogs, exotics, horses, and cattle. Examples include lifting up to 25 lb dogs onto examination tables, jogging beside haltered horses, moving quickly in cattle and sheep pens and being able to scale a fence, walking medium to large size dogs in all weather conditions, and looking into a microscope for 1-3 hour labs.
Student Clubs: Animal Health Club
Immunization Requirements: This program requires specific immunization requirements. Learn More

Student Membership

Special requirements for students registered in an Animal Health Technology Program within the Province of Alberta now require that all students have an active student membership with the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) under the Province of Alberta’s Veterinary Act and General Regulation. https://abvma.in1touch.org/site/mainapplicant/applicant?nav=applicant

How do I complete the online program/course work?

How does the online program/course work?

Courses are set up in an online independent learning format. Courses have prescribed timelines for completion of assignments and the course material within designated semester dates. Support will be available from the online instructors and technical support is provided by itsupport@oldscollege.ca.

How do I get started?

Your online courses will be offered through Moodle.

User Name: Your username is your Olds College ID email address.
Password: Your password is the same as your Olds College email address password.

Once you have logged in, we strongly recommend that you complete the Getting Started tour of an online course. You will find the link to this on the left hand side of the screen, under Student Support. This short course is designed to help you become familiar with the basics of this online learning environment and prepares you to become an effective learner and contributor as soon as possible.

Additional information for the Moodle on-line learning platform:

the best browser for Moodle use is Firefox http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/
Moodle does not work with Google Chrome
If you are having issues, ensure that you have the correct java script. When you open Moodle (before you click on a course) there are some “checks” to click on to see that you have the correct java script.

Is there anything else that I can do to prepare myself for online learning?

If you are new to online learning, please review the information found in the Learning Café once you are logged on to Moodle. This is a very good resource for you as you progress through your course(s). The Learning Café is found on the left hand side of screen under Student Support. The Learning Café provides resources in the following areas:

eLearning: information on using computers and learning online
Study Skills: information on study skills, such as how to become a more effective reader, note-taker, and test-taker
Writing & Research: information on how to write essays, complete research assignments, and use APA documentation
Other Resources: information that is relevant to specific program or course areas

How much time is involved per course?

We estimate that students will be required to dedicate approximately 10 hours per week to each course but this varies for each student and length of time of each course.

How do I receive and pay for my textbooks and course material?

You can order your textbooks online through the Campus Store.

AHT Diploma Semester One Online Textbook Order Form

Animal Health Technology Diploma

What can you expect from our program?

Hosting A Practicum Student

What will you learn?

Your future

Program at a glance