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Animal Care Assistant CERT

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Certificate – Code #3267

Philip Schroeder, Department Chair
Email address: schroepd@alfredstate.edu

The Animal Care Assistant certificate program is designed for students who want to work in the animal care field or to gain skills to help them transfer into and succeed in Alfred State College's Veterinary Technician AAS program.  The Animal Care Assistant certificate gives these students hands-on skills that will help them find employment in animal care, or to develop the skills and knowledge to help them be successful in a Veterinary Technician or another animal care related academic program if they wish to continue their education after completing the certificate.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

  • Properly utilize terminology related to the anatomy of domestic large and small animal species, directional terms and positions, medical abbreviations, and record keeping.
  • Safely and properly restrain common domestic large and small animal species.
  • Successfully care for and perform specific husbandry tasks related to common domestic large and small animal species.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic behaviors of common domestic large and small animal species.

Continuing Education Opportunities

Students who complete the Animal Care Assistant (ACA) Certificate3 Program and achieve the following benchmarks will be admitted to the Veterinary Technology program to pursue the AAS degree and be eligible to sit for the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) and earn licensure.

These benchmarks include earning a "C" or better in the following courses:

  • VETS 1002 - Applied Veterinary Medical Terminology
  • VETS 1203 - Introduction to Veterinary Technology
  • ANSC 2114 - Domestic Animal Anatomy and Physiology

Occupational Opportunities

  • Veterinary Assistant
  • Animal Shelter Assistant
  • Daycare or Boarding Kennel Assistant
  • Zoo
  • Pet Store
  • Animal Clinic
  • Aquariums
  • Farm Employee
  • Racehorse Groom

Job Outlook

2012 National Employment Matrix title and code Change 2022-32 Job openings due to growth and replacements (000)
  2022 Projected Employment, 2032 Percent  
Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 31-9096 114,800 138,300 20 23,500
  Employment Change Annual Average Openings Est. Wages
Title 2020 2030 Net Percent Total Growth Replacement Entry Experienced
Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 5,070 5,980 860 17 962 86 270 $33,837 $46,214

Western New York Region

Title Employment Change Est. Wages
  2018 2028 Net Percent Entry Experienced
Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 560 680 120 21.4 $31,122 $39,792

Related Programs

Veterinary Technology AAS

Entrance Requirements/recommendations

Required: Algebra, Geometry, Biology (Living Environment)

Recommended: Chemistry

Office of Accessibility Services

Students who believe they need a reasonable accommodation to properly participate in this program may contact Melanie Ryan in the Office of Accessibility Services. This office may be contacted by email at oas@alfredstate.edu  or by phone at 607-587-4506. Please keep in mind that some accommodations may take time to implement, so students seeking accommodations are encouraged to contact OAS as early as possible.

Animal Care Assistant (CERT)

TYPICAL TWO-SEMESTER PROGRAM (on campus)

First

ANSC 1204 Introduction to Animal Science 4
AGRI 1001 Farm Practicum I 1
VETS 1002 Applied Veterinary Med Term 2
MATH XXX3   3
XXXX XXX3 Technical Elective 3
      13

Second

ANSC 3203 Dairy Cattle Production I 3
VETS 1203 Intro to Veterinary Technology 3
VETS 2333 Domestic Animal Behavior 3
ANSC 2114 Dom Animal Anat & Phys 4
AGRI 2001 Farm Practicum II 1
      14

Total Credit Hours: 27