Ventura, Calif.—Ventura College is offering a new two-year Veterinary Technology Program culminating in an Associate of Science degree. Classes begin spring 2021 at Ventura College's East Campus in Santa Paula.

After successfully completing the first-year curriculum, students will receive a Certificate of Achievement in Veterinary Assistant, which will enable students to seek entry-level employment in the field of veterinary technology while completing the Associate of Science degree requirements.

Ventura College partnered with Ohana Pet Hospital to launch the program. "Ohana is helping build a new teaching lab adjacent to the Ventura College East Campus and our Santa Paula hospital location, which are in the same building," says Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim, a founding partner of Ohana Pet Hospital. "We are also working with the Ventura College Foundation on fundraising efforts."

The program is seeking accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Accreditation occurs 1 to 2 years after a program has begun. The program is on course to receive accreditation by the time the initial group of students successfully complete their two-year curriculum. Students will then be eligible to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. Preparations for the national exam are embedded in courses throughout the program.  Besides classwork, students will receive training in lab courses and participate in clinical externships at Ohana Pet Hospital.

"We are grateful for the help and support of the Ohana Pet Hospital staff," says Dr. Kim Hoffmans, Ventura College President. "Their clinical experience brings real-world knowledge into the classroom."

There are currently no AVMA accredited veterinary technology programs in Ventura, Santa Barbara, or San Luis Obispo Counties. "The Ventura College program is important in that it provides local students with a solid education to enter a profession with many diverse career paths and opportunities for growth," says Lim. "In addition, due to a local (and national) shortage of qualified and educated veterinary technicians and assistants, this program will help fill the staffing void that all veterinary hospitals face."

The Ventura College Foundation assists the college to successfully facilitate the corporate and campus partners for the Veterinary Technology Program. Other foundation efforts for educational and local economic development have resulted in the development of the college's Diesel Mechanics Program, a relaunch of the Agricultural Program (with a renovated avocado orchard and Living Learning Lab), and the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Lab expansion.

"It's important that students can apply what they learn in college to good-paying jobs in our community," says Anne Paul King, Ventura College Foundation executive director.  "The return on our corporate partners’ investment in education is immediate."

Program classes are full for the spring 2021 semester. Ventura College will host information sessions and make applications available in March 2021 for the Veterinary Technology Program's 2021-22 school year. For more information, go to www.venturacollege.edu, select Programs & Courses, and type in Veterinary Technology Program in the Search box.