Veterinary Assistant Program Success Stories

Ashely Holland joined Animal Behavior College’s Veterinary Assistant Program.  She is originally from Nashville.  She graduated from our program and became a Certified Veterinary Assistant.  Ashley was kind enough to reach out and follow up with us.  She informed us that she had gone on to become a successful Veterinary Assistant for Countryside Animal Hospital.

Countryside Animal Hospital is in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.  They supply a wide variety of veterinary services for animals.  They provide services in Mt. Juliet, Nashville, Old Hickory, Hermitage, Lebanon, and the surrounding area. Their mission is to give compassionate, comprehensive medical services and products to the pets in the area.

Ashley has four dogs and enjoys spending time with them and her husband and son.

Animal Behavior College wishes Ashley all of the best in her future endeavors.

Having formerly worked in apartment management for 10 years, Teresa Cabrera, ABCVA, became ready for a career change and wanted her new job to allow her to be surrounded by furry friends. “I have always wanted to work with animals since they are my passion,” she says. “I came to a point in my life where I was able to make a career change and knew it was the right time.”

Teresa located Animal Behavior College (ABC) and enrolled in March of 2008 to put her career change on the fast track. The ABC Vet Assistant Program consists of an in-home study portion coupled with invaluable hands-on training available to students nationwide. The ease of the study materials along with guidance from her Program Manager, Penny, helped Teresa to excel during the in-home study portion of the program and prepare for her externship.

Once Teresa had completed her book work and passed all of her exams, it came time for her hands-on externship in which she volunteered 90 hours at a veterinary clinic in her area to practice what she had learned in a real-life veterinary setting. She was set up with the Vet Clinic of Palm Harbor, FL, where she was able to gain added guidance and assistance in mastering the tasks of a veterinary assistant. “The experience was awesome and the staff is very friendly,” she says. Actually, Teresa continues to volunteer with the Vet Clinic of Palm Harbor to this day as extra preparation for her career in veterinary assisting. With each passing day, she becomes more and more aware of the various aspects of the job. “My most rewarding moments have been when I have been able to perform tasks on my own after completing my externship,” she says.

Teresa sincerely recognizes the importance of the role of the veterinary assistant in an animal hospital and in today’s society. “Veterinary assistants are important because there aren’t enough people in the world that truly care about animals and have the desire to help educate the world about the needs of animals,” she says. As an ardent animal lover who admits that “animals are my true love, and they bring me happiness,” she has a bright future ahead of her working as a compassionate, well-educated veterinary assistant since graduating from the ABC veterinary assistant training program in October of 2008.

Teresa does not plan on halting her education here; she hopes to continue on to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. She explains that her ABC education laid a strong foundation for her future veterinary endeavors. To others wishing to work in the veterinary field, she describes the crucial characteristics of a person who works with animals – “Compassion, professionalism, dependability, empathy, understanding, and a desire to continue learning and growing in the industry,” she says.

As a confident ABC vet assistant graduate and certified veterinary assistant, Teresa knows that her ABC education has given her an advantage over other people wishing to become veterinary assistants. “I have an official certificate and the hands-on experience to back me up,” she explains. With her new ABC certification, she is now searching for a job as a veterinary assistant with confidence and pride. She knows that this vet assistant career will help her to help animals, and that to her is a dream fulfilled. “It has already opened my eyes to different types of illnesses and needs that animals have that I never knew possible,” she says. “It has shown me that animals are not that different from humans in terms of what they need for healthcare.”

After being a stay-at-home mom who worked for The Pampered Chef for 10 years, Judy Menetre, ABCVA, knew she needed a new career that would not only make her happy, but support her financially. Lucky, one of Judy’s friends knew she was looking to go back to school and suggested Animal Behavior College’s Veterinary Assistant Program. Judy instantly knew that it would be the perfect career for her, since her first love had always been animals. She also knew that Animal Behavior College’s in-home study program with hands-on training would be an ideal fit for a stay-at-home mom. The program allowed her to study at her own convenience, and the local externship made it easy for her to get the hands-on training needed to work in the veterinary field.

Judy recalls that the support she received from her ABC Program Manager, Ashlie Herring, RVT, was one of the best things about the course. “Ashlie was great about answering my questions in a timely manner,” Judy said. “She even helped me with my resume after I had already graduated. She didn’t have to, but she did.” In fact, this additional help resulted in Judy finding a job almost immediately after graduating!

Although Judy did not have any veterinary experience prior to enrolling at ABC, she found that her veterinary assistant certification really gave her a leg up on the competition when looking for a vet assistant job. “I took my resume and went in-person to the vet offices in my area,” said Judy. “I got a job offer on the second day! I was amazed, and really happy.”

“The knowledge and verbiage I learned during the Veterinary Assistant Program at ABC has allowed me, a complete novice in the industry, to be able to understand what the doctor is talking about, which has really impressed the staff,” Judy said. Not only did her ABC veterinary assistant certification help Judy get a new job, but the experience she gained has helped her enormously at work and will continue to do so as she advances in the veterinary industry.

Paul Schmid decided it was “now or never” for him to pursue a career that involved his true love of working with pets. So, at age 51, Paul decided to leave the electrometric industry, where he was working, to follow finally follow his dream of working with animals.

Paul felt burned out at his current job and wanted an occupation where he could put his compassion to good use by helping pets and their parents. He decided on a career as a veterinary assistant where he knew his people skills would come in handy when pet owners were faced with hard decisions.

However, Paul knew it was important to obtain a vet assistant certification before jumping into the veterinary industry. “It behooves you to get experience before you try to get a job in any field.” Paul said, “Some veterinarians really like it when you have already been exposed to the job duties because then they know for sure you will love your work.”

Paul chose Animal Behavior College’s Veterinary Assistant Program because of the school’s curriculum. “I really liked the 11-stage format and how much time you had to complete each part,” said Paul. Since he was still working as a Project Manager, the flexibility of the online veterinary assistant course allowed him to finish the program according to his schedule.

After years as a mortgage recruiter, Paola Velasquez, ABCVA, decided that the down-turned economy was an excellent time to pursue her lifelong dream of working in a vet clinic.

Since she had no experience in the veterinary field, Paola knew that she would need to gain some knowledge before trying to get a job as a veterinary assistant. “With the bad economy, the job market is competitive,” Paola said, “I wanted to have a foundation and some actual experience before I tried to find work.”

It was the hands-on portion that led Paola to enroll in Animal Behavior College’s Certified Veterinary Assistant Program.

Jillian Hoy, ABCVA, was born in Fairbanks, AK, in 1992 and moved to Redding, CA, in 2001. Being an only child, her parents made the decision to home school her from Kindergarten through 12th grade. While she was engrossed in a one-on-one education experience, she grew up with plenty of animal friends who surrounded her throughout her childhood.

Jillian graduated from Liberty Baptist Academy in the spring of 2010, and her long-time compassion for animals led her to consider and pursue a career-path working with her furry friends. She discovered Animal Behavior College and enrolled in the Vet Assistant Program in the fall that same year. Jillian says she naturally felt drawn to working in the animal field, and felt that becoming a vet assistant would be the perfect career choice for her.

Shelly Tarr, ABCVA and ABCDT, has always had a love for animals. She believes that “your life is incomplete without them.” At her home in Indiana, Shelly cares for four dogs and four cats and makes it her business to get to know every dog on the block personally. When she discovered that military spouses were being offered grants to earn an education to pursue a “portable career,” she jumped at the opportunity. She thought back to her passion for animals and began researching animal career training schools that specialized in that field.

Shelly had worked at a veterinary hospital previously and knew it would be a career path she would thoroughly enjoy. That’s when she found Animal Behavior College. She says, “What better way to spend my spare time than to play and care for critters?”

Shelly enrolled into both the ABC Veterinary Assistant Program and the Dog Trainer Program. The fact that the coursework and curriculum were available online suited Shelly’s busy schedule. She was able to earn her certifications while still caring for her family and working. Shortly after enrolling in the veterinary assistant course, a stable manager position for the Military Department of Indiana Ceremonial Unit Caisson Platoon became available. Shelley applied and was awarded the job. “I believe that I got the job because I was dual enrolled at Animal Behavior College. They enjoyed my enthusiasm and liked the fact that I was attending a school that was relevant to my new job,” she comments.

Shelly did the externship portion of the vet assistant program at Knightstown Veterinary Hospital where she passed with flying colors. She found her externship experience to be extremely valuable. Shelly says, “Working at the hospital allowed me to understand things about the veterinary world that I would have never learned any other way.” After her externship, Shelly was asked to stay on as an assistant in the clinic, but she already considered working with the Caissson Platoon to be the “best job in the world” and wanted to stay with her “giant boys [horses]” at the barn.

ABC’s Veterinary Assistant Program provided Shelly with the academic foundation and hands-on experience she needed to achieve her goals. Her Program Manager, Ashlie, proved to be very helpful in understanding the curriculum as well as being a great resource – making her experience with Animal Behavior College a wonderful one.

Jennifer Contessa, ABCVA, researched various veterinary assistant programs and finally decided to apply to Animal Behavior College. “From the first phone call to the final exam, everyone at the college took their time to get to know me and answer any questions I had. The school was very flexible and because of that, I was able to complete my work at home at my own pace without compromising anything happening in my busy life,” she comments. Jennifer felt that the techniques discussed in the ABC veterinary assistant curriculum effectively prepared her for the externship portion of the program. She remarks, “I felt completely confident starting my internship at Farmingville Animal Hospital. Only after a month of working there, the hospital hired me and I’ve been working there ever since.”

Ever since Jennifer can remember, she had a connection with animals and wanted to work with them. She says, “I was the girl playing outside with ants and rescuing spiders. While everyone else thought I was crazy, I knew that even though that creature was much smaller than I, it had a purpose and a right not to be stomped on.”

Even though Jennifer knew that she wanted a career in the animal industry, she thought it was important to pursue a college education. She earned a Bachelor’s and later a Master’s degree at Long Island University in New York. While Jennifer was a student, she kept her motivation infused by working as a bather in a local grooming salon. The shop owners recognized her potential and urged her to go to school for pet grooming. Although flattered by the compliment, Jennifer says, “Deep down I knew I wanted to work in the veterinary field. My passion lies with improving the quality of life of an animal rather than their appearance.”

ABC helped Jennifer achieve her goal of becoming a veterinary assistant and is grateful to all the teachers and counselors who were there for her along the way. Her ultimate dream for the future is to open her own animal shelter where she can care for critters and pass on her knowledge to other animal lovers.

Animals have always played an important role in Katherine Franz’s life. She has had a passion to care for and protect them ever since she was a little girl. As a child, Katherine would help lost animals by bringing them home and fostering them until she was able to find their family. She says, “I’ve been blessed with the ability to communicate with animals, serving as an interpreter, to help people understand why animals do what they do.” Throughout her life, Katherine has frequently volunteered at shelters and rescues as well as pet sat for friends and neighbors. She’s held a number of positions in different career fields over the years, but always gravitated toward working with animals.

Being a military spouse, Katherine was seeking a portable career that would allow her to work with animals. She first heard about Animal Behavior College while watching Animal Planet. The ABC advertisement directly addressed military spouses and discounted tuition rates. The courses offered by ABC intrigued her as she is continuously in pursuit of educational opportunities to better herself. Katherine comments, “I saw the ABC Veterinary Assistant Program as a way to open many doors for me in the animal industry.”