Students who choose the major concentration in veterinary technology with a specialization in pre-veterinary medicine must complete:

• VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science
• VETC 256 - Anatomy of Domestic Animals
• VETC 256A - Anatomy of Domestic Animals Laboratory
• VETC 258 - Animal Handling and Restraint
• VETC 300 - Physiology of Domestic Animals
• VETC 306 - Clinical Laboratory Techniques and Analysis
• VETC 306A - Clinical Laboratory Techniques Laboratory
• VETC 320 - Pharmacology and Toxicology (cc)
• VETC 341 - Small Animal Diseases: A Case Based Approach
• VETC 350 - Applied Clinical Veterinary Nursing Lecture
• VETC 350A - Applied Clinical Veterinary Nursing Skills
• VETC 495 - Externship I: General Small Animal Medicine and Surgery

Note(s)

There is a 15-credit residency requirement in the major concentration of veterinary technology.
The recommended course sequence can be found in the Veterinary Technology Program Student Handbook.

Additional Program Information

Students in the Veterinary Technology Program with a Specialization in Pre-Veterinary Medicine must earn a minimum grade of B or better in all natural science and veterinary technology courses, ENGL 111 - Written English and Literary Studies I , MATH 116 - College Algebra  and MATH 201 - Precalculus . The student must maintain a 3.2 cumulative index in natural science and veterinary technology courses for admittance into clinical courses. Recommendations and/or evaluations will not be considered for pre-veterinary medicine majors with a minimum cumulative index of less than 3.2 in Veterinary Technology and Natural Science courses.

Students enrolled in the undecided pre-veterinary technology major, undecided pre-veterinary medicine major, veterinary technology major or the veterinary technology major with the pre-veterinary medicine specialization may not repeat a course required in the curriculum more than once. Any student who earns a B- or below in a course required in the curriculum must repeat the course the next semester it is offered at Mercy College in order to progress to any course for which it is a Prerequisite.

Veterinary Technology courses within the Pre-Veterinary Medicine curriculum are not offered in the summer semester.

Students who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation in any category, including but not limited to professional and ethical behavior, or required skill in clinical courses VETC 341 , VETC 350 , VETC 350A , VETC 360 , VETC 375 , VETC 495 , VETC 496 , or who are dismissed from any externship site, will receive an “F” in the course and will have their records reviewed by the Veterinary Technology faculty. The faculty will determine if the student will be given the opportunity to repeat the experience in a future semester, and/or be placed on probation, or be dismissed by the Program.

Students enrolled in the undecided – veterinary technology, undecided – pre-veterinary medicine, veterinary technology major or the veterinary technology major with the pre-veterinary medicine specialization program are fully responsible for compliance with all requirements, policies and procedures contained in the Veterinary Technology Program Student Handbook.

The Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization major concentration is not accredited by the AVMA-CVTEA. Students that graduate in this major will not be eligible to take the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE).

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization Admission Criteria (Prior to Fall 2018)

1. Admittance to Mercy College.
2. Satisfactory completion of VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science , BIOL 160 - General Biology I Lecture , BIOL 160A - General Biology I Laboratory , ENGL 111 - Written English and Literary Studies I  and MATH 116 - College Algebra  with a grade of B or better. All courses that are required for admission into the Veterinary Technology Program may not be repeated more than once.
3. Please note: prior to satisfactory completion of VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science , BIOL 160 - General Biology I Lecture , BIOL 160A - General Biology I Laboratory , ENGL 111 - Written English and Literary Studies I  and MATH 116 - College Algebra  with a grade of B or better and admission into the Program, students will be enrolled with a major concentration in undecided-pre-veterinary medicine.

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization Admission Criteria (As of Fall 2018)

1. Admittance into Mercy College
2. High School Assessment Criteria
   1. ≥85% overall GPA required with upper 1/3 of class rank preferred
   2. Minimum of two years high school math with ≥85% (B) average
      1. More than two years high school math preferred
      2. Preference for one year of algebra
   3. Minimum of two years high school English with ≥85% (B) average
      1. More than two years high school English preferred
   4. Minimum of two years high school laboratory science with ≥85% (B) average
      1. More than two years high school laboratory science preferred
      2. Preference for one year each in biology and chemistry

Students that meet the high school assessment criteria will be admitted as undecided-pre-veterinary medicine (VTPU).

Students that do not meet the high school assessment criteria will be required to take additional courses.

3. Application to Veterinary Technology Program
   Students that are admitted as undecided-pre-veterinary medicine (VTPU) and taking the VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science  course must submit an application to the Veterinary Technology Program for admittance as a pre-veterinary medicine major (VTPM). The application must include short essays in response to the given prompts on the application. The application must also demonstrate that the student has met the following criteria:
   1. Overall minimum GPA of 3.2 for the first academic year at Mercy College.
   2. Satisfactory completion of ENGL 111 - Written English and Literary Studies I , MATH 116 - College Algebra , BIOL 160 - General Biology I Lecture /BIOL 160A - General Biology I Laboratory  and VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science  with a grade of B or better. A required course in the curriculum can only be repeated once.
   3. Volunteer hours or shadowing experience in a veterinary practice is preferred.

The application deadline is January 31 for students admitted as undecided-pre-veterinary medicine (VTPU) in the fall semester.

Pending the final grade in VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science  and the calculation of the overall GPA for the first academic year, students will be informed of a provisional acceptance no later than April 1. Students will be informed of full acceptance into the Veterinary Technology Program no later than five days after the end of the semester.

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Major Concentration Standards

1. Students must earn a minimum letter grade of B or better in all veterinary technology and natural science courses, ENGL 111 - Written English and Literary Studies I , MATH 116 - College Algebra  and MATH 201 - Precalculus .
2. Students must maintain a 3.2 cumulative index in veterinary technology courses in order to be admitted into clinical courses VETC 341 , VETC 350 , VETC 350A , VETC 360 , VETC 375 , VETC 495 , and VETC 496. A minimum GPA of 3.2 is required for graduation from the Veterinary Technology Program as a pre-veterinary medicine major.
3. Students may not repeat a course required in the curriculum more than once.
4. Any student who earns a B- or below in a course required in the curriculum must repeat the course the next semester it is offered at Mercy College in order to progress to any course for which it is a Prerequisite .
5. Any student who receives a B- or below in a course required in the curriculum more than once will automatically be dismissed from the Pre-Veterinary Medicine major concentration.
6. For any veterinary technology lecture course that has a laboratory course as a corequisite, both the lecture and laboratory courses must be taken concurrently. In the event that a student must withdraw from the lecture course, the student must also withdraw from the corequisite laboratory course. Students who wish to take the lecture or laboratory course alone will require Program Director authorization and may be required to participate in relevant labs or audit relevant lecture topics.
7. Veterinary Technology courses within the Veterinary Technology curriculum are not offered in the summer semester.
8. Students who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation in any category, including but not limited to professional and ethical behavior, or required skill in clinical courses VETC 341 , VETC 350 , VETC 350A , VETC 360 , VETC 375 , VETC 495 , or VETC 496, or who are dismissed from any externship site, will receive an “F” in the course and will have their records reviewed by the Veterinary Technology Faculty. The faculty will determine if the student will be given the opportunity to repeat the experience in a future semester, and/or be placed on probation, or be dismissed by the Program.
9. If a student is dismissed from any externship site because of an inability to demonstrate content knowledge, the faculty may require the student to pass a competency exam and either retake or audit the course covering the content prior to reassignment to an externship site.
10. Any student that is dismissed from the Veterinary Technology Program is not eligible to reapply to the Veterinary Technology Program.

Minimal Technical Standards

The following technical standards, which serve to protect the student and patient and are deemed essential for performance as a competent veterinary professional, are required for admission, continuation and graduation from the Mercy College Veterinary Technology Program:

Essential Requirements

1. Capable of frequently lifting and/or carrying up to 50 pounds from floor to waist level.
2. Ability to tolerate walking and standing for sustained periods of time.
3. Capable of handling, positioning and restraining live animals.
4. Capable of using hands and arms to handle, install, position and move materials.
5. Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs, including auscultatory sounds, alarms, animal vocalizations, cries for help and warning sounds from animals and humans. Ability to perceive and understand the natural or amplified human voice when lips, facial expressions and/or other visual clues are not able to be seen.
6. Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment and to perform nursing duties.
7. Eyesight capable of viewing small visual images and reading instrumentation.
8. Amenable to learning the safe handling and restraint of all Program-required species of domestic and exotic animals without a level of fear that interferes with satisfactory performance.
9. Capacities to read, hear, understand and quickly execute complex verbal and written instructions given in English.
10. Willingness to assist with or perform a wide variety of medical, surgical and diagnostic procedures in the veterinary setting, including humane euthanasia.
11. Ability to act in a professional and ethical manner.
12. Ability to respond promptly and appropriately in emergency situations.
13. Ability to speak English and be understood by others who speak English.
14. Ability to handle and/or be exposed to a wide variety of animal species and their environments without adverse medical consequences (e.g., allergic reaction).

Veterinary Technology Student Essential Skills

Mercy’s program requires that students successfully acquire specified, essential skills in order to complete the Pre-Veterinary Medicine curriculum. A link to these skills may be found on the program page of the Mercy College website.

Veterinary Technology Program Goals and Outcomes

The Veterinary Technology Program goals and outcomes can be found on the Program page on the Mercy College website.

Veterinary Technology Program Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization Transfer Policy

1. The policy for acceptance of transfer credits to satisfy Veterinary Technology Program courses are in addition to the requirements for transfer credits as outlined in the Mercy College Undergraduate Catalog.
2. Course descriptions and course outlines of any veterinary technology course for which the student is requesting acceptance of transfer credits must be submitted to the Program Director for review. In addition, for any veterinary technology course in which essential skills are taught, the student must also submit a signed skills list for that course to the Program Director.
3. Acceptance of transfer credits for a veterinary technology course will only be considered if the course was taken within the last two years at an AVMA-CVTEA accredited veterinary technology program, the credit hours are equivalent and the final grade in the course is B or better.
   1. Transfer students must submit evidence of successful essential skills acquisition if relative to the course that is under consideration for acceptance of transfer credits.
4. Fifteen residency credits at Mercy College in the major is required.
5. VETC 101 - Introduction to Veterinary Science  and VETC 320 - Pharmacology and Toxicology (cc)  must be taken at Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry.
6. Transfer credits for VETC 300 - Physiology of Domestic Animals  and VETC 306 - Clinical Laboratory Techniques and Analysis  will be accepted if the following criteria are met:
   1. taken within the last two years at an AVMA-CVTEA accredited veterinary technology program
   2. the credit hours are equivalent
   3. the final grade in the course is B or better
   4. the student has successfully passed a competency exam, administered by Mercy College Veterinary Technology Program faculty, with a 85 or better.
7. The cost of each competency exam is $25.
8. Acceptance of transfer credits to satisfy prerequisite course requirements will only be considered if the course was taken within the last two years at an accredited college institution, the credit hours are equivalent and the final grade in the course is B or better.
9. Graduates of AVMA-CVTEA accredited veterinary technology programs must submit their transcripts to the Program Director for review. Graduates of other programs are required to take VETC 101  and VETC 320  at Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry.
10. Transfer students that are graduates of other accredited veterinary technology programs will be required to complete all of the requirements of the Mercy College Veterinary Technology Program courses that they take at Mercy College. This may include successful acquisition of essential skills as listed in the Mercy College Veterinary Technology Program Essential Skills List for that course.

Program Dismissal Review

In cases which a student has been dismissed from the Veterinary Technology Pre-Vet Medicine Program, the student may request a dismissal review when he/she believes that extenuating circumstances effected his/her academic performance in the program. The student must follow the SHNS Program Dismissal Review Policy detailed at the beginning of the School of Health and Natural Sciences  section.