2023/24 Animal Health Technology (Blended) Student Handbook (updated Sept 8/23)

WelcometoLakelandCollege!

Congratulations on choosing a career as an Animal Health Technologist and for being admitted to the Lakeland College Animal Health Technology-Blended program.

Lakeland College’s AHT-Blended program is fully accredited by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). The CVMA and Lakeland College expects that all graduates of our program will have the highest standards of achievement and professionalism.

By enrolling in the AHT Program, you have agreed to the terms and conditions explained in this handbook.

ProgramOutcomes

1. Communicate and collaborate with clients and health care team

2. Uphold professional standards and protocols with personal accountability, compassion, and integrity

3. Ensure safe handling of companion animals and livestock, and perform specimen collection, diagnostic procedures, and treatment

4. Promote health and welfare using knowledge of biosecurity, husbandry and disease prevention in companion animals and livestock

5. Integrate skills and knowledge to perform surgical nursing and animal care

6. Apply critical thinking to make decisions within the professional scope of practice

Professionalism

Upon entering the program of Animal Health Technology, you have become a member of the veterinary profession. As such, there are professional standards, which are expected both within the program and within the industry.

Alberta Veterinary Medical Association

As per the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) bylaws, all students registered in an Alberta Animal Health Technology program must be student members of the ABVMA. As a blended student you will be required to make this application on your own (Appendix A)

Professional and Academic Dishonesty

As an online program there is a heightened consideration of academic dishonesty. There is a clear expectation that students adhere to the highest levels of academic integrity throughout all assessments and that students hold themselves individually responsible to adhere to those standards. Professional and academic dishonesty, such as:

❖ Cheating or plagiarism on academic work including inappropriate access of notes/internet during an online assessment (grade of zero)

❖ Lying to a staff member

Plagiarism is the use of unoriginal work in assignments and papers. Anything more than 10 percent unoriginal work is considered academic dishonesty.

Kennel or Nursing Care/Assignment Treatments

Failure to provide required kennel or nursing care to an assigned patient or falsifying medical records will result in a written letter of reprimand and a series of consequences. A second offence within the program duration will result in course failure, or potential suspension from the program, and the student will be required to fill out an incident report for the Animal Care Committee.

Classroom Conduct

An atmosphere of respect and tolerance is always expected towards your peers and your instructors Unprofessional conduct, such as texting, sleeping in class or disruptive talking, during live classroom and lab sessions will not be permitted. Refer to https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/campus-life/rulesregulations-forms/policies-procedures/

Cell phone use is prohibited in labs, unless specified by the instructor.

Pictures and recordings cannot be taken during lectures whether they are in-person or online.

Online lectures may be recorded by the instructor. Students will be notified before recording begins. For all students it will be required to have a computer with a functioning camera and microphone and access to quality internet to be successful in this program. While all types of computer hardware have been used by students in the past, students find a PC platform is most compatible with delivery of the program and software used.

Lakeland College’s primary online learning tools are D2L and Microsoft Teams. Your image, voice and other personal information shared by you, other students or instructors may be recorded and will be seen by other students in your class. By enrolling in courses and/or programs at Lakeland College, participating in required online learning activities, and through the use of online learning tools, you are providing consent to Lakeland College to record your image and voice and other personal information that may be revealed by you, and/or fellow students, or instructors. The recorded videos and class presentations are not intended for public viewing, but there may be circumstances in which people outside your courses have access to them (i.e. someone watching over the shoulder of a student viewing a recording, or if someone is provided access to a student’s account).

The personal information that may be recorded is collected under the authority of Section 33(c) of the Act and will be protected under Part 2 of that Act. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, please contact the Chief Financial Officer at (5707 College Drive, Vermilion AB, T9X 1K5, 780-853-8524, FOIP@lakelandcollege.ca ).

Expectations and Lectures

Students should expect to spend between 10 to 15 hours per week on lectures and 5 to 7 hours per week on course assigned work. This may include work sheets, quizzes and reading material.

Textbooks linked to the courses will be shared with your supply list. Textbooks can be ordered through the Lakeland College bookstore or through other retailers such as Amazon. Questions regarding textbook availability can be directed by calling toll free 1 800 661 6490, ext. 8525 or please email bookstore@lakelandcollege.ca

In-Person Labs

Students are required to attend in-person, on-campus labs several times through their program. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory and only available at the specific times offered.

Accommodations (Residence on Campus During Lab Sessions)

Accommodations will be available on campus through our student residence. Further information on how to apply will be found in your acceptance letter.

If you would like to book a room at residence for those times, please contact residence@lakelandcollege.ca, and request an Application for Residence. Please complete the application and either email the completed application to residence@lakelandcollege.ca or mail to the Vermilion Campus at 5707 College Drive, Vermilion, AB, T9X 1K5.

The cost per room will be $31.00/night plus 9% taxes for a total of $33.79/night. (Subject to change). Payment for stays in residence for your sessions can be made the first day you are on campus (if you arrive on the Sunday you may have to wait until Monday to make payment). You do not need to send in any money for residence prior to attendance on campus.

You will be required to provide your own; bedding - sheets, blankets, pillow; wash clothes, bath towels and bathmat; soap for bathing, laundry, and dishes; toilet paper; cleaning supplies for bathroom; cooking equipment - pots/pans, toaster, dishes, cutlery; and dish clothes and towels. For more information regarding our residence and what to bring/not to bring, please go to our website at https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/campus-life/residence/vermilion/

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Vermilion Office at 780 853 8543 or email residence@lakelandcollege.ca

Absences

Lectures and Labs

Regular attendance during the live lecture portions of the modules is imperative to success. During these times, instructors clarify content and ensure students are aware of important material, assessment requirements and other vital information. Attendance for the on-campus, in-person labs is mandatory. Any absences during this timeframe would make it exceedingly difficult to succeed in those portions of the courses as there is no time to make up for missed labs.

Exams

Once dates and times are set, final exams will not be moved. Midterms will be set by the instructor. Students are expected to write on the date that exams are set unless previously discussed and approved by the course instructor. The only excusable absence for an exam is with prior notification to the instructor (for example, a medical event with a doctor’s note, a funeral card or a college-sanctioned event). If a student is approved by the instructor to be able to write a make-up exam, the alternate date will be determined by the instructor to write the “excused” exam.

Late Assignments

We have a consistent procedure within the program regarding the handing in of assignments or projects:

❖ Assignments/projects are due on the deadline set by the instructor

❖ Late assignments/projects will not be accepted and will result in a grade of zero (0)

❖ Students are responsible to ensure that assignments are submitted on time following the directions that were provided by your instructor

Exam Policy

During the writing of any exam or quiz:

❖ Access to notes or the internet is not permitted unless explicitly allowed by the instructor

❖ Cell phones and Smart watches are not permitted

❖ Students are required to have their computer cameras turned on for the entirety of the assessment

Confidentiality and Social Media Etiquette from Lakeland College AHT Lecture or Labs

The veterinary profession follows a Code of Ethics to promote professionalism and confidentiality. The sharing of any patient and client information, including photos, from laboratories at Lakeland College is considered unprofessional conduct and will not be tolerated.

ClothingandFootwear

Proper Clothing and Footwear must be worn to participate in all labs

Farm Clothing

For all large animal labs, the following clothing must be available to be worn:

❖ Two pairs of coveralls

❖ Students are required to have a clean pair of coveralls. All street clothes must be covered.

➢ Coveralls must be washed if visibly dirty and coveralls should be cleaned or changed between animal units; failure to do this may result in you being asked to leave the lab

❖ Boots – washable steel-toed, rubber boots must be worn when working with large animals

➢ Boots must be cleaned and disinfected after every lab

Surgery Clothing

❖ Clean scrubs (pants and tops), which are worn only in the surgery labs

❖ Lab coat/scrub jacket is required

❖ Stethoscope – Littmann Classic II or III stethoscope recommended

❖ Ensure you have a watch that counts seconds; no cell phones A digital watch, such as an Apple watch, is not sufficient

❖ Surgery footwear

➢ A separate pair of indoor shoes that are worn only in surgery is required (no heels, open toes or boots)

Clinical Labs

Refer also to individual/course handouts.

❖ Lab coats or scrub tops

➢ Must cover all shirts worn underneath. Sleeve cuffs recommended.

❖ Indoor lab footwear

➢ No open toes (crocs, sandals or boots), must have one pair of indoor shoes (ie. running shoes) to be used only in the clinic

❖ For biosecurity concerns, any clothing worn during labs must be designated/restricted for Lakeland College labs only

❖ You will require a minimum of one long-sleeved lab coat or scrub jacket, but we recommend two as the coat/jacket must always be clean when worn to lab; coats/jackets with cuffed sleeves are recommended

❖ Most labs require a scrub top and/or a scrub jacket worn with regular pants

StudentRabiesImmunization

Rabies is a disease that can be transmitted from unvaccinated animals to humans. There is no effective treatment for rabies. The AHT program at Lakeland College uses cats and dogs from humane societies and rescue organizations in teaching labs that may not be vaccinated against rabies or that have an unknown vaccine status. It is a recommendation of the program that all students be vaccinated against rabies at the beginning of their first year to insure protection against rabies.

Arrangements to have this done is the responsibility of each AHT Blended student and must be completed before first attendance of in-person labs. Rabies immunization consists of a series of three vaccine injections. The first two are one week apart with the third vaccine being two weeks after the second one. Vaccinations can be accessed through your local Public Health unit or through travel clinics that provide vaccinations required for travel. If you are uncertain as to where to access the rabies vaccine, please contact Alberta Health at 811, discuss with your personal physician or contact a pharmacist. The series takes a total of 3 weeks with 3 separate visits to complete. The student then requires lab work at least 2 weeks following to determine they have achieved adequate immunity from the vaccination.

Students may have the opportunity to get their rabies vaccinations at the Vermilion Campus in conjunction with the on-campus student rabies program. You will receive an email notification of the scheduled dates and times.

There may be an additional cost to the student for this requirement.

It is recommended you begin to research accessibility of rabies vaccination immediately upon acceptance into the program as jurisdictions generally only have limited availability of this procedure.

Students that have been previously immunized against rabies will need to have antibody titres done or provide a copy of their last antibody titre to ensure they still have protective levels of antibodies. This option is available to any student who has received their vaccination within the last two calendar years. Students must provide proof of rabies vaccination to the Program Coordinator.

AHTStudentPregnancyPolicy

The potential for human injury always exists in the practice of veterinary medicine, and it increases whenever the person is pregnant. Possible hazards to the pregnant person and/or their unborn child include physical trauma as well as exposure to toxic drugs, infectious agents, inhalation anesthetics, radiation and other agents.

It is recognized that a pregnant person has rights for decisions concerning their pregnancy. At the same time, all students are expected to complete all requirements of the Animal Health Technology curriculum in order to graduate.

Student Responsibilities

The pregnant student is advised to:

❖ Contact their program head and individual instructors for specific information on the types of toxic, infectious, radiation and other hazards to which the student may be exposed.

❖ Contact their treating physician/obstetrician to obtain recommendations for a plan to minimize exposure to the hazards that may be associated with being an Animal Health Technology student.

❖ Provide a signed statement from the treating physician/obstetrician that defines any required limitations during the pregnancy.

Options for The Student

❖ Continue as a student with no necessary schedule or assignment changes.

❖ Continuation as a regular student with some possible schedule and assignment changes. This option may not delay the time of graduation.

❖ Medical leave of absence: A student who needs time off but does not want to withdraw and reenter with the next graduating class, may be able to obtain a medical leave of absence for the time period deemed medically necessary by her physician. It will be the student’s responsibility to make up assignments or courses missed during the leave of absence and may depend on the ability of the program to provide access to missed essential skills.

❖ Withdrawal as a student: The pregnant student may consider withdrawing as a student and reapply to return the following year, space permitting in the program, to graduate with the next class This option minimizes risks, but delays graduation.

AnimalCareExpectations

Part of your program may involve assisting with the care of animals while on campus attending lab sessions. We expect animals, which are under our care at Lakeland College, to receive the highest quality of care and attention. See Kennel Care booklet.

See “Kennel or Nursing Care/Assignment Treatment” under Professionalism in this handbook for more information.

BoardingofPrivately-OwnedAnimals

The Animal Clinic facility is here for the use of the AHT program for teaching purposes.

❖ To house an animal in the clinic kennels, permission must be obtained from the Clinic Manager

Criteria is as follows:

❖ Must be an AHT student’s animal

➢ And is an SPCA adoption or an animal that is used in a lab

➢ Space must be available

➢ Time limit – 7 days maximum

❖ No other boarding of animals will be permitted

❖ Proof of vaccination status will be required

Veterinary

CareforStudentAnimals

Drugs and Supplies

We cannot sell any veterinary drugs or supplies.

Professional Veterinary Service

Due to the large number of students in the program, and in the interest of fairness, we cannot provide any professional veterinary services for student-owned animals, unless requested by instructor for use in a lab Must be student’s own animal.

AHTCourseRequirementsfor Graduation

CVMA accreditation standards are higher than Lakeland College’s minimum requirements for course completion

Requirement for Successful Completion of Course and Competencies

All courses require a minimum of 60% (C) in lecture and a 60% (C) in labs and successful completion of competencies Lab final exams must be passed with a 50%.

Students must successfully complete all courses in a module before advancing to the next module and must complete all of the first-year courses before advancing to second year. Failure to do so will result in suspension from the program for one semester. Students will be required to reapply if they wish to return to the program.

It is the student’s responsibility to know their marks.

Failure to achieve the minimum requirements in either lecture or lab will result in the course mark being recorded as a “D.”

Course Failure

If a student does not achieve the minimum passing grade or successfully complete a competency, they have one of two options:

Rewrite

A rewrite may be granted if the student is within 2 percent of the minimum passing mark for that class or lab. A rewrite shall replace the student’s final exam. The student is expected to reach the minimum pass for the class or lab after the completion of the rewrite.

Special Project

A special project may be granted if the student has failed the class or lab by more than 2 percent, but no more than 5 percent. A special project is a supplemental project that replaces the course. The student is expected to reach the minimum pass for the class or lab after completing the special project. The criteria and expectations of the special project will be determined by the instructor.

**Students are permitted only ONE rewrite OR special project per year, and upon successful completion, the maximum mark that can be achieved for the course is a passing grade (C).

In the event that a student does not meet this requirement, they will be suspended from the program for one semester.

As an over-subscribed program, students who do not meet this requirement after Semester 1 will be required to re-apply for the following academic year and repeat all deficient course work from the module affected. Students who fail must reapply for that module the following year, with approval for entry dependent on available space. All deficient course work from that semester must be repeated. Although it is not mandatory, we strongly suggest repeating all courses in the semester for continuity and student success.

Students must complete the AHT diploma within three (3) years from their date of entry in order to remain relevant with industry standards and curriculum changes.

Course requirements are outlined in Appendix A.

Practicum Completion

According to Lakeland College Student Procedure 5.89, a student may attempt a practicum twice. Students successfully completing a practicum may not attempt it again.

VTNE Exam

Graduates of a CVMA-accredited Animal Health Technology program are eligible to write the VTNE Exam and become registered veterinary technologists. All provinces in Canada require technologists to be registered in order to practice veterinary medicine (except in Ontario).

Students will register for the VTNE Exam on their own in September. Registration is done on-line through AAVSB and a credit card payment of approximately $345 US is required.

AppendixA–ABVMAMembership

The link to the online ABVMA Student Membership application is here: https://abvma.in1touch.org/client/subscription/subscriptionEdit.html?productId=6378

Before you apply, gather the following information:

❖ a valid Canadian Passport or Canadian Birth certificate or Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN). If the applicant doesn’t have these documents, then a work Visa or permanent resident Visa is required

❖ your student ID card or a letter from your institution confirming your enrollment*

❖ Scanned copy of Police Information Check certificate if applicable

❖ Consent to employ a student form must be completed and submitted prior to commencing employment

At the end of the online application process, you will be asked to pay the application fee. Online payment of the application fee is required.

* We have requested admissions supply all students with a confirmation of enrollment letter. Keep an eye on your mail for when it arrives. Lakeland College does not automatically issue ID cards for offcampus students. You should have been emailed your library bar code but if you are local and want to use the Recreation Centre or if you just would like have an ID card for when you are on campus, you can request one by email from Kyla Graham at kyla.graham@lakelandcollege.ca

Please be advised that there may be an additional personal cost to this program requirement.

AppendixB–AppsandPrograms

Important Applications and Programs

There are some very important applications or platforms you will need access to for your program. Most of the information for them can be found online on the Lakeland College website, but we have gathered them together here for you.

If you are on campus, you can visit IT in person for assistance Monday to Friday, from 8:15 am to 4:30 pm. On the Vermilion campus they are located in The Commons in Alumni Hall. Remember to bring your student ID card with you. As virtual students, your best method of contact would be through our support portal at lakelandcollege.freshservice.com

Lakeland EDU Email Address

❖ Your Lakeland EDU email address is an important key that unlocks many learning benefits and is important for logging onto many of the programs and resources available to you as a Lakeland student.

❖ Accessing yours is an important first step as a Lakeland student. Learn how to do it here: https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/current-students/student-edu-email

❖ Need assistance? Click on this tile:

Your Lakeland EDU email address is the key to signing into campus computers and Wi-Fi network (when on campus).

As well, your EDU address provides you with:

❖ free access to Grammarly - check written work for grammar, spelling and plagiarism

❖ free access to LinkedIn Learning

❖ an Outlook mailbox for your Lakeland address

❖ using Office 365 on up to 5 devices

❖ access to OneDrive so you don't need a thumb drive or memory stick

❖ a printing account - to print from Lakeland computers

D2L

* Note: Your D2L account won't be available until your course starts. D2L is the main portal for all your course materials. Your courses will have their own D2L space. Instructors add notes, quizzes, assignments, videos, and other pieces of course content. As a student, you’ll post to discussions, complete quizzes, submit assignments and check grades. The login to D2L will be the same as your Teams and Lakeland EDU email.

The account will be firstname.lastname@edu.lakelandcollege.ca

The password will be LLC! followed by the last 4 digits of your student ID number (example: Student ID 00001234’s password would be LLC!1234).

You are tentatively scheduled to be enrolled in your first classes the week of September 18th, 2023. Once that has been completed a request has been made to IT for your EDU email and D2L accounts to be activated. You should be able to log in and see what these platforms look like by the September 11th (if not sooner). You should also receive an email with directions on how to login to these platforms at that time. You will not be able to actually see class content until classes begin on September 18th, 2023. Do not be concerned as that is standard procedure for all Lakeland course content that is delivered via D2L.

Here is a link to important information regarding D2L: https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/current-students/d2l

Troubleshooting for D2L

If you have questions on how D2L operates, or you are having trouble with your D2L platform visit https://community.brightspace.com/lakelandcollege/s/

D2L Help is a site with:

❖ a place to ask your question

❖ top answers for students

❖ guides

❖ phone help; the toll-free number is 877 325 7778

❖ email help

❖ on-line chat

myLakeland

myLakeland is our student information system.

Once you sign into myLakeland you'll be able to:

❖ see your schedule - not applicable for all programs

❖ see your student account balance

❖ pay fees

❖ check marks

❖ apply to graduate

❖ change contact information

❖ print your T2202A tax receipt

❖ As an online student taking a full-time program, you'll receive access to register and pay for individual courses.

Here is a link to important information regarding myLakeland: https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/current-students/my-lakeland

Troubleshooting for myLakeland:

If you are having difficulties with your myLakeland account, please see the following: Help Desk.

You may access the My Lakeland help desk two ways: via email and via a form.

If you have a problem logging into myLakeland and are at your own computer, please click on this address myLChelp@lakelandcollege.ca to send your email. Please include your full name and describe your problem. Your student number would also be helpful.

Note: This help address is only for issues with logging into myLakeland.

If you are at a college or other computer that isn't configured for your email, please fill in the form on the My Lakeland help desk page.

You should receive a response within one business day.

Microsoft Teams

❖ Microsoft Teams is used for our live lectures and recordings. Accessing Teams at Lakeland is a simple process.

❖ Download and install the Microsoft Teams App on your device.

❖ Log in with your Lakeland College student email account.

❖ The account will be firstname.lastname@edu.lakelandcollege.ca

❖ The password will be LLC! followed by the last 4 digits of your student ID number (example: Student ID 00001234’s password would be LLC!1234)

❖ Add yourself to your classroom Team using the link or Team code your instructor has provided to you via your course on D2L.

Lakeland College app

We also have a free college app! Download it to stay up to date on all the campus news.

AppendixC

These are the course requirements for AHT courses

Students must complete all courses in a given semester before proceeding onto the next semester

First Year AHT Courses

All courses require a “C” in the lecture portion and in the lab portion in order to move onto the next level:

Module 1 Lectures

VS 101 – Anatomy and Physiology

VS 102 – Animal Behavior and Handling

VS 105 – Surgery I

Module 1 Labs

VS 102 – Animal Behavior and Handling

VS 105 – Surgery I

VS 110 – Animal Diseases *virtual lab VS 110 – Animal Diseases

Module 2 Lectures

VS 103 – Animal Care and Nursing I

VS 104 – Communications I

Module 3 Lectures

VS 107 - Animal Care and Nursing II

VS 109 – Nutrition VS 110 – Animal Diseases II

Module 4 Lectures

Module 2 Labs

Module 3 Labs

Module 4 Labs

VS 106 – Laboratory Procedures I VS 106 – Laboratory Procedures I VS 108 – Anesthesia and Analgesia VS 107 – Animal Care and Nursing II

VS 108 – Anesthesia and Analgesia

SUMMER BREAK: Preclinical Second Year Practicum – all students will be required to complete 56 hours of communication activity to be completed prior the end of Module 2 in the second year. Details of this requirement will be expanded upon during your first-year courses.

All courses require a “C” in the lecture portion and in the lab portion in order to move onto the next level.

Second Year AHT Courses

Module 5 Lectures

VS 202 – Surgery, Dentistry and Pain Management

VS 220 – Student-Led Clinic I

Module 6 Lectures

VS 203 – Laboratory Procedures II

VS 205 – Diagnostic Imaging

Module 7 Lectures

VS 204 – Pharmacology

VS 207 – Animal Diseases II

Module 8 Lectures

VS 206 – Animal Care and Nursing IV

VS 208 – Clinical Practices

VS 210 – Practicum (Practicum Preparation)

PRACTCIUM – VS 210 – 240 hours

** VS 210 – Practicum is a pass/fail course

Module 5 Labs

VS 202 – Surgery, Dentistry and Pain Management

VS 220 – Student-Led Clinic I

Module 6 Labs

VS 203 – Laboratory Procedures II

VS 205 – Diagnostic Imaging

Module 7 Labs

Module 8 Labs

VS 206 – Animal Care and Nursing IV

VS 208 – Clinical Practices

VS 221 – Student-Led Clinic II

AppendixD

Staff Directory

Individual instructors who will deliver your course material will provide their contact information at the beginning of your classes.

Who to contact with questions? If you have any questions regarding the program that are not course specific, please direct your inquiries to the program coordinator at this email: karen.anderson@lakelandcollege.ca. If not the person with the answer, they can direct traffic to someone who does. Please use that office as a centralized information center.

Legend for Office Locations:

❖ MB – Mead Building

❖ AHC – Animal Health Clinic

❖ AH – Alumni Hall