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Four dogs, six cats and 28 students are enrolled in the veterinary technology program at Crowder College.
At the beginning of every semester, the program adopts animals from local animal shelters and at each semester’s end, those animals are adopted again, this time by local families.
“Each week we’ll have a topic that we’re working on and the students will pair up with partners and they will practice on an animal,” said Shawna Estep, veterinary technology program instructor
“So all of the animals are kind of rotated in and on days that we go to surgery it’ll be a whole lab of eight students that will participate in that day’s surgical procedure in assisting some way.”
The pets are spayed and neutered, handled and cared for. USDA regulations require Crowder to own any animal students operate on.
Program director and instructor, Dr. Stephanie Watson, said students learn an assortment of skills.
“They’re doing things such as drawing blood samples, putting in IVs, catheters, medicating animals by every route, assisting in surgery, monitoring anesthesia, calculating drug dosages — a lot of variety of skills and just basic animal nursing,” she said.
The students learn to work with lots of different species: rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, birds brought in by Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield and the domestic animals from Crowder’s agricultural department such as cows, horses, sheep, pigs and goats.
The newly accredited program is the only of its kind in the region. Once students pass their boards, the veterinary techs can work with a veterinarian in an animal hospital, laboratory or maybe a zoo. The 79-hour program prepares students for national and state licensure.
“In human medicine they’re equivalent to a registered nurse,” Estep said.
Entry to the program is competitive with only 16 slots per year. Students must complete a year of prerequisite material before applying. Watson said they look at GPA and also the student’s experience with animals.
“They spend a lot of time studying once they’re with us so we want them to know what they’re working towards and the realities of veterinary practice,” Watson said.
As for the animals the students have learned to love, they will find new homes.
Applications for the pets are available online. A $25 adoption fee covers the new owners’ first microchip tracking service. The animals will be available for adoption at the end of the semester.
Four dogs, six cats and 28 students are enrolled in the veterinary technology program at Crowder College.
At the beginning of every semester, the program adopts animals from local animal shelters and at each semester’s end, those animals are adopted again, this time by local families.
“Each week we’ll have a topic that we’re working on and the students will pair up with partners and they will practice on an animal,” said Shawna Estep, veterinary technology program instructor
“So all of the animals are kind of rotated in and on days that we go to surgery it’ll be a whole lab of eight students that will participate in that day’s surgical procedure in assisting some way.”
The pets are spayed and neutered, handled and cared for. USDA regulations require Crowder to own any animal students operate on.
Program director and instructor, Dr. Stephanie Watson, said students learn an assortment of skills.
“They’re doing things such as drawing blood samples, putting in IVs, catheters, medicating animals by every route, assisting in surgery, monitoring anesthesia, calculating drug dosages — a lot of variety of skills and just basic animal nursing,” she said.
The students learn to work with lots of different species: rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, birds brought in by Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield and the domestic animals from Crowder’s agricultural department such as cows, horses, sheep, pigs and goats.
The newly accredited program is the only of its kind in the region. Once students pass their boards, the veterinary techs can work with a veterinarian in an animal hospital, laboratory or maybe a zoo. The 79-hour program prepares students for national and state licensure.
“In human medicine they’re equivalent to a registered nurse,” Estep said.
Entry to the program is competitive with only 16 slots per year. Students must complete a year of prerequisite material before applying. Watson said they look at GPA and also the student’s experience with animals.
“They spend a lot of time studying once they’re with us so we want them to know what they’re working towards and the realities of veterinary practice,” Watson said.
As for the animals the students have learned to love, they will find new homes.
Applications for the pets are available online. A $25 adoption fee covers the new owners’ first microchip tracking service. The animals will be available for adoption at the end of the semester.
