By: Karie Candelario
While most college students are sitting in there classrooms taking notes and listening to their professors, some are experiencing the wonderful sound of a breath or a heartbeat. That is the wonderful breath or heartbeat of a living creature that screams existence. This is the sound that will mark the student and will remain with them as they prepare for there future.
The Veterinary Technician program at CCC is one of those programs whose life term goal is to create a bond between the student and the animal. Directed by a devoted animal lover herself, Peggy Dorsey helps students learn what it is to get hands on experience.
“Students learn the skills to care for animals by performing procedures such as surgical assisting, radiology and anesthesia that they will actually perform in the near future.”
Students in the Veterinary Program work to earn an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Veterinary Technology. For full time students earning fifteen to eighteen credits per semester, allows them to complete there degree in just about two years. Students who take this course must also complete a 300 hour co-opt or internship to receive there degree and be fully prepared to take the National Board Exam for veterinary technicians.
Students who successfully complete the program will then be prepared to work immediately after graduation in any animal science related field. Those career opportunities include working as a Veterinary Technician, Laboratory Animal Technician, or Sales representative. All which range from assisting animals in surgery to record keeping. Many zoos, animal parks and race tracks hire Veterinary Technicians to work in there facilities.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for Veterinary Technicians is expected to grow a 36% because pet owners are willing to pay advanced veterinary care for their pets. With the rise of animal population increasing each year, many Veterinary Technicians will be in demand. For many whose life long dream is to work with animals this could be a life time opportunity.
At CCC students are given the opportunity to fulfill that life long dream in a positive atmosphere filled with students who share the same passion for animals. Students enrolled in this program are allowed to bring in there pets if they wish, as long as the animals are vaccinated. Students enjoy this experience because they can interact with their own pets. This gives the students the opportunity to understand different pets and know how to deal with different real life scenarios. Students at CCC learn how to correctly interact with an animal and also there learn how to socialize with the pet’s owners.
A student enrolled in the Veterinary program shares how good it feels when different animals come on campus because it takes away the monotony of school. Every animal has its own personality which challenges the students to learn how to work with each one individually.
For students to be enrolled in the Veterinary Program students must first have taken either Biology or Chemistry in high school. It is recommended that the student complete these courses in order to be prepared for the course. Experience with animals is not required, just the desire to join the many students here at CCC who want to make a difference in these animals lives.
For students who wish to register for the Veterinary Technician Program they must meet with the Clinical Director or Program Coordinator and schedule an appointment with Secretary Joanne Ferrante at (856) 227-7200 ext.4247.