By Kathryn Custer
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Camden County College’s veterinary nursing program has been expanding its reach with new staff and updated equipment to prepare students for a career in the veterinary field.
The veterinary nursing program, formerly known as veterinary technology, has recently grown its advisory board and fresh faces are running the day-to-day operations. Joan Ulrich is the program director and has been in her role for two years. Faith Persons has been the teaching administrator for one year. They recently welcomed Eden Texidor as a veterinary technician to assist students and teachers.
Additionally, the program has four veterinarians on staff teaching a variety of classes. The name change to veterinary nursing better encapsulates what this program teaches the students as they prepare to enter veterinary medicine and provide nursing to the animals in their care.
As to the goals of the veterinary nursing program, Persons stated, “A long-term goal of ours is to open a veterinary clinic for CCC students and the surrounding community for physical exams and vaccinations.” Having a low-cost clinic would work two-fold, offering exams to pets while providing students more hands-on experience. The program also has a goal to gain more scholarship funds so students will face fewer barriers to join the program.
The curriculum has been updated to better reflect the areas that students may encounter in their careers in veterinary nursing, including farm animal nursing techniques and a revamped dental course.
The program is introducing new equipment it recently purchased, including an updated ultrasound machine to provide better imaging and a new dental sink to complete the dental suite which they plan to open this summer. The students will offer dental services to local nonprofit animal agencies as they learn the ins and outs of dental care and cleanings for cats and dogs.
Students in the veterinary nursing program have also been provided trips to various companies and hospitals, including IDEXX laboratories, the Philadelphia Zoo, University of Pennsylvania and Mount Laurel Animal Hospital. These trips give students the opportunity to learn about the various fields they can work in with a veterinary nursing degree and expose them to some of the cases they could encounter in the workforce.
Student Victoria Pietrak said about her trip to the Philadelphia Zoo, “It was refreshing to speak with workers and visit the hospital and surgical suites. It’s incredible to learn about the anesthesia process with wild animals. It helps you realize getting into the field isn’t as hard as you think. They always need people.”
CCC is one of only two schools in New Jersey that offer American Veterinary Medicine Association-approved veterinary technician programs. The other is Bergen Community College.
Students travel from all over South Jersey and Philadelphia to attend the veterinary nursing program at CCC. It’s a selective program that requires students to have a 3.0 grade point average. New applicants are accepted every semester. The program usually has 70 to 80 students enrolled at a time.
For more information on how to apply for the veterinary nursing program, click here.
