At the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, a new veterinarian class will be offered to any junior or senior who has taken chemistry, animal life science and advanced animal life science or has a teacher approval.
Vet Careers I will be offered next school year. Agriculture teacher Cory Scott will be teaching this class. Vet Careers II should be available for the 2021-2022 school year, which will have a prerequisite of Vet Careers I and require a veterinarian approval. Scott will be teaching this class a few days a week, and the students will be working in a veterinarian’s office the remaining days. The student will be in a job shadow or internship position at the veterinarian’s office which accepts them.
“This was part of the long-term vision developed by myself, Dr. McDonald and our Agriculture Advisory Board with support from the Lost River Career Center,” said Scott.
In Vet Careers I, students will primarily focus on pharmacy, pharmacology, medical terminology, mathematics and basic veterinary foundational knowledge.
With all this preparation, students will have the opportunity to experience hands-on learning with animals.
Scott and many others have been working on getting materials needed for the class.
“We have been building for this course for the last few years. The Dr. McDonald Animal Science Pavilion was obviously the big piece needed. We have also invested in a lot of other items that will be needed. We still have things to get, but most can be added as we go,” said Scott.
Students will have an opportunity to experience real-life situations during the school day in the new vet classes being offered.
Scott believes it is important that students understand this is not a class about cuddling with sick animals. Vet Careers I is going to be a very hard test both mentally and physically. It will determine if students have what it takes to move into Vet Careers II, which will primarily be working at a clinic with a veterinarian. The terminology and mathematics are going to require a lot of studying and homework. The hands-on will be “dirty” and real-world.
Story by Lili Seals