Central Florida middle school students will put on scrubs and spend Monday 16 January in a new immersive hands-on educational learning programme about the role of and what it takes to become a veterinary professional.
They will learn from leading minority veterinarians from around the country at the 40th annual Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), hosted by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC).
The NAVC and the nationally-recognized BLENDVet programme are committed to creating more diversity within the veterinary industry by opening doors for underserved youth to pursue veterinary careers.
This program is designed to inspire and enable young people from underrepresented communities to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Only 6.7 percent of veterinarians are people of color and as few as 1.2 percent are Black.
During the event, students will have hands-on experience using workshop stations to learn about veterinary surgery, dermatology, emergency medicine and preventive care.
Students will be able to:
- practice intubation in an ER station using a model dog
- conduct exams of eyes, ears and the heart using a stethoscope
- look at slides under a microscope
- work with skeletons
- observe veterinarians performing physical exam practices on two live dogs
A special program will be concurrently offered for parents and guardians to learn about the commitment required and how to support their child in pursuing a veterinary career.
To find out more and see the student and parent programmes, head over to the NAVC website.
