High exam scores for Douglas College students
By Colten Kamlade, Staff reporter
Douglas College veterinary technology (VTEC) graduates performed exceptionally well on the 2016 Veterinary Technician National Exam, according to a statement released by the College. Graduates have “surpassed the Canadian average by more than 10 per cent overall,” and “the US average by 19 per cent overall,” the statement said.
Pauline Chow, co-ordinator for the veterinary technology program, said in an e-mail interview with the Other Press that the success was in part due to the fact that “VTEC has further concentrated on teaching and assessing essential skills, in areas such as veterinary medical and surgical nursing, anesthesia, pain management, radiology, and dentistry, which has resulted in improved Veterinary Technician National Exam scores.”
Chow suggested that those who are considering enrolling in the program ensure “they want to enter the veterinary nursing field, by gaining as much veterinary or animal related experience as they can, ideally in a veterinary clinic.”
There are also free information sessions for those who are interested.
The veterinary technology program “donates $60,000 of free veterinary services to shelter and rescue animals annually…Douglas College will continue to support the students, staff and faculty needed to run the VTEC Teaching Clinic,” Chow said.
Brian Chapell, the science and technology dean, said “this year’s group worked exceptionally hard and the results of their efforts are demonstrated in the exam results.”
Maintaining the quality of the program is “always a major focus for us,” Chapell said. “We will continue to work with our program advisory committee to ensure relevance in the veterinary community and to address any deficiencies if they arise.”
Any deficiencies look to be far in the future, however, as according to Chapell, “Douglas students have consistently been above average on the Veterinary Technician National Exam over the last several years.”