Program coordinator Pauline Chow highlights the events
By Angela Espinoza, News Editor
On March 27, Douglas College’s Veterinary (Animal Health) Technology two-year program will be hosting a Career Evening. The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m., starting in the A1470 lecture theatre, and will feature several speakers discussing what the veterinary technology field has to offer. The next instalment of the program’s CE Speaker Series will be April 24, running from 7 to 9 p.m., and this time covering, Hot Topics in Preventative Medicine. Program coordinator and Veterinarian Dr. Pauline Chow spoke with us about what the two evenings and future events have to offer students.
On explaining the Career Evening, Chow stated:
“This is basically an opportunity for our students, past graduates, and local VTAHT’s [veterinary technologists and animal health technologists] to come and see what opportunities are available in this field. I believe everyone has a good idea of what veterinarians do and can do, but the veterinary technology field is not one that everybody’s familiar with. If you do have pets… it is the vet tech who will be doing the nursing and hands-on care of your animal.
“We have invited the student grads and community VTAHT’s to the evening, but… if anybody is interested, they are welcome to come and wander around. For the first hour-and-a-half, we are having invited speakers and representatives describe what their career paths have been… as well [as] provide advice to our students or grads or even those in the community that are seeking a change. From the lecture theatre [we’ll go] to the atrium, [where] there will be booths set up… and that should go on until… 8:30 to 9 p.m.”
For those who are not familiar with veterinary or animal health technology, Chow suggested that an easier introduction to the field would be to attend an info session, as they provide a starting point before the more in-depth discussions at the Career Evenings. The next info session will be on April 8 beginning at 5 p.m.
As for the CE Speaker Series (which has additional instalments planned for May 29 and June 26), these lectures are targeted firmly at those involved with the Veterinary Technology and Animal Health Technology program and general field. The CE Speaker Series presents invited guests to speak on specific topics important to the VTAHT field as a way to stir discussion and provide background on some of the more complicated issues.
Technical services veterinarian Dr. Ed Doornenbal will be the honoured speaker at the upcoming April 24 CE Speaker Series event. Presented in part by Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, the lecture is intended to cover controversial topics in modern veterinary technology. According to the RSVP website, topics such as vaccinations and alternative preventative medicines will be discussed, as well as what developments have been made in securing the health and safety of animals brought in for various treatments. Because this is an industry-sponsored event, VTAHT students, Vet Techs, and Veterinarians are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions about this and other vaccine related topics, Chow urges you to begin the conversation with your own veterinarian.
