The Miami Valley’s animal hospitals have been facing a shortage of trained veterinary technicians, with many positions remaining unfilled for years. In response, Sinclair has created a new vet tech program to meet the need of the community.
The program was designed over the last two years by an advisory board that includes veterinarians, Sinclair administrators and veterinary hospital directors.
“Our first choice was Sinclair, and we were very happy to be able to put that through the process to get started,” said Carolyn Worthen, DVM, owner of the Banfield Pet Hospital in Beavercreek and one of the advisors.
Michael Grant, hospital administrator at Evergreen Veterinary Hospital, surveyed Dayton area veterinary businesses to determine the need for a vet tech program. He said that there are approximately 100 veterinary hospitals in the area Sinclair serves, and one in four hospitals has an immediate opening for a vet tech position.
Vet techs assist in a number of complex procedures, including applying anesthesia, assisting in surgery, giving injections and inserting catheters.
“We really need that kind of support so that the doctors can do their job,” said Worthen. “It’s extremely important to have a registered technician by your side.”
Worthen said that the community is in need of approximately 60-100 vet techs, and that they expect there to be a continual need each year of about 20-30, as trained technicians retire or leave the area.
Sinclair students interested in the program should plan on taking the new two-semester Intro to Vet Tech course that will be offered starting this Fall Semester. The class will let students know what to expect from the career and is required to get into the new vet tech program in 2013.
The course is expected to accommodate about 20 students the first semester. The entire program will take two years and one summer to complete, and includes complete chemistry, biology and English sequences. To apply, students must have at least a 2.5 GPA.
“Academically, it’s a very rigorous program,” said Susan Willin-Mullay, chair of the Surgical Technology Department and the new program. “It’s almost going to require that they take classes full time, if they wish to gain admission.”
Willin-Mulay said that the curriculum is built so it can transfer to almost any university’s pre-veterinary program,
which in turn allows students to apply to veterinary school.
Students will use the surgical technology lab equipment to learn veterinary techniques, and area veterinary hospitals will be involved in the program, helping with hands-on clinical teaching and offering externships for students at the end of their second year.
Worthen said there are at least 20 hospitals that are now committed to providing externship slots for Sinclair vet tech students. Many veterinary programs require a certain number of animal contact hours, which Sinclair students can accumulate while earning their associate’s degree.
“When they apply to vet school, they’re going to be heads above everybody else, because they’ve got real experience,” said Willin-Mulay. “And they’re getting paid for it, not volunteering.”
“It’s a good way to do a job search while you’re still in school,” said Worthen.
Students interested in the details of the new vet tech program can contact the Surgical Technology office at 512-5355. Students are recommended to meet with an academic advisor to review the necessary classes.
“It is a very satisfying job, but it is very hard work,” said Grant.