Upgrades to Veterinary Technician facilities maximize teaching and learning opportunities

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As the first official graduate of the Veterinary Technician program in 2005, Rhonda Hilsden-White talked about how the improvements to the Vet Tech facilities will benefit students and reminisced about her experiences in the program.

"I loved my time here at Georgian," said Hilsden-White. "The staff is excellent. You get to know all your teachers, and not just on a professional level – they really care about you personally."

Co-op is tops

Hilsden-White added that what made her decide to choose Georgian's Veterinary Technician program was the co-op component of the program. "The hands-on experience is crucial. It works as a kind of reality check so that when you graduate, you have the confidence of knowing that you have the skills to succeed." Hilsden-White is happily employed at the clinic where she completed her two co-op placements.

Georgian College's two-year co-op Veterinary Technician program, the only one of its kind in Canada, has been an overwhelming success since it was first launched at the Orillia Campus in 2003. Job opportunities, hands-on learning, caring staff and state-of-the-art facilities located in a beautiful woodland setting all contribute to the program's popularity. In 2007, the Canadian Council on Animal Care, responsible for setting and maintaining standards for the care and use of animals in research and teaching, awarded the facility one of its highest honours – accreditation as a "Good Animal Practice" facility.

The program was originally designed to accept approximately 40 students annually. In its first year of operation, more than 400 applications were received, and those numbers continue to rise steadily. So for Georgian College, it wasn't a question of if an expansion of facilities was needed, it was more a question of how soon could it be done.

Upgrades benefit both students and animals

The expanded Veterinary Technician facilities unveiled today include renovations to existing space and the addition of approximately 3,900 sq. ft. of new space to the on-campus veterinary hospital. These upgrades will increase enrolment to a total of 60 students annually and will impact students directly by providing increased physical space for learning activities; by allowing improvements in scheduling; by improving access to equipment and by increasing student access to animals for hands-on learning.

Tine Curran, co-ordinator of the program, said the new and improved facilities will not only benefit students but will benefit the animals as well. "We have always promoted our program as providing real care to real animals in need, and in doing so have helped increase adoption rates with the shelters with whom we work. Having increased animal patient capacity will let us provide much-needed basic care to the hundreds of animals we see each year."

"Our program concept was originally designed by a committee of local veterinary technicians, veterinarians, consultants and College staff to meet the needs of today's veterinary health care teams," said Curran. "The expansion of the facility raises the bar in terms of what we offer our students as they prepare for careers as Registered Veterinary Technicians. State-of-the-art equipment, spacious facilities and dedicated staff combined with motivated, enthusiastic students has resulted in Georgian grads earning consistently high scores on the national certification exam and 100 per cent employment according to KPI statistics."

For more information on Georgian's Veterinary Technician program, contact Tine Curran, co-ordinator, at (705) 325-2740, ext. 3086 or e-mail: tcurran@georgianc.on.ca.