Dallas College Trains Students For Rewarding Work In Veterinary Clinics Around The World

Press release from Dallas College:

Oct. 5, 2021

(DALLAS) — A new, specialized curriculum is making Dallas College’s Veterinary Technology offerings available worldwide and conveniently available to trainees who care for animals in-person but are not able to set foot on campus.

Whether living in Texas or thousands of miles away, the Dallas College “Vet Tech” program has adapted for the 21st century, now bringing opportunities to those unable to study in a traditional setting. The program, which began in 1998 as a partnership with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), now serves students from as far away as Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and South Africa.

Dr. Kelly Black, department chair of the Veterinary Technology program at Dallas College, played a major role in developing the curriculum that allows students to learn through a combination of remote instruction and curated on-the-job training in their own workplaces.

“A lot of our students are already working in vet clinics as assistants, receptionists or kennel help [outside of Dallas] when they join the program,” he said.

The online program allows Dallas College to train about three times as many students as it could on campus. In a typical year, the campus program can only accept about 100 out of the 175 to 200 applications it receives. An additional 420 students are currently training through the online program. Once they’ve completed their degrees, students are qualified to take their Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) to become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT).

“Obviously we have limited space, staff and patients available for the campus program,” said Dr. Patricia Eye, veterinary technology faculty member. “If they are working in their own clinic, we can use a lab in Ireland, for example.”

This press release was produced by Dallas College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.