Veterinary Assisting at UHS is a program that teaches students how to take care of dogs and other types of animals that may need care at a veterinary clinic. Each week teachers have the ability to bring their dogs to school where they can play while their owners work. 

   Students in the program learn how to be responsible for caring for animals through their involvement in looking after these pets.  Students walk, feed, and play with dogs and when necessary they are responsible for bathing and grooming them.  The cost of leaving a dog at vet assisting is $3 per day, excluding add-ons such as baths, nail trims, and brushing.  Students also learn how to perform basic physical exam labs on the dogs. “Our dog is able to socialize and when we take him to public dog-friendly places, he is used to being around lots of people and distraction and will still respond to commands and act well around people,” said science teacher Shelby Juergens.

    Those who advance in the class are given the opportunity to take the end of the year state exam to become certified as a veterinary assistant after their completion of  Vet III. “Throughout the school year students learn about various animal restraint techniques, animal behavior, and what kind of dangers to look for in a vet environment,” said Veterinary Assisting teacher Mrs. Curran. 

   The program gives students the foundation they will need if they are planning to explore veterinary medicine as a career. “The vet program will help me with college and becoming a veterinarian because after taking the class for three years I will become a certified veterinary technician which will look very good on my resume when I apply to vet programs or schools, which are very difficult to get into,” said sophomore Emily Pagan.

 Students need to be aware of their surroundings because of the animals in the room and hands-on work that is required. Everything that a student needs for a career path in veterinary assisting will be provided throughout the multiple classes that are taken. Students don’t need prior experience to succeed in this class but a science background and a passion for the animals that students are working with would be helpful.

        Vet assisting is a fun and easy going environment that pushes students to learn more about how to care for their pets. “One of the great things about this class is that everyday there is a dog in the class with us and you are able to play with them when you have free time. The assignments don’t feel hard in this class because the work is easy to understand and the teacher helps us if we ever feel confused about what we learned,” said sophomore Anthony Gaskins