For the first semester, tuition for Montgomery County residents will cost $3, 048.21 and for out-of-county residents $4,541.46. Students are expected to take between 16 t0 17 credit hours or five to six courses a semester in order to complete the program in two years and one summer.
The median annual wage for veterinarian technicians in May 2010 was $29, 710 or $14 an hours. Employment in the field is expected to increase 52 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Even during the recession, the pet industry has continued to grow, whereas everything else has fallen,” said Carolyn Worthen, DVM, owner of Banfield Pet Hospital in Beavercreek and a member of the advisory board at Sinclair.
Veterinary technicians assist in surgical preparation, inducing and monitoring anesthesia, collecting and analyzing lab samples, educating clients, producing x-rays and performing dental exams. They also may administer medication, vaccines and treatment under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, according to Worthen.
Students will have to take a series of biology, chemistry and two-semester introduction to veterinary technology courses to complete the prerequisites for the program. The course is expected to accomodate 15-20 students. To gain admission, students must have a 2.5 GPA.
A nine-week externship is required during the summer of the student’s second year in order to graduate. They will work with large animals, exotic birds, small reptiles as well as farm animals and horses, in animal hospitals, clinics, animal shelters, laboratories or zoos.
“They have to learn about everything,” Worthen said. “We want them to be at an advantage in the job field.”
Sinclair will be partnering with 20 organizations, which will include a variety of large and small animal hospitals in the area, who are commited to providing externships and assisting students in receiving 350 animal contact hours, needed to earn their Associate’s Degree.
“They can be a veterinary technologist or work and recieve their animal contact hours,” Willin-Mulay said. “We built the curriculum like we did, so that the students, if their end goal was to be a veterinary, they can get there as fast as possible.”
Willin-Mulay said that all of the courses will also prepare students for admission into a pre-veterinary program at any university, which in turn prepares the student for admission into veterinary school.
“Vet schools are typically very hard to get into,” Worthern said. “It is very competitive.”
By 2013, the veterinary program should be accredited by the Commitee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, according to Willin-Mulay. Sinclair is in the process of hiring two-full time positions, a veterinarian and a registered veterinary technician, to meet the CVTEA’s accreditation standards.
About the Author