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Bottle feeding kittens, grooming dogs, and breeding goats are not activities most people associate with a high school program.
In the Veterinary Assistant program at John A. Ferguson Senior High School, students learn firsthand how to care, treat and handle all types of animals, in addition to learning about the veterinary field.
“I’m so proud of the students in this program,” said Ferguson principal Wendy Barnett.
“They build friendships, and they learn skills to meet the needs of these animals. Many of them either end up working at veterinarian offices or in areas related to animals.”
The program, which has 260 students, involves taking veterinary science courses every year from their freshman to senior year with a goal toward gaining the knowledge of animal behavior and veterinary medicine to take the Veterinary Assistant Industry Certification exam at the end of their senior year. The school has chickens, goats, rabbits, dogs and cats on-hand to give the students real world experience to practice their craft.
Ferguson is one of seven high schools with veterinary science programs, proof that Miami-Dade County Public Schools is your best choice for preparing students to work in careers in which they have a passion.
At Ferguson, during the first two years, students learn about the different dog and cat breeds and their behavior and about the business of a vet’s office, procedures and customer service, and different careers available. In their junior year, students start getting hands-on experience, drawing blood and doing fecals with a microscope to look for parasites.
In the last year of the program, students can branch out into different areas. They can choose to work at Paws for Friends, the dog grooming service the school operates or the dog day care, which are unique opportunities for students to practice their veterinary assistant skills learned first-hand. Students also can foster kittens or intern at veterinary offices to gain some on the job training. Students are required to log 250 hours at a vet clinic.
“I personally love the vet program. When I found out about the program here, I was very keen on going to Ferguson,” said Natalia Ovalle, a senior in the program. “I want to be a vet for exotic animals. I want to take care of dogs and cats, but also work with lions and giraffes.”
Typically, students, teachers or school staff drop off their dogs in the morning. The pups stay the entire day. The vet students take them on walks and also use the dogs to socialize puppies and get them used to other dogs. The dogs may also be groomed if the owner requests it.
Through the grooming service, students learn valuable lessons and gain vital experience on how to handle different dog breeds and be prepared for different temperaments. They learn how to do nail trims, ear cleaning, bathing, draining the anal glands and giving the pups a trim. And, at $25 to $30 for the service, the customer is getting a good deal.
Vet assistant magnet teacher Kathy Lazo says the students take notes at intake on what dogs like and don’t like, who doesn’t like being shaved or having their paws touched. For students, it’s the curriculum coming to life, all the lessons about how to handle animals.
“My favorite thing is to see the looks on their faces when they do what they were scared to do and they realize they can actually restrain these dogs with confidence to get the job done” Lazo said.
Students also foster kittens, from neonate bottle babies to the older kittens. They learn how to care for the smallest ones and learn how to feed and medicate them. The students also get to bring their foster kittens to school so the other students can get an opportunity to learn and train with kittens.
“We recently got a litter of four kittens, and they got a flea bath, something every class was able to participate in,” Lazo said. “They learned about nutrition, weaning, and what vaccines kittens need. Students also read fecals under a microscope to check for parasites.”
Students can join extracurricular groups to become more involved in their specialty. The goat team learns all about the process of nursing the baby goats. There are nine goats in the program. They also learn how to milk the goats and care for a pregnant goat. The chicken group learns how to care for and feed the chickens and give them baths. These groups participate in fairs and win prizes for their efforts as well as participate in various career technical student organizations such as FFA that gives students opportunities to put theory into action.
At the end of their senior year, students take the Veterinary Assistant Exam in order to receive their certification. Last year, 30 of 31 students taking the test passed, proof of the effectiveness of the program. Students who earn this certification have a chance to start a career one step ahead if they want to pursue working in a vet office or studying to be a veterinarian.
“They are definitely overwhelmed in a positive way of all the opportunities available to them,” Lazo said. “Having animals in the classroom keeps them on their toes. Animals are unpredictable and you’re going to learn a lot about how to respond in terms of behavior and health issues; perfect training to be veterinary assistant.”
The vet program at Ferguson is just one example of how M-DCPS benefits the community by empowering students to become veterinary assistants and providing services to benefit the community. These magnet career pathway programs at M-DCPS are just one more innovative way to prepare students for future careers.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is already accepting Magnet program applications on hundreds of programs for the 2024-2025 school year. Applications are available at miamimagnets.org through January 15, 2024.
Lupe Diaz is executive director, Department of Career and Technical Education, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
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