Students Gained Hands-On Experience Learning to Suture, Perform Physical Exams, Conduct CPR, Repair Broken Bones and More at the Believe and Belong in Veterinary Medicine Event
(Click to download video from the event.)
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and nationally-recognized veterinary certification program blendVET, hosted 50 middle school students from underserved communities in New Haven June 6 for a full day of hands-on learning at Highville Charter Middle School, where they enjoyed a day of immersive activities alongside veterinarians and veterinary nurses/technicians.
Believe and Belong in Veterinary Medicine was created to open the doors to a career in veterinary medicine for underrepresented students and address the lack of diversity in veterinary medicine. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 90% of veterinarians are white, with as few as 1.3% Black and 5.9% Asian. Latin X (ethnicity) is considered to be 7.9%.
"We're proud to have partnered with blendVET for this wonderful event that inspires and opens doors for young people to explore career opportunities in veterinary medicine, especially those underserved and not well-represented in today's veterinary industry. We look forward to continuing to offer opportunities for underrepresented youth to pursue veterinary careers," said NAVC CEO Gene O'Neill.
"This event is extremely important to realizing more diversity in our field of veterinary medicine. The students had an immersive experience and envisioned themselves as veterinary professionals one day," said Dr. Niccole Bruno, founder and CEO of blendVET. "Giving back to the community has always been important to me and this profession has been a big part of my life since I was 12 years old. I enjoyed engaging with the students, and it's rewarding to be able to show them what this field entails and the opportunities available to them."
The students learned about the various aspects of veterinary medicine from a diverse group of veterinary experts. Wearing surgical gowns of their own, the students tried their hand at immersive training experiences such as learning basic suture techniques and how to repair broken bones at the surgery station, performing CPR at the ER station, observing physical examinations and nail trimming at the general practice station and how to care for exotic animals at the zoo medicine station.
Participants were presented with a certificate verifying they earned six hours of education in veterinary medicine. The students were also given a list of local veterinarians interested in providing shadowing opportunities to allow them to continue in the field of veterinary medicine as their education progresses.
In concert with the student programming, blendVET will host a parent program on June 11 to help parents learn how to support their child's pursuit of a career in veterinary medicine.
About the NAVC
The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing veterinary professionals worldwide. As the world's leading provider of continuing veterinary education, the NAVC delivers essential training, tools and resources for veterinary professionals to stay abreast of advances in animal medicine and provide the best care for animals everywhere. Through its commitment to innovation and excellence, the NAVC has developed a diverse portfolio of products and services, including educational events, headlined by VMX (Veterinary Meeting & Expo), the world's largest, most comprehensive continuing education conference and launchpad for new products and innovations within the veterinary industry; VetFolio.com, a robust digital platform for virtual learning and engagement; NAVC Media, the veterinary industry's largest and award-winning portfolio of trade publications; and Embrace, an advocacy arm which unites the veterinary community and pet lovers. The NAVC was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL. Since 2017, the NAVC has been recognized annually as one of the Top Workplaces by the Orlando Sentinel. To learn more about the NAVC's products and brands, visit https://navc.com/. To see our schedule of upcoming events, visit https://navc.com/calendar/.
About blendVET
blendVET is a veterinary certification program in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). It is founded, owned and backed by a diverse group of leaders in veterinary medicine. blendVET is the first program designed to create an inclusive workplace culture geared toward fostering environments of belonging for teams and clients and creating the next generation of diverse veterinary professionals through student and parent programming.
SOURCE North American Veterinary Community
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