Community Update

MCCC's Veterinary Assistant Program Earns National Certification; Info. Session Sept. 12

For
those who would like to turn their affection for animals into a career, Mercer
County Community College’s Center for Continuing Studies (CCS) offers a
Veterinary Assistant Certificate program that prepares students for entry-level
jobs in nine months.  Classes are held on
the college’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.



First introduced in Fall 2011, the popular noncredit program was
recently approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in
America (NAVTA), the nation’s leading veterinary technology organization.  Students in MCCC’s program are now eligible to
take the NAVTA’s national certification exam.



According to Read Langan, the CCS’s assistant director, the
certification is like a gold star for the program, indicating that the
curriculum meets the top standards in the field.

“We
are one of only two programs in New Jersey and 11 in the country to receive
this ‘seal of approval,’" Langan says. "Prospective students can be
assured that our curriculum meets the highest training standards in the field.  Students who get their certification will
have a big advantage over those who don’t when being considered for jobs,”
Langan added.

The
curriculum includes four modules: Introduction to the Veterinary Profession;
Nursing Skills; Laboratory Skills and Imaging; and a 75-hour Clinical
Externship, which is arranged for each student in a clinical veterinary
setting.

Andrea
Pace, Esq., a certified veterinary technician, is the lead instructor and
program coordinator.  She says the
program is designed to provide a gateway for professional development and
career change, noting that students range widely in their interests, skill sets
and goals.

"Some
want to work with large animals, others with dogs, cats and birds, and others
with all animals.  We work closely with
students to ensure that everyone masters the material and develops the skills
they need to be successful," Pace says.

Pace
is the former chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals.  She has also
appeared on Animal Cops Philadelphia, part of an animal welfare reality series
that runs on Animal Planet, a cable television channel distributed by Discovery
Communications.

An
information session for the Veterinary Assistant program will be held Thursday,
Sept. 12, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Conference Center on the West Windsor
campus. The Fall 2013 cohort starts September 17 and concludes in June 2014.