ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Students from local Tampa and St. Petersburg middle schools spent Saturday getting hands-on experience in the day-to-day life of a veterinarian and veterinary nurse/technician, with a focus on veterinary surgery, emergency medicine, clinical pathology, dentistry, behavior, and preventative medicine.
Students spent nearly a full day at St. Petersburg College Vet Tech Center putting on scrubs and getting hands-on experience, such as practicing intubation in the ER station using a model dog and conducting exams of eyes, ears, and heart using a stethoscope. They also looked at slides under a microscope, worked with skeletons and observed veterinarians performing physical exam practices on two dogs.
The event was part of the nationally recognized veterinary diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) program BLENDvet. According to the organization, only 6.7% of veterinarians come from an ethnically diverse background, and as few as 1.2% are black.
The BLENDvet group is working with veterinary industry leaders nationwide to inspire more young people from underrepresented communities to enter the veterinary career path.
