Community Turns to Vet Tech Program for Help

This program not only offers a remedy for the issue of feral cats in the Wellfleet area but also provides hands-on education for the veterinary technician students at NCTA. Students are able to go through each aspect of surgery with these patients, including a pre-anesthetic work-up, administering an IV catheter and fluids, preparing surgery packs, preparing the patient, assisting in the actual surgery, monitoring and administering anesthesia, and providing nursing care during recovery.

Prior to these full surgery days, students go through a normal surgery rotation. As with any beginning learner, these first surgeries can take time. The spay/neuter days offer real-world practice for the students and encourage them to work at an increasing speed, similar to what they will encounter at real practices.

The program was developed to help the community deal with the feral cat population and the diseases that go along with that; the positive benefit is that the program helps students in the process. The ultimate perfection lies in that it also does not hurt local veterinary businesses since the students are working with the feral cat population. Barbara Berg, division chair of Veterinary Technology, notes, "We would love to expand to help more people and communities as money and time allow."

For more information about the Veterinary Technology program at NCTA, contact Barbara Berg or Larry Cooper at 1.800.3CURTIS.