The Veterinary Assistant Program at The Pruden Center was developed to meet the needs of our local veterinary community.  Local veterinarians and licensed veterinary technicians met with school administration in early 2000 to establish the program.  These founding members of our advisory board continue to serve with other local veterinary professionals who have joined in recent years.  Dr. Stuart Porter, professor of veterinary technology at Blue Ridge Community College also contributed to the development of the program and serves in an advisory capacity.  

Members of the committee felt it was important that a licensed professional teach the program, as he or she would have a clear understanding of what was expected of staff working in the veterinary industry.  A Licensed Veterinary Technician has taught the program since its inception, and has been involved in subsequent revisions of the Veterinary Assistant instructional framework, and the small animal care frameworks.  The instructor has also participated in the development of test questions for NOCTI Small Animal Science and Technology tests (2010/2011) and the New York and Virginia Agricultural Assessment Project Veterinary Science Test pilot in 2007.

The Veterinary Assistant Program is a two year sequential program offered to juniors and seniors enrolled in Isle of Wight and Suffolk Public Schools.  We serve students from five feeder schools in the area.  Students learn small and large animal science and husbandry.  We focus on the skills needed to assist the veterinarian/technician in many areas, including preventive medicine, sample collection for laboratory testing, biosecurity, surgical nursing, nutritional counseling, and behavioral modification techniques.  Our goal is to prepare students for entry level positions in the veterinary field, and to facilitate their transition to post-secondary education in veterinary technology, pre-veterinary programs, or animal agriculture.

To promote the veterinary assistant program as well as other programs offered at the Pruden Center, the Instructor worked with the Business and Industry liaison to establish the Pruden Center Ambassador program, which was highlighted at the VCEF High Five Conference “Celebrating Best Partnership Practices in Career and Technical Education” in March, 2007.  We welcome several guest speakers from industry throughout the year to introduce students to new trends in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry practices.

Students enrolled in the program may participate in supervised technical internships with local veterinarians.  As a Governor’s STEM Academy, students who qualify may participate in the FIRST (fostering innovation and relevance through stem and trades) Academy: School of Health Careers.  Students are also able to participate in the Health Occupations Students of America.  Opportunities are described in the attached brochure available in the front office to interested students.