One of the greatest strengths of the Veterinary Assistant Program is the support it receives from area veterinary hospitals, others in the veterinary industry, local farmers, animal control agencies, and shelters.  The program has received both monetary and material donations from hospitals, the American Animal Hospital Association and various pharmaceutical companies.  Hospitals and clinics have welcomed our students as observers, interns, and ultimately employees.  Veterinarians have provided invaluable hands-on experience, such as performing pregnancy checks on a herd of Black Angus cows or neutering Hereford bull calves.  Local veterinarians have videotaped surgical procedures for the students, while explaining the procedures they are performing. 

The program has been able to host wonderful guest speakers and field trips.  Many years the students have been able to visit the Coach and Livestock Department of Colonial Williamsburg to perform physical examinations and practice skills, as well as learn the importance of saving rare breeds of livestock.  They have been able to feed marine mammals and sea turtles hospitalized in the Stranding Facility of the Virginia Aquarium, as well as observe a dolphin necropsy.  Several years the students have been able to attend rounds with the Norfolk Zoo's veterinarian and observe procedures such as dental radiography on one of the elephants.

The Veterinary Assistant program has worked with the EMT program to develop cross-curricular events, such as a mock mass-casualty drill and search and rescue event.  These efforts help the students see how their fields often interact with other medical professionals.  The program participates in career days, visiting elementary and middle schools to share information.  Such events help the students build confidence in their ability to educate people about the importance of veterinary care.  Community service opportunities have always been encouraged, and the students continue to rise to the occasion and offer their talents and abilities.

The instructor of the Veterinary Assistant program has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician since 1988, and a Laboratory Animal Technician since 1992 and is able to share a broad variety of experiences with the students.  She has worked in private practice, for the department of defense as a biological science technician and member of the laboratory animal care and use committee, in a busy emergency referral practice as a relief technician, and in a surgical referral practice.  The instructor proctored the first distance education program offered by Blue Ridge Community College for licensed veterinary technicians in Virginia.  She served as historian, president-elect, and president of the Virginia Association of Licensed Veterinary Technicians and was voted Technician of the Year by the Virginia Association of Licensed Veterinary Technicians in 1996. 

There are weaknesses the program strives to overcome.  The students would benefit from more animal handling experience, but space and finances are limited, therefore we have greatly reduced the number of animals with permanent residency.  We try to compensate by providing the students with opportunities through internships and field trips.  The school was built in the seventies, and the classroom was built into what had been storage space.  The room is often noisy due to its proximity to welding and auto service.  Despite these limitations, the Building Trades department did a beautiful job designing the room.  There is little space outdoors to safely utilize due to lack of fencing and a busy highway in front of the school, so large dog runs are nonexistent.

Because we are a regional center, the students are coming from different districts with different schedules.  Classes have already been in session for approximately an hour before other students arrive and/or leave, which can be a disruption.  It also makes planning field trips or guest speakers difficult, as the time allotted is greatly reduced.  The center relies on buses from one or the other district, and field trips have had to be cancelled due to a lack of transportation.  With few exceptions, the feeder schools are far enough away that it is difficult if not impossible for many students to return after school if they need additional help.  The instructor tries to provide additional help during the school day, and checks email throughout the day in order to answer questions that may arise.

Participation in co-curricular organizations has dropped over the years, in part because of the opportunity for students to participate at their home schools, and also because it is often difficult to obtain funding for students to attend leadership conferences.  The recent change in schedule has made it essential to streamline program content, and less time is allocated to  CTSO participation. 

Another significant weakness is the inability of the instructor to access many on-line instructional and educational materials due to "blocking" of media content.  Webinars and continuing education sites often incorporate video or other media, and despite the ability to access the site itself, the webinar cannot be viewed.  Many members of the advisory board have blogs, and educational opportunities are posted on their webpages or on their Facebook accounts.  We are unable to access any of these media outlets, and access would greatly enrich curriculum content. 

We have improved the classroom recently by bringing in additional student computers, but ideally enough computers/laptops/tablets would exist for each student to have their own to use during class.  Improvement in available technology would be a tremendous asset.  There are so many topics pertaining to veterinary medicine and animal husbandry on sites such as you-tube or Idexx.  In addition to offering more up-to-date information to students, better access to technology would improve the ability to host advisory meetings in a way that would allow clinicians to speak to each other without having to physically leave their hospitals.  Technology such as skype would allow the instructor to schedule sessions with speakers, or allow students to watch a procedure in real-time. 

Technology utilized in the veterinary assistant classroom includes a Smart Board interactive white board to present lecture materials and video instruction.  Veterinary medical practices and pharmaceuticals change rapidly, often leaving print material behind before new additions are printed.  By using PowerPoint, instruction remains current with industry.  Hyperlinks to veterinary sites are included in most PowerPoints.  Many internet sites include interactive review games, such as the 4-H virtual farm, or access to training materials from veterinary technology programs and veterinary schools.  The Smart Board allows students to get up and move around the room while engaging in the lesson, which is helpful during lengthy class periods.  It also allows students to use media in their reports and presentations.  PowerPoints are sent via email or loaded onto students flash drives upon request so they have access to the information at home. 

Ipad tablets are utilized by students to take notes, take snapshots of information shown on the Smart Board, or to create video instructions based on materials learned in class.  We have incorporated student created video into lecture material for future classes.

There are seven student computers with internet access for use by students in class.  Additionally, the center has a computer laboratory that will accommodate the maximum number of students enrolled in the class, as well as laptop computers available for classroom use.  Students have used the computers to participate in Webinars hosted by the American Heartworm Society, as well as listen to pod casts from NPR, including Cat Sense by John Bradshaw.  The internet is used to access myriad sites, as well as stream video from Discovery, Nature, PBS, etc.  Students are able to participate in the Hills Veterinary Nutritional Advocate on-line educational program through the instructors sponsorship.  Students receive immediate feedback about their progress.  This program has three levels, and upon successful completion, earns the student the title of Veterinary Nutritional Advocate.

Technology specific to the class is also utilized.  A teaching microscope is able to connect to the teachers computer and project images from slides onto the Smart Board.  Cameras may also be attached to the microscope that will photograph the image.  Four student binocular microscopes are in the classroom. 

An ultrasonic instrument cleaner, steam autoclave, centrifuge, micro-hematocrit centrifuge, hand-held Doppler unit for assessing pulse rates and mean arterial pressures, clinical refractometer, and stethoscopes for ausculting heart and respiratory sounds are utilized in teaching clinical practices and laboratory techniques.

Canine CPR manikins allow for simulation of pulses, and one gives an audible and visual read-out of the students proper hand placement and compression effectiveness.