Vet clinic gives access to animals
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, November 01, 2011
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Lafayette junior Madeline Torgerson comforts Clyde while the vet draws blood. At Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic, high school students can observe procedures and assist the staff.
Students at Locust Trace AgriScience Farm work with all sorts of animals in the classroom and on the property, including in the new veterinary clinic tucked behind the administration building.
The unique setup gives teenagers behind-the-scenes access to the public facility, where they learn about medical care, lab technology and the management end.
Lafayette High junior Madeline Torgerson, who has always wanted to be a vet, is excited about the shadowing prospects.
“You can start working in a real clinic and get that veterinary experience under your belt,” she said, “under supervision, of course.”
While the professional staff provides the hands-on care, students observe and assist when appropriate.
Tobee Hagerman, a Lafayette senior who shows lambs and goats through 4-H and FFA, is more interested in a business internship at the clinic. “I’m really tenderhearted and it’s tough for me to see animals hurting,” he acknowledged.
One day recently, Madeline and Tobee assisted Dr. Barry Hays with a new patient. They took turns holding the dog steady on the metal table while Hays explained the nose-to-tail examination, which included checking Clyde’s temperature and listening to his heart and lungs. Clyde, which belongs to a Locust Trace teacher, needed his rabies and parvovirus vaccines as well as a heartworm blood test.
For animals with more serious health issues, the clinic offers the latest in sophisticated techniques and high-tech equipment such as ultrasound machines and laser surgery.
“They’re getting to see all the newest treatments,” said clinic director Dr. Jim Martin, who is eager to share his expertise with the teens.
Students can don caps and masks to observe through a surgery window, and cameras in the clinic provide a live feed into nearby classrooms so larger groups can watch procedures.
“Our goal is to support the teachers,” he noted.
The clinic will also build up a library of videos, ultrasound images and 3D models that illustrate various conditions and treatments. For example, the teens can study a horse’s damaged tendon and discuss the vet’s options, such as laser therapy to target the inflammation and pain.
“They’re taking physics and seeing it in action versus trying to imagine what it would be like,” Martin explained.
Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic grew out of long-time discussions between Martin and Joe Norman, the principal at Eastside Technical Center, about how to grow interest in the agriscience field. When Eastside’s horticulture program burgeoned into the 82-acre farm off Leestown Road, Martin saw an ideal opportunity to launch the partnership. The result is this nonprofit animal hospital where students are mentored by professionals and take part in the clinic’s daily activities.
“It involves all areas of science and really makes the textbooks come alive,” said Martin, who has taught at Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University. “We’re trying to pique an interest in agriscience to get them to hold on and go on to college.”
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