Students in the Veterinary Medicine program at the Hollenstein Career and Technology Center (HCTC) in EMS ISD had the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a hands-on learning experience recently when an outdoor sheep pen behind the HCTC became their classroom.
As part of their Tarleton Today course, students worked with live animals, practicing essential veterinary skills such as haltering, handling, administering vaccinations and supplements, and assisting with the care of pregnant ewes.
Under the guidance of Keri Barnes, Veterinary Medicine instructor at HCTC, students stepped into the pens to administer care, ensuring the animals were handled safely and professionally.
“This lab allows students to take the skills they learn in the classroom and apply them to real-life situations,” said Barnes. “They get the opportunity to work directly with live animals, which helps prepare them for future careers in veterinary medicine and animal sciences.”
For many students, the experience was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Boswell High School junior Susan Bassi described the mix of emotions she felt while performing
her first vaccination on the ewe.
“I was a bit nervous getting into the pen with the ewes, and I started to shake a little when I had to pinch the skin to give the injection,” said Bassi. “It was hard to get a visual of the skin I was pinching, but I did it succesfully, and it was a great hands-on experience. Now I understand what it takes to give an animal like this a vaccination.”
Bassi, who originally had not planned on pursuing veterinary medicine, now sees the field as a passion and potential career path.
“It means so much to me to take veterinary classes and learn about this before I go to college and have to make career choices,” she said. “I want to have a career working with animals.”
For senior Alli Murawski from Chisholm Trail High School, the experience reinforced her commitment to studying animal science in college.
“I’m grateful because I get to have this experience before I go to college,” Murawski said. “It’s important to learn haltering and handling, but assisting with supplementations and vaccinations on the pregnant ewes really shows us what this type of work is like.”
She added that the hands-on learning at HCTC gives her a head start in her future studies. “It helps because I’ll already know about the field when I go to college, and we get college credit in the class.”
The Veterinary Medicine program at HCTC is designed to provide students with real-world learning opportunities that prepare them for careers in veterinary science, animal care, and related fields. By participating in hands-on labs like this one, students gain practical experience that enhances their understanding and readiness for future careers in the industry and gives them a head start on their higher education by obtaining college credit while still in high school.
Learn more about the HCTC at www.emsisd.com/hctc.
