UGA College of Veterinary Medicine to host first VetCAMP in summer 2011

Twelve 11th and 12th grade students will be selected from a national applicant pool to participate in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s first VetCAMP, a nine-day program aimed at helping students experience veterinary medicine as a potential career path.

VetCAMP, or Veterinary Career Aptitude and Mentoring Program, will offer participants opportunities for observation and participation in the various services in the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, and the college’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories.Camp attendees also will go on field trips to the Atlanta Zoo and Georgia Aquarium for behind-the-scenes tours of each facility.

“We started VetCAMP as a way to expose young people to all of the opportunities available to them in a career in Veterinary Medicine,” said Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs. “Through VetCAMP, we hope to broaden the students’ perception of veterinary medicine while increasing their interest in the sciences.”

The students will learn about requirements for admission to the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, research opportunities, study abroad opportunities, the college’s veterinary curriculum and underserved specialties in the field of veterinary medicine.

VetCAMP will be held Saturday, July 9 through Sunday, July 17.The students will be housed on the UGA campus.The $500 fee includes lodging, meals, instruction and social activities.Scholarships or financial assistance are available to students with demonstrated need.

Students who wish to be considered for the program must complete a registration packet that includes a registration form, a teacher/counselor recommendation form and an essay.The packet may be downloaded from the VetCAMP website at www.vet.uga.edu/GO/camp.

For more information about the program, contact Lakecia Pettway at lpettway@uga.edu or 706/542-8411, or visit the program’s website.

The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal and human diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners.Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share.The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 560 who apply.For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.

The current UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the United States.The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians.The goal is to increase enrollment to 150 when the Veterinary Medical Learning Center is built.For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/giving/campaign.php.

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