Farm Director KC Sheperd is visiting with Muscogee County 4-H Programs Specialist, Leslie Lewis, about the Vet Science Short Course offered by Oklahoma State University for high school students interested in veterinary medicine. This course will be offered again in 2025, and applications will open in late February.
Lewis explained that the program provides hands-on experiences and information about vet school programs to help students decide if a career in veterinary medicine is suitable. The program aims to address the shortage of rural veterinarians in Oklahoma and the application process opens in late February with 30 participants selected each year.
“The Vet Science Short Course is designed for 9th through 12th graders, and we invite them to come to OSU, and they go to the College of Veterinary Medicine there, and they get to go through some hands-on experiences and get an idea of what it is like to be a vet student for the day,” Lewis said. “They get information about how to get into vet school, programs that would be helpful for them, and just the experience to know whether or not vet school is the right direction for them to go or if they should think about going a different direction.”
One activity planned for the day will be an outbreak simulation, Lewis said, where students will go into the room, receive a disease outbreak scenario and learn how to walk through the situation.
“There is a bandaging session where they learn how to bandage legs, they get to listen with stethoscopes to dogs and cats, and then they also have a dissection lab where they get to dissect hearts and eyeballs,” Lewis said.
Applications will open up to 4-H youth at the end of February, then from the applications, 30 individuals will be selected for the program. Each year, Lewis said the short course will take place before Memorial Weekend in May.
“We will do this again in 2025,” Lewis said. “We have already selected our 30 for this year, but we try to focus on those 11th and 12th graders coming in so they have an idea of the path they want to take.”
Lewis said those interested in applying for the 2025 group can reach out to their local 4-H Extension office for more information.
To read about a recent OSU Vet Science Short Course, CLICK HERE.
