SPCA Florida's McClurg Animal Medical Center Selected for Hillsborough Community College Veterinary Technology Program Expansion

LAKELAND, Fla., Feb. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In partnership with Hillsborough Community College (HCC), SPCA Florida announced today that its McClurg Animal Medical Center has been selected as an official externship site for students enrolled in the Certified Veterinary Technology (CVT) program for the school. The two year Applied Sciences program, one of only six in Florida, requires veterinary technician students to participate in 240 hours of course work in approved veterinary medical facilities. SPCA Florida is now an official off-site learning lab for individual student externship opportunities as well as a working classroom where special wet-lab instructional lessons are conducted for the entire class off-campus by the HCC faculty.

"As we strive to elevate the status of veterinary technicians as partners in the practice of veterinary medicine, collaborating with the veterinary technology program at HCC provides students an invaluable externship experience both in general practice veterinary medicine and small animal surgery rotations," says SPCA Florida's CEO Sean Hawkins. "Providing learning opportunities for students, under the guidance of SPCA Florida's professional staff, while meeting core curriculum components for the CVT program, benefits both students and the public as we are able to attract and hire a more highly skilled paraprofessional for the care of dogs and cats in our Animal Medical Center as well as in private veterinary practices in the community."

Dr. Vincent Centonze, Program Director for Veterinary Technology at HCC said, "We are thrilled to partner with SPCA Florida for off-site learning opportunities not only because of the state-of-the-art veterinary medical facilities that are now available to our students but because of the true passion for and dedication to excellence in veterinary medicine exhibited by the leadership and staff at the McClurg Animal Medical Center. How lucky we are to have this wonderful facility right here in Central Florida."

Three to six veterinary technician students will participate in rotations at any one time as part of their externship requirements. Wet-labs, which are instructional lessons conducted for the entire class at the SPCA Florida campus each month in such areas as assisting with dental procedures on shelter animals, benefit both the student's education and animals needing medical attention while they are waiting for their adoptive homes.