NCC Vet Tech Program Granted Initial Accreditation
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) has granted initial accreditation to the Nash Community College Veterinary Medical Technology (VMT) program.
“Program accreditation is important because graduates of accredited programs may be eligible to take state and national examinations required by the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board,” Nancy Worsinger, NCC Department Chair for Allied Health, said.
The program curriculum is designed to prepare students to assist veterinarians in preparing animals for examination and surgery. Some tasks include collecting specimens; performing laboratory, radiographic, anesthetic and dental procedures; assisting in surgery; and providing proper care for animals and their environment.
NCC applied for and received approval by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges to offer the degree in 2015 and the following year was granted approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to add the program to its offerings.
Over the next two years, NCC personnel toured other accredited programs, worked to secure funding sources, planned and designed instructional facilities, and expanded relationships with local and regional partners in the veterinary medicine community.
Program Director, Gail Harrell, RVT, was hired full-time and students began taking pre-requisite courses in 2017. Mandy Tolson, DVM, began as NCC’s full-time Medical and Clinical Coordinator and Instructor and students officially entered the first cohort in 2018. Karen Walker, RVT, was hired as a full-time instructor in 2019.
Classes for the first semester were primarily taught in a large classroom on the second floor of building D while renovations of approximately 6,500 square feet were completed on the ground floor providing a modern, spacious and well-equipped training environment. The facility design allows for all on-campus clinical training and animal care to be self-contained. Additional physical expansion is planned.
The college is offering the VMT Associate in Applied Science degree in response to workforce needs expressed by the local veterinary community. “Our graduates will be prepared for employment locally and beyond — in veterinary clinics, laboratories, zoos, academic institutions, and other areas associated with animal care.”
Coursework includes instruction in veterinary anatomy, nutrition, parasitology, pathology, physiology, radiology, terminology, zoology, office practices, laboratory techniques, dentistry, and small and large animal clinical practices.
