Thoughts from an exotic animal veterinarian
- Miguel Rivera
- Apr 23, 2014
- 2 min read
Last week, MK Education’s Kent Tse and Maniza Azam had the pleasure of attending a presentation on exotic animals by Dr. Ann Marie Woyma, an Associate Veterinarian from the Animal Care and Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Dr. Ann took time out of her busy schedule to speak to veterinary assistant students at the College of Lake County (CLC) about the work that she does with exotic animals including birds, reptiles and small rodents.
What made you decide to come speak to the students? I am very passionate about my work and I love to share that passion with other people who have similar interests. When I was a student I was very interested in learning about exotic animals, but not many people are trained to work with them. I wanted to provide the students in the vet assistant program the chance to see and hear about some things they may not have otherwise.
What are your thoughts on having a training program like this in the area? Do you think it is beneficial? I think training programs such as these are extremely beneficial. A formal training program to become a veterinary assistant gives students an excellent foundation for preparing to work in a veterinary hospital. It is really helpful to us as veterinarians if employees come in with a basic knowledge that we can build on.
What are some things you would like to see in a program like this? Providing students with opportunities to get hands on experience is very important. Interactive labs and externships at hospitals are crucial to helping students learn to apply all the information they have gained in the classroom. In particular, animal handling labs would be helpful to allow students to practice animal restraint. Communication is a big part of the veterinary profession, so training students in communicating with clients would be helpful also.
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