Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia is offering high school students the opportunity to explore the field of veterinary medicine before they start college classes through its VetCAMP program.
Run by the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, VetCAMP 2013 will be held July 7-13. Registration will be Dec. 19 through Feb. 6.
The seven-day Veterinary Career Aptitude and Mentoring Program gives current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience veterinary medicine through the clinical and research services offered by the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories.
“We started VetCAMP as a way to expose students to the wide range of opportunities available in a career as a veterinary medical doctor,” said Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs. “Unlike other similar camps, we help students discover their true aptitude for a career in veterinary medicine and follow them through their undergraduate years with mentoring.
“Based on the successful experiences we’ve had with the amazing young people who attended our first two camps, we can’t wait for summer to get here.”
Attendees will learn about requirements for admission into the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, research programs, study abroad opportunities, the college’s veterinary curriculum and underserved specialties in the field of veterinary medicine.
Registration is $900. The fee includes lodging on the UGA campus, meals, instruction and social activities. Financial assistance is available to students with demonstrated need. Students must complete a registration form, a teacher/counselor recommendation form and an essay.
To download a registration packet, see www.vet.uga.edu/GO/camp. For more information, contact Lakecia Pettway at lpettway@uga.edu or 706/542-8411.
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine
The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, conducting research related to animal and human diseases and 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 800 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 U.S. The college is currently working to raise $25 million toward building a new veterinary medical learning center, which will include a new teaching hospital and classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/vmlc/.
