Athens, Ga. – Registration for VetCAMP 2012 gets underway Dec. 12 and continues through Feb. 17.
VetCAMP, or Veterinary Career Aptitude and Mentoring Program, is a seven-day program open to 11th and 12th grade students interested in experiencing veterinary medicine as a potential career path. The on-site program offers participants opportunities for observation and participation in the various services in the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, and the college’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories.
The students also will learn about requirements for admission to the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, research and study abroad opportunities, the college’s veterinary curriculum, and underserved specialties in the field of veterinary medicine.
VetCAMP 2012 will be held July 8 through July 14. The students will be housed on the UGA campus. The $900 fee includes lodging, meals, instruction and social activities. Students with demonstrated need are eligible for scholarships or other financial assistance.
“We started VetCAMP as a way to expose young people to all of the opportunities available to them in a career in Veterinary Medicine,” said Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs. “Through VetCAMP, we hope to broaden the students’ perception of veterinary medicine while increasing their interest in the sciences.”
Students who wish to be considered for the program must complete a registration packet that includes a registration form, a teacher/counselor recommendation form and an essay. The packet may be downloaded from the VetCAMP website at www.vet.uga.edu/GO/camp.
For more information about the program, contact Lakecia Pettway at lpettway@uga.edu or 706/542-8411, or see the program’s website listed above.
The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal and human diseases, and to 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 560 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 currently is working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/giving/campaign.php.
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