Black Hawk College Veterinary Technology Program

The Advanced Large Animal students here at Black Hawk College's Veterinary Program had a great time yesterday placing IV jugular catheters in our equine model, affectionately named “Cowboy”. Dr. Lewis gave her stamp of approval and said that these students are ready to saddle up with more responsibility in live animal lab! 🐴

The educators and students at the BHC vet tech program want to send a huge thank you to Sol’s Legacy Ministries for being an amazing animal resource partner! Our students had the opportunity to hone their equine large animal skills by administering vaccines, doing physical exams, and using dentition to estimate age. We are so grateful to have this opportunity and practice our skills. Thank you Sol’s Legacy Ministries and to Tonya Wells for welcoming us into your facility!

Our second year shoutout for today is the one and only Paige Porter! Paige’s theme song is “How do you like me now?!” by Toby Keith. Her favorite memory from the program was our trip to Iowa Parrot Rescue for Exotics class. When she’s not studying for VTNE review class, Paige enjoys browsing bookstores just for fun! Her best piece of advice is “Never sell yourself short on what you can accomplish in your life. Others may try to change your mind, some may even bring you down, but know that what matters is you in the end. If you're able to listen to what your heart is saying and strive to do what makes you happy, then go for it. I believe in you”.

And we believe in you, Paige!! We cannot wait to see where vet med takes you!

Give it up for this week's second year shoutout, Kelsie Parks! Kelsie’s journey started in Colchester, IL where her upbringing included both large and small animals. Kelsie soon realized that she had a calling to help these animals in any way she could, which brings us here to the Veterinary Technology program. Upon completion of this program, Kelsie will be in great standing to pursue her dreams, and has some great advice to give to anyone with the same dream; “Don't become so focused on the stressors of this program or even throughout life. Take the time to laugh and have a good time with those around you. You are all playing the same game of life and you may come to find these people are going to make a bigger impact on you than you would have ever expected”. When asked which animal would be the rudest if they could talk; her response was “Probably an Ostrich, they already have attitude problems, they wouldn't be afraid to talk smack.” Kelsie made some pretty fun memories during her time in the program, most of which include her classmates confidently mispronouncing terminology during Anatomy class.

Congratulations Kelsie! We are so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished!

For the first ever second year shoutout, we have our very own SCNAVTA president, Isabella Kuelper! Isabella grew up in Rio, IL where she first developed an interest in animals. Her primary motivation for pursuing a career in veterinary medicine is to help those who have no voice. With a history of showing cattle, it comes as no surprise that Isabella’s favorite course in the vet tech program was large animal health care! Isabella’s best piece of advice to offer to future students and to everyone is to stay positive. When asked what Isabella was most proud of this year, she said maintaining a healthy, happy family and career. Isabella’s boring fact is that she has green eyes. No matter the eye color, Isabella is the opposite of boring, and brings a lighthearted and funny attitude with her to class each day!

Congratulations, Isabella! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see what you accomplish in the veterinary field!

Black Hawk College - Quad-Cities Campus and East Campus Black Hawk College is a community college with campuses in Moline and Galva, Illinois that offers career and transfer programs.

So incredibly proud of the Graduating Class of 2023. Black Hawk College Veterinary Technology Program's Class of 2023 has a 100% passing rate on the National Veterinary Technician Exam (VTNE) this testing period.

It's been a busy week in the VSC as the Class of 2024 learn about anesthesia and surgical skills!

Spent the last 5 days at an amazing conference. Association of Veterinary Technician Educators. Learned new things to do in the classroom! Can’t wait to try them

What an amazing week. So proud of our students.

Our students recently traveled to Iowa Parrot Rescue as part of their Exotic & Lab Animal Care course to learn about parrot care and handling. Veterinary technicians are often responsible for working with a wide variety of domestic and exotic species, and we love hands on experiences that prepare students for this! Many thanks to Iowa Parrot Rescue for allowing us to visit their amazing facility!

Spring Break Reminder: Graduation applications due by Friday, March 17! ☘

https://www.bhc.edu/event/graduation-applications-due/

1st day of Mississippi Valley Veterinary Medical Association is complete. All of the first and second year students listed to Kara Burns speak on feline nutrition. Amazing day. Back at it again tomorrow.

Help support the BHC SCNAVTA (Student Chapter of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America) and accessorize your pets! Orders will be open through Monday, February 20th, at thefarmdogg (etsy.com/shop/thefarmdogg), with an estimated delivery to the Veterinary Sciences Center in early March.

We're excited to announce our first Veterinary Sciences Career Fair! If you're a credentialed veterinary technician (CVT/RVT/LVT/LVMT) looking to explore career opportunities, join us on Thursday, February 23rd, from 1-3pm to visit with more than a dozen area veterinary hospitals!

Join us this Saturday, January 21st, from 9:00am to noon at the Veterinary Sciences Center for a Teddy Bear Hospital! Admission is free, though donations to the Kewanee Animal Shelter are appreciated.

Congratulations to both Nicole Hill and MacKenzie Vahle on receiving a scholarship from The Zoetis Foundation. The Zoetis Foundation is awarding up to 270 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to eligible veterinary technician students enrolled full-time in an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program in the United States or Puerto Rico. There was a highly qualified and exceptional group of applicants for this award. We are so happy that both Nicole and MacKenzie rose to the top of the applicant pool.

This group of students are taking their last final for their 1st semester. Probably thinking why is the Microbiology and Parasitology on the last day. That’s because Director Johnson thinks it’s an amazing class! So proud of all of these students. Cannot wait for 2nd semester to start. Bring on Pharmacology!

As the semester rapidly comes to a close, we need to congratulate our fabulous students for all of their hard work. On top of all of their regular classwork, they have been instrumental in caring for our patients and to date have been responsible for caring for over fifty shelter pets on their way to finding new homes. Conservatively, that includes (but is far from limited to) seventeen neuters, twenty-five spays, seven dental cleanings, one mass removal, three sets of heartworm treatments, nineteen microchip placements, over one hundred vaccinations, over forty presurgical blood panels, countless bandage changes, many radiographs, and an incalculable amount of compassion. We're so proud of our students and can't wait to see what next semester brings!

Our students are still feeling festive as they care for patients and prepare for the end of the semester!

Thank you to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital for visiting to talk with our students about internship and career opportunities at the U of I!

Did our last official live animal lab today for anesthesia and surgery class with our second year students. So proud of all these students. We did 40 plus spays, castrations, and dental procedures this semester

Sending a HUGE thank you to Dr. Deke Carls from Oakwood Veterinary Service for coming out to teach our second year class on taking equine radiographs. Also, sending a speedy recovery to Dr. Carls as he is recovering from a back injury. It was a great day!

Dental Radiology this week for the second year students. Big shout out for our new book from Beyond the Crown by Mary Berg.

Last day of National FFA Convention. Ambassadors doing a great job with potential students.

Thank you to everyone who came to this year's Trick or Treat Trail! We hope you had a great time - we certainly did!

Day 2 of National FFA convention. We talked to a lot of advisors and students about what BLack Hawk College has to offer. Student Ambassadors have done a great job.

Representing the BHE Veterinary Technology Program at the National FFA convention.