SUTHERLAND—A group of N’West Iowa students had a heart-to-heart meeting with a dog named Hazel and a kitten named Ferdinand during Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days Sept. 8 near Sutherland.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach hosted the three-day agriculture- and animal-focused event Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 6-8, at the Northwest Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm.
The pupils got to meet the young animals and compare their heartbeats during a morning session led by certified veterinary technician Tiffany Van Engen and retired Sioux Center veterinarian Fred Sick.
Van Engen, who has worked at Central Veterinary Clinic in Sioux Center since 2011, spoke about her career and what interested her in pursuing it as her full-time job.
“I’ve always enjoyed having pets growing up and enjoy having them even now,” she said. “It becomes more and more apparent to me how important it is to have that bond with those pets.”
Van Engen recalled getting a seasonal job at an equine vet clinic while still in high school and how she originally had her sights set on attending veterinary school. From working at the clinic, however, she eventually gravitated toward the technician side of veterinary medicine and decided to pursue technician school.
Unlike veterinary school — which takes three years to complete and requires already having a four-year undergraduate degree — technician school involves an intensive, two-year associate program followed by successful completion of a certification exam.
She discussed the differences between the role of a veterinarian and a vet technician.
A veterinarian examines animals, conducts lab work and figures out what’s wrong. A technician checks up on the animals while they are kept at the clinic, ensures they are comfortable, administers medication and communicates with their owners about their animals’ conditions.
“I get to do a lot with surgery,” Van Engen added. “We do surgeries all five days of the week at the clinic I work at. I’m the one that gets to decide what kind of medication, how much medication for anesthesia, how to put them under for anesthesia, how to keep them maintained sleeping for surgery, prepping them for surgery and caring for them after they wake up.”
As a vet technician, Van Engen also answers questions from pet owners about their animals’ behavior if they are having trouble getting their pets to act properly.
“I do a lot of potty training advice. Potty training a puppy is not as easy as it sounds,” she said.
Besides being able to work with and care for animals every day, Van Engen enjoys the close relationship she develops with clients in a small-town atmosphere.
“I know a lot of my clients outside of work. Some I even went to school with or my kids are friends with their kids,” she said.
“That’s really rewarding for me, to be able to send them out the door with a healthy, happy pet and know that they’re having a good relationship with them at home.”
This story was first published in the Sept. 17, 2022, print edition of The South O’Brien Sun.
from
https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/vet-tech-talks-career-at-sutherland-event-news-nwestiowa-com/
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