Students attended the Future Vets Kids Camp over the school holidays to learn about skills and different career pathways within veterinary medicine during a five-day program.
As the veterinary industry faces a critical staffing shortage, and with pet ownership at an all time high – the AMA reports 69% of households have a pet (up from 61% in 2019) – it’s never been more important to educate young Aussies about veterinary medicine.
Future Vet Kids Camp is a veterinary-inspired face-to-face and virtual program where students learn about different animal-related professions, genetic diseases, pet nutrition, surgery, animal rescue and wildlife conservation.
“My favourite part was going to the farm where we got hands-on experience with the farm animals – we got to touch ‘Lucky’ the goat, milk the cows and we also learnt about how smart the Cattle Dogs are.
“I also really loved going to the zoo. We went behind the scenes and visited the hospital where we saw how to do anaesthetics and X-rays,” said Michaela Ross, Sydney camper.
Each year PetSure offers scholarships for students to attend the camp.
PetSure CEO Alex Thomas said, “PetSure is proud to support the Future Vet Kids Camp by offering five scholarships each year to young aspiring vets to give them a unique opportunity to learn about animal health, and to visit state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals.
“At PetSure, we’re committed to pet health education and we’re thrilled to be part of a program that inspires young animal lovers to join the veterinary industry and pursue their passions.”
Rebecca Halcomb, a 2021 recipient of PetSure’s scholarship for the Future Kids Vet Camp, was recently accepted to study veterinary science at Charles Sturt University for 2023. Rebecca believes her camp and scholarship experience was pivotal to helping her secure her university placement.
“When I heard about the Future Vet Kids Camp, I thought it would be a great next step to learn about the vet industry but I couldn’t afford to attend due to financial hardship in my family.
“The PetSure scholarship was a game changer for me, allowing me to attend the camp, learn more about aspects of my dream career and affirm my goals for the next couple of years.
“I loved learning to suture, working through case studies and visiting specialists, although my overall favourite experience was the ultrasound workshop, where we were able to use the probe on a live animal and learn about the value of this diagnostic tool in a clinical setting,” she said.
See the full press article in Australian Dog Lover to learn more about the camp and Rebecca’s story.
