Opening Doors to Veterinary Careers—One Student at a Time
UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine hosted the 25th Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine Youth Pathways event in late June. The program, created by the nonprofit blendVET Foundation, is a day-long event where underrepresented middle and high school students discover not only career paths within the veterinary profession, but build connections, and find mentors along with a sense of belonging.
A total of 48 students from as far away as Hawaii and Arizona participated in this event—one of many that are held throughout the country each year where veterinary professionals, including RVTs and DVMs, volunteer their time and effort. This event was held in conjunction with the California Veterinary Medical Association’s Pacific Veterinary Conference in Sacramento.
“The opportunity to have our first event on the campus of a veterinary school means the world to me,” said Dr. Niccole Bruno. “It’s our 25th event and a milestone on so many levels. It’s also the first time we’ve offered a companion program for parents and offered panels and resources for them to help support their students.”
Bruno, who obtained her DVM from Cornell University, recognized a growing need to reach future veterinary professionals so she developed the blendVET Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building pathways into veterinary medicine for students from all backgrounds. The foundation’s programs introduce youth to veterinary careers, provide culturally responsive education and mentorship, and partner with schools, communities, and industry to expand representation in the profession.
Throughout the day-long event, students were organized into five groups that rotated through different labs: emergency medicine, dentistry, clinical pathology, general practice and surgery. They had the opportunity to hear about career pathways from the various professionals leading the labs and practiced skills such as performing CPR, bandaging; placing catheters; general physical exams; analyzing x-rays; donning surgical gowns and learning basic suture techniques. (All on models, not live animals.)
“Hosting the blendVET program on our campus is a perfect match,” said Dr. Karl Jandrey, associate dean of Admissions and Student Programs at the school who also served as a faculty mentor for the event. “We offer many pathway and outreach programs, but this partnership brings a wide array of veterinary professionals from all over the country to show these students what learning looks like in a veterinary school. To paraphrase Billie Jean King: To be it, kids needs to see it, as well as to have mentors that understand their life experiences. This network and knowledge building is the first step on their professional journey.”