Veterinary students gain hands-on experience at P.E.I. goat farm

Island Hill Farminvited students from the Atlantic Veterinary College to give ultrasounds to goats and gain hands-on experience working with the animals on the farm.

"We're going to be vets in a few years so we have to be able to show our clients what we know and be able to actually do hands-on skills and be able to provide for people in our future careers," saidCatherineKrus, athird year student who organized the ultrasound lab for her fellow students.

Ten AVC students travelled to the farm to preformultrasound scans to check for pregnancies in the goats.

Krushas worked with the animals at Island Hill Farms before, but this was her first timepreforming ultrasounds on goats.

Important clinical experience

Thomas Olney,a veterinarian completing his farm service residency at AVC, led the ultrasound lab and assisted students as they each took a turn preforming an ultrasound or handling the goats.

"It's a good learning opportunity for the students," Olneysaid.

"It's good for them to get the clinical experience, practical experiencing looking at stages of pregnancy and getting used to the animal interaction."

He said Island Hill Farmprovides AVCstudents with many opportunities to come to the farm and work with the animals and learn about routine herd health. In addition to detecting pregancies, students will also developplans to manage each animals' nutrition and healthbased on the results.

Olneysaid the lab gives them clinical experience working with both sick animals and practicing routine procedures that every veterinarian needs to know how to do.

Helps the farm

As the students pointed out pregnancies on the portable ultrasound monitor, farm owner Flory Sandersonsaid she grew more and more excited to know there would be new goatson her farm.

"We have a great partnership with theAVC,"Sandersonsaid.

"And it helps us. The more we know the more we can educate and the more we can share."

She said the ultrasounds help her to manage her goats' nutrition and know when to adjust their feed to match what they need while pregnant. She also said she'shappy to help aspiring veterinarians by providing learning opportunities whenever she can.

"It's important for them to get the hands on experience because once they become a veterinarian they're a doctor and they might not have the opportunity to work on animals," Sandersonsaid."This gives them the opportunityto hold them and handle them and really learn."

Sandersonsaid this is the second time she has had ultrasounds preformed on her goats and she hopes she can continue to include AVC students as part of the process.

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