Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Children are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Their responses vary from teacher and doctor to dancer and baseball player and everything in between. For a group of young teenagers who responded “Veterinarian,” their dream comes true a little early. At least in part. The Broome County Cornell Cooperative Extension, or CCE, in Binghamton, New York, offers a week-long Vet Science Camp to children with veterinary aspirations. For $150, including expenses, participants ages 10 to 13 delve into various aspects of veterinary practice, including learning the differences between a cow’s stomach and a sheep’s stomach, checking for tapeworms using slides of blood and droppings under a microscope and taking the vital signs of goats. While not always glamorous, organizers of the camp believe that the hands-on experience participants receive will make a great impression on them as they pursue a veterinary career. During the first four days of the camp, a licensed veterinary technician helps participants explore numerous veterinary medicine topics. This material stresses how important it is to be able to recognize the function, appearance and structure of a normal animal in contrast to a sick or abnormal one. The final day of the camp takes participants on a field trip to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, where they will explore how animals are handled. The camp’s hands-on, behind-the-scenes approach to veterinary science keeps the week exciting – something organizers strive for every year. If you want to learn more about the Broome County Cornell Cooperative Extension program, go to their website.
