The new Animal Health Clinic at the Vermilion campus of Lakeland College is set to offer more opportunities to students. The 14,531 square foot facility will provide three labs and more rooms to accommodate training.
“We’re definitely looking at growth in the program and taking in more students, which the animal health industry is quite excited about,” says Dean of Agricultural Sciences Josie Van Lent. “They often have a shortage of technologists working in clinics. This will allow us to increase our enrolments and we’re doing that as early as this fall.”
Currently, the college takes 42 students in the aminal health technology program and about 25 the veterinary medical assistance program each year. Van Lent says they will double the enrolment to about 160 to 200 students.
The clinic will provide students with about $1.3 million in animal care equipment, including digital radiography x-ray system, canine and feline SynDaver models and equine models. Van Lent says the clinic will allow Lakeland to collaborate with other post-secondary institution offering animal health training, as well as programs within the college.
“There’s a lot of students that will move through that clinic. The labs can be multiuse in other words other programs here at the college could access and use some of those labs as well, including environmental sciences.”
The $8.2 million facility has received over $5 million in funding from federal and provincial grants. Van Lent says they are currently under budget with the final pieces of equipment being placed in the building.
The facility will be fully operational for when students start their classes this fall and a grand opening will take place on September 7 at 2 p.m.