Field trips are something that every student looks forward to. As a student at Ross Medical Education Center, oftentimes those field trips are even more exciting and meaningful because they point strongly towards a student’s potential career in the not so distant future. Recently, students in the Veterinary Assistant program at Ross Medical Education Center in Huntsville, Alabama got to enjoy their own chance to head out on a field trip.
For some Ross students, a typical field trip would be to a hospital, dental facility, or doctor’s office. However, a little different than field trips for students in the Medical Assistant program or any of the other programs, the Huntsville Veterinary Assistant class was invited to visit a local horse barn in their community. While there, they practiced some of the large animal restraint techniques as well as some knot tying that they had been learning in class. These lucky students were also able to try their hand at haltering, leading, and tying some of their equine “patients.”
During their time at the barn, they also got the experience of meeting and handling a “wild mustang.” Elizabeth Bowden, Campus Director, shares about the day, “in the images of the dark brown, or more appropriately called bay, horse with the white lettering on his neck – that white lettering is his brand. He was captured during a round up by the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, as a young colt, adopted locally and trained.” This was an exciting experience for many of the students. Alexandria “Tai” Stone, Lead Veterinary Assistant Instructor, agreed saying, “it was quite the experience, as I have never before been able to handle a captured mustang!” The visit inspired many of the students in the program and helped to confirm for them that they were pursuing a position in a field that they are passionate about. It also was a unique opportunity to get some hands-on practice with potential future patients.