Internship program helps address shortage of veterinary technicians
Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is shaping future veterinarians while tackling a nationwide shortage of licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs).
An internship program gives veterinary technician students hands-on experience in nearly every aspect of patient care, training alongside Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students and rotating through specialties at the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital and the JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital.
Internship Program Manager Stephanie Mitchell said the approach mirrors the ideal dynamic in veterinary hospitals, where LVTs serve as nursing professionals in animal care. Auburn’s program, she noted, is more critical than ever amid what she calls a “severe deficit” of LVTs nationwide.