Starting 2012, Santa Maria could be home to the only licensed veterinary technician program on the Central Coast. A veterinary technician—vet tech for short—is the animal-serving equivalent of a nurse practitioner. And similar to nurses, vet techs are in high demand.
Currently, locals interested in becoming licensed vet techs have to travel as far away as San Jose or the greater Los Angeles area to receive certified training. Bodil Cudd, president of the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society’s Board of Directors, has a personal understanding of the strains that effort can put on a person.
Cudd served as a veterinary assistant in the Orcutt and Santa Maria area for 20 years. Without a vet tech license, she was unable to perform more difficult procedures at her job, and therefore received lower wages.
“There are a lot of underpaid, hardworking people who are unable to get an education in this area,” Cudd said.
So, about three years ago, Cudd decided to do everything she could to bring a vet tech program to the people.
Due in part to Cudd’s persistence, the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society has included lecture and lab space for a vet tech program in the blueprints for its new animal care facility on West Stowell Road. The Humane Society has also partnered with Allan Hancock College and some local veterinarians to create a curriculum.
In addition to providing people with a better education, Cudd said, “[the vet tech program] will provide better service to the animals and clientele of this area.”
The Humane Society is still raising funds to pay for the lab space, a spay/neuter clinic, and a boarding facility.
Dr. Paul Murphy, Hancock’s dean of math and sciences, said the college is excited about the prospects of the program. However, a lack of funding at the state level could prevent it from coming to fruition for quite some time.
“We’re already funding fewer courses,” Murphy said. “It’s harder to bring new programs on board that we won’t receive reimbursement for [from the state].”
Most of the funding for California’s community colleges hinges on a tax extension proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown. As of press time, the state Legislature had yet to vote whether to place that proposal on the June ballot.
If that money comes through, Murphy said, the vet tech program would definitely be a priority. The program curriculum would initially be tailored to individuals who already have experience working in a veterinarian’s office. Students enrolled in the year-long program will have to take courses on office practices, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, clinical pathology, nursing and surgical care, and radiography. Students will also have to complete approximately 36 months’ worth of hours working in a veterinarian’s office.
And, according to a survey conducted by the college, there are plenty of local veterinarians interested in offering internships.
Murphy said the college sent surveys to approximately 120 Central Coast veterinarians asking questions about their current licensed and unlicensed vet tech practices and wages paid. About 65 to 70 vets replied.
“The results were very supportive [of creating a licensed vet tech program],” he said. “There were a number of handwritten comments that said things like, ‘Oh, this is wonderful. I’ve been waiting for something like this in the area for quite some time.’”
Murphy said Hancock will model its program after several other successful community college-based vet tech programs. On top of educating students on the technical aspects of veterinary science, he said, the program will also give them the necessary “people skills.”
“When you take your pet into a clinic, you’re usually upset. You want somebody there who understands,” Murphy explained. “If someone calls in a panic saying, ‘I just came home and Fluffy doesn’t look well,’ you don’t want someone who will just blow it off and say, ‘Oh, he’ll probably be OK.’”
Good vet techs have to be able to communicate with animals and with people, he said. They’re also responsible for educating pet owners on clinic procedures and the proper pet care once they leave the clinic.
Good vet techs must be cool-headed and be able to think on their feet, added Dr. Rich Seidenberg, DMV, one of the members of the program’s advisory board.
“It’s important that they’re compassionate and good communicators,” he said. “They have to relate to the patient and to the owners.”
Seidenberg said he believes strongly in hiring licensed vet techs—he has three at his business, Animal Clinic of Santa Maria.
“Licensed vet techs are able to take the role of supervisor to vet assistants, and they’re able to do more complicated procedures like inducting anesthesia,” he said. “With vet techs, the veterinarians are able to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.”
Contact Managing Editor Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 24-31, 2011.