Indigenous 
Submitted by Krista Stephenson, Communications Officer
On Monday, February 24, members of SLC’s Veterinary Technology program worked in conjunction with the Peer Outreach Empowerment Team (POET) to run a vet clinic for dogs owned by members of Kingston’s unhoused community.
POET facilitated by identifying the individuals seeking care for their pets and driving them to the clinic on campus. SLC Vet Tech faculty members Catherine Crandell (RVT), Dr. Laura Prociuk, and Molly Solc worked to provide veterinary care to 10 dogs, including full physical examinations, diagnostic testing, core and rabies vaccines, and flea and tick medications.
“Animals are such a large part of our lives, and so important in improving mental health and overall wellbeing. In some instances, pets have truly saved people's lives,” Catherine said. Laura added that “affordable veterinary care is in high demand, and as faculty, we have deep care for the community and share a passion for helping make pet care more accessible.”
This clinic also served as a pilot project to test the viability of including students to expand the Veterinary Technology program’s experiential learning aspect. “SLC’s Vet Tech is a great program,” they shared, “but including a clinic like this would greatly increase the calibre of students we’re putting out. Vet Tech students can gain animal care experience while also developing client communications skills and awareness of real-world situations.”
Catherine added that veterinary technicians experience a high level of burn out, but that cultivating a passion can help them continue in their career. “For a lot of vet techs, getting the chance to help people is what keeps them going. When we can help students find that passion to be better early on, it really speaks to the quality of our program,” Catherine shared.
With the success of the clinic, Catherine and Laura hope to run another clinic with the assistance of Vet Tech students by the end of this semester. In addition to helping Kingston’s vulnerable community and their pets, SLC students will have the opportunity for a “rewarding, positive experience that helps fuel their fire.”