Unitec to open first simulated veterinary clinic

Unitec to open first simulated veterinary teaching clinic

Unitec Institute of Technology is opening the first simulated veterinary teaching clinic that will enable its students to learn in a safe environment before they gain experience in a real clinic.

The vet clinic at the Department of Natural Sciences has been equipped with the latest technology from Europe and the United States, complete with animal mannequins, to help the students with their learning.

Students will be taught procedures around taking the animal’s blood pressure, administering a tube to an animal’s airways for anaesthetic procedures, preparing animals for surgery and x-rays, bandaging them, and finding a pulse, amongst others.

To mark the occasion, the department will officially open the first Simulated Veterinary Teaching Clinic on Tuesday 6 July. The clinic will be opened by New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) Chief Executive, Julie Hood.

Head of Department and Associate Dean of Research, Professor Natalie Waran, says the simulated clinic is a first in New Zealand and will give students confidence when entering their practical learning in a real veterinary clinic.

“This simulated clinic is certainly very unique to Australasia and aids in our students’ learning capabilities by giving them the real-world learning experience that Unitec is well known for,” says Professor Waran.

“It’s a very exciting time for us as a department and to be able to give our students an experience they’ve never had before is fantastic.”

The simulated clinic mirrors the settings in real veterinary clinics says Professor Waran so that students can familiarise themselves within that environment.

In addition, she says the clinic will help reduce the number of real animals that are used for teaching purposes as monitored by the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC).

Programme Leader of the Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, Dr Sabina Shragen says the Department of Natural Sciences is well known for its animal welfare training and research programmes and believes the new clinic adds further recognition to this area.

She says the simulated vet clinic has already been “tested” by some of the Diploma in Veterinary Nursing students who will be using it throughout their time of study.

First year student Christina Jennings is already a fan of the clinic after being shown the correct way to administer a needle into an animal.

“I have a slight fear of needles but being shown the correct way of doing it by my lecturer in a simulated environment has given me a lot of confidence when I go to the real clinic.”

ENDS

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