Ventura School has unveiled a formidable new 2,000-square-foot facility that guarantees to revolutionize veterinary technician training within the area. The Lokahi Veterinary Expertise Lab supplies college students with a practical scientific atmosphere for hands-on coaching, eliminating the necessity to journey outdoors Ventura County to achieve important expertise.
The ability, designed to reflect a real-life animal hospital, options specialised gear together with X-ray machines, a surgical suite, and moist tables for practices like dentistry and anesthesia monitoring. College students are already practising crucial methods akin to bandaging and different scientific procedures on this state-of-the-art atmosphere.
“I’ve all the time wished to get my license,” stated Heather Hartman, a Ventura School scholar. “However having the barrier of getting to go to a unique metropolis or driving actually far, after which nonetheless with the ability to work. With this program, I’ve the chance to work and be capable to pay hire and nonetheless get my schoolwork finished. I feel that is the one one in Ventura County.”
The coaching facility was constructed with donations to the Ventura-based Lokahi Basis, a non-profit group devoted to strengthening the native veterinary workforce. The modern design helps a hybrid educating method, with lecture area upstairs and sensible labs downstairs.
“How we designed this facility was to have the ability to accommodate a hybrid methodology of educating,” defined Dr. Janis Shinkawa, CEO of the Lokahi Basis. “The upstairs is a lecture area, and downstairs is the moist labs. We wished to have a surgical procedure unit as nicely in order that we will do surgical methods. The moist tables are designed for dentistry, anesthesia monitoring, you identify it. Our partnership with Ventura School has been phenomenal and really impactful to our space to assist put extra veterinary assistants and our registered veterinary technicians out into the neighborhood.”
Assembly Crucial Business Wants
Ventura School’s Veterinary Expertise Associates diploma holds a prestigious place as one in every of solely 223 packages nationwide accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Affiliation. The brand new facility enhances an already sturdy program and addresses a major workforce want within the veterinary discipline.
“You possibly can see the standard of this explicit lab,” stated Anne Paul King, government director of the Ventura School Basis. “It’s state-of-the-art. It’s what these college students are going to see within the trade. We’ve X-ray machines, we now have a surgical suite. This can be a veterinary hospital. The first use of this facility is for Ventura School’s Veterinary Tech program. It’s a beautiful technique to fulfill the excessive want for registered veterinary techs on this neighborhood. Our college students want good high quality jobs and the trade wants them.”
This system is especially helpful for college students dealing with financial challenges. King highlighted that many college students can’t afford to journey outdoors the county for training, with 55% experiencing meals insecurity and 29% coping with housing insecurity. Moreover, 40% of scholars are the primary of their households to attend school.
“This can be a recreation changer,” King emphasised, addressing how this system creates accessible pathways to secure careers in veterinary medication.
For animal lovers all through Ventura County, this system signifies that the following technology of expert veterinary technicians will quickly be out there to offer compassionate care to beloved pets, outfitted with coaching on cutting-edge gear and methods.
References:
Supply: https://www.kclu.org/2025-04-22/the-high-tech-head-start-for-future-veterinary-technicians-in-ventura-county
