Let’s talk about community effort.
The story kicks off in Santa Paula, where Ventura College and Ohana Pet Hospital created a new Veterinary Technician program at Ventura College’s East Campus. Working hand-in-hand, the two collaborated to launch the program this spring, welcoming an initial cohort of 27 students to earn their veterinary assistant certificates. The program is doubling down on its community impact next year by offering a veterinary technician associate degree with internship opportunities at veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, and more.
“It all just clicked,” said Ohana Pet Hospital’s founding partner, Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim, who serves as the new program’s Interim Director.
“Ventura College is a team of do-ers,” added Ohana Pet Hospital co-founder, Dr. Jan Shinkawa. “Working with the college has been absolutely fantastic.”
Shinkawa said the program began evolving some two years ago through discussions with current Ventura College President, Dr. Kimberly Hoffmans, and other administrators that led to the development of a model curriculum by Muraoka Lim and Dr. Dorothy Farias, Agriculture Department Chair. Both the certificate of achievement and associate degree curriculum were approved by the Ventura College Curriculum Committee and the California Community Colleges.
“There is a huge need for trained veterinary assistants and technicians across the country,” said Shinkawa, who noted technicians are equipped with various skill sets including dental cleanings, taking x-rays, phlebotomy, placing intravenous catheters, administering medications, performing critical care procedures, and assisting during surgeries. “Our veterinary technicians are doing everything.”
Farias agreed, which is why the new program includes classes in areas such as dentistry and phlebotomy, as well as Veterinary Office Procedures, which encompasses customer service and essential soft skills for the workplace.
“Ohana was involved from the very beginning in working with us in determining the best way to build a program and incorporating the most effective strategies in laying it out,” Farias said. “We both wanted it to be very structured with a clear roadmap to completion, placing students in cohorts to ensure they’re building community and taking every course needed when they need it. We also looked at model programs at other colleges, including Los Angeles Pierce College, which has the nearest comprehensive veterinary technician program such as ours, and also the Mount San Antonio College near Pomona.”
The program’s first two semesters leading to the veterinary assistant certificate includes all the prerequisite courses, such as biology, chemistry, and mathematics.
“It’s a challenging program,” Muraoka Lim said. “But if you’re into medicine and animals, it is a fun and rewarding program.”
Farias said what makes the program unique is Ohana Pet Hospital taking on the cost of building a lab that is adjacent to Ohana’s satellite hospital, which is also in the same building as Ventura College’s East Campus in Santa Paula. “Our students will be working and studying literally one door down from a functional, operating animal hospital.”
Highly trained veterinary assistants and technicians are critical to the veterinary field. The South Central Coast Center of Excellence identified Veterinary Technicians/Technologists as a top middle-skill job and projects regional employment for the occupation will grow by 14 percent over the next five years. Regionally this accounts for 1,054 jobs. The pay isn’t bad either; veterinary technicians/technologists in the region earn a median wage of $42,810.
Best of all, with the Ventura College Promise program, the two-year program is essentially cost-free. In addition, the Ventura College Foundation offers more than 400 scholarships in all.
The veterinary program underscores how Ventura College is providing students with the skills to succeed in their career of choice by working with industry partners.
“This is truly a model of working with the community to use resources effectively,” Farias said.
“It’s a true collaboration,” said Muraoka Lim, who noted that Ohana Pet Hospital staff and administrators are actively involved in a myriad of community efforts. “We’re all on the same page, our visions are aligned, and we all have the same values. The more partnerships that can happen between business and education, the better. It’s important that we all work together in providing valuable experiences for students and train them for professions that pay well and are in demand.”
