THURSTON COUNTY 4-H VETERINARY SCIENCE CLUB!
Our 4-H club is for kids aged 12-18 with an interest in veterinary medicine. Our goal is to help our members learn what it’s like to be in the veterinary profession, and to help you be more informed pet/livestock owners.
~About our Meetings~
We meet once a month, October through June, at Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital. During our meetings, we discuss things we have done and learned since our previous meeting, then have hospital rounds (where we learn what animals are in the hospital/what is wrong with them/how we are treating their medical condition). After rounds, we have a workshop. Examples of workshops include: splint and cast application, how to read an X-ray, intestinal parasites, learning how to suture, all fun and interesting stuff!
At each meeting, a member will give a 5 minute demonstration/talk about any animal-related topic that interests them. Most members create a poster or a diagram to present to the club. This is good practice with public speaking, and gives our members a chance to really research an animal topic they’ve always wondered about! Near the end of the year, we present our projects or posters at the Thurston County Fair and win ribbons and prizes for our work!
We often have guest speakers who come in and talk about their work experiences- we have had experts from several different fields of veterinary science come in and teach us about all the amazing things they do.
We also have great field trips—past trips include: Pt. Defiance Zoo for a behind the scenes tour of the vet facility, a dairy farm tour, Northwest Trek, Animal Services, Feline Friends, Emerald Downs racetrack, and an equine specialty hospital. While touring these facilities as a club, we often get the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see things that are off limits to the public!
We also have great field trips—past trips include: Pt. Defiance Zoo for a behind the scenes tour of the vet facility, a dairy farm tour, Northwest Trek, Animal Services, Feline Friends, Emerald Downs racetrack, and an equine specialty hospital. While touring these facilities as a club, we often get the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see things that are off limits to the public!
Another great opportunity is that we offer job shadowing at local veterinary hospitals for our club members. You get to see what it’s really like to be a veterinarian or a veterinarian technician! Its a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into a possible future career, and to learn more about what taking care of an animal is really like!
The cost to be in the Veterinary Science Club is minimal—an annual $20 fee is requested by the 4-H Council of all 4-H members (the club will pay for any members in need of financial assistance), and we have $1.00 dues a month. The only other cost is involved in supplies to make your poster/display for fair—most members make an educational poster.
If this is something you would be interested in, please contact us, and we can email you back with any more information you’d like about our club. The meeting dates are listed on the website, so your family is more than welcome to come to our next meeting and see if this club is for you!
The cost to be in the Veterinary Science Club is minimal—an annual $20 fee is requested by the 4-H Council of all 4-H members (the club will pay for any members in need of financial assistance), and we have $1.00 dues a month. The only other cost is involved in supplies to make your poster/display for fair—most members make an educational poster.
If this is something you would be interested in, please contact us, and we can email you back with any more information you’d like about our club. The meeting dates are listed on the website, so your family is more than welcome to come to our next meeting and see if this club is for you!
This is a fun, laid-back club. Come check us out! Let us know if you have any questions; we’d love to hear from you!
Dr. Alena Cowell, Kendra Butz, Nancy Morris co-leaders of the Veterinary Science Club
360-459-6556
[email protected]
360-459-6556
[email protected]