Vet-U-Can Open House

(Cross-posted to Calgary is Awesome.)

With all the open houses taking place this weekend as part of Doors Open YYC, I thought I would introduce you to one event that might be a little bit off the radar. The University of Calgary’s faculty of Veterinary Medicine is presenting Vet-U-Can, a family friendly open house run by students. The open house will showcase different hands-on approaches to education - including animal simulators, diagnostic equipment, and an array of animal teaching specimens. Visitors will also get a chance to try their hand at different procedures – like blow-darting. How cool is that?

Suturing, surgical gowning and gloving, milking, and bandaging are all veterinary procedures that you’ll be able to try out – either interactively or through a live demonstration. Live horse demos and “animal CSI” specimens in the anatomy and pathology labs are also on the itinerary. The faculty is offering tours of labs, classrooms, and animal handling facilities, and there will be a supervised play area for kids. It’s a pretty neat opportunity – not just for those interested in a career as a veterinarian, but to see what goes on behind the scenes. Heather Gordon, one of the veterinary students involved in the open house, says that the event is sure to be a blast. “It’s a good event for anyone interested in animals, animal health, food safety, research, surgery, wildlife…”

The event will take place in and around the Clinical Skills Building at the U of C’s Spy Hill campus on September 29th and 30th, 2012, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.