CTE ASCEND Highlight: Ag/Veterinary Science Pathway
If you've ever spent time around little kids, you've probably heard the phrase, "I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up." It's easy to understand why taking care of animals would be such an attractive idea, especially for a kid. However, turning dreamy aspirations into a real-life career takes a lot of hard work and determination.
At Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA), our staff is working to close the gap between our student's dreams and their future realities with ASCEND, our career and technical education program. ASCEND students explore one of several dedicated career pathways that combine a focused curriculum with work-based learning and professional certifications so they can make impactful plans for their future.
Our Ag/Veterinary Science pathway offers students the opportunity to explore animal-related career paths and potentially turn their childhood dreams into fulfilling occupations.
Curriculum Overview
When students begin exploring ORCA's Ag/Veterinary Science pathway, they often believe that the only way to work with animals is in a veterinary clinic setting. This pathway aims to expand our students' horizons through a curriculum that demonstrates the many ways they can work with animals inside and outside clinics. By seeing the full scope of potential careers, students can explore their options in a low-risk environment before making significant decisions about college or a career. This process begins with our entry-level coursework and progresses to work-based learning and earning their certification.
Introduction to Animal Careers: As students enter our Ag/Veterinary Science pathway, they learn how people work with animals in a modern economy, including medical, agricultural, wildlife, and zoology settings.
Animal Diseases and Parasites: Anyone working with animals must understand how to keep them healthy, regardless of the setting. As students complete their first year in the pathway, they'll learn about animal immune systems, common diseases and parasites, and vaccines.
Animal Science 1: Second-year pathway students enroll in this year-long class focusing heavily on veterinary science topics. Students learn about the role of a veterinarian assistant in a clinical setting and about all species of animals.
Animal Science 2: Third-year pathway students continue learning about working as a veterinary assistant, including life in a clinic, surgery, radiology, and safety and sanitation protocols. Students also learn more about animal body systems and behavior.
Work-Based Learning
In their final year, students begin putting their new knowledge into practice with work-based learning. Our goal is for students to obtain real-world experience working in their desired field, which can happen in many different ways. Some students work as ranch hands or volunteer with their local humane society. Others work in clinics as vet assistants or kennel techs. Students who cannot work explore their desired careers through a workplace research project.
Industry Certifications
While students experience work-based learning, they also prepare to earn their Elanco Veterinary Medical Application Certification. This process involves an intensive review of everything they've learned over the previous two years. To earn the certification, students will demonstrate their understanding of animal anatomy, disease, clinical procedures, and more during a proctored exam.
Leadership & Learning Through FFA
Every student in the Ag/Veterinary Science pathway has the opportunity to participate in FFA, a national youth organization that prepares members for leadership roles in the agriculture industry. Through FFA participation, students learn about parliamentary procedure, public speaking, and critical career skills like record keeping and budgeting. FFA projects also teach students how to plan, implement, and reflect, which are valuable skills to bring into any career.
Pathways to College and Careers
By the end of this pathway, students will develop a plan for their next steps after graduation. Some of our students go on to community colleges to complete a two-year degree program in animal sciences. After graduation, they move on to work in agriculture sales, as ranch managers, or various other jobs in the agricultural industry.
Other students leave ORCA to attend four-year colleges with plans to enroll in veterinary school. Those students often find that their experience in the Ag/Veterinary Science pathway helped them fulfill many of the prerequisites veterinary medicine schools require potential students to complete. This gives them a leg up in often-times competitive programs.
Some ORCA graduates use their Elanco certification to obtain veterinary assistant jobs in clinics after high school. In certain cases, clinics will even help veterinary assistants pay for their two-year veterinary technician schooling, which is a great way to continue advancing in the industry.
The opportunities don't stop there. Students can leave ORCA and seek additional education to become dog groomers, work with animals in the military, or even become zookeepers. The future career options for these students are plentiful and bright.
Join Us for a Virtual Information Session
With proper guidance and the right opportunities, childhood dreams don’t have to be left behind in adulthood. Every year we watch ORCA graduates transform their care for animals into meaningful careers. Through our Ag/Veterinary Science pathway, hands-on experience, and industry certifications, students don’t just dream about working with animals — they build the skills and connectors to make it happen.
If you'd like to learn more about ORCA's ASCEND program or our approach to virtual learning, join one of our virtual information sessions to connect with ORCA staff and preview our learning platform.