“So far working with the Texas Tech 4th year vet students has been an awesome experience.”

 

Justin Propp is one of the highly skilled veterinarians  and co-owners of Animal Medical Center in Lubbock.  In addition to caring for our community’s pets, the practice is also investing in the future of their shared profession by partnering with the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. “We‘re a clinical partner with [the vet school]. We host fourth-year students for a four week rotation during which they learn medical and surgical skills that are necessary for success in small animal medicine. Out of the 125 practices that are clinical partners, we are one of only 25 practices that are considered core practices.  This means we were approved by Texas Tech University and the American Veterinary Medical Association Council of Education to deliver core clinical curriculum in the student’s fourth year.  It is a real privilege!”

 

While its common for 4th year veterinary students to do outside rotations in order to develop their medical skills, Texas Tech’s approach takes things a step or two further. The School of Veterinary Medicine has adopted a community-based distributive model, sending its students to animal hospitals and practices around the region in order to expose them to realistic professional environments and medical cases. This makes for a better education and in the future better veterinarians caring for our animals.

 

Different vets have different specialties, and thus offer different learning opportunities. Animal Medical Center focuses on small animal medicine and surgery, Dr. Tim Polk, also a co-owner,  explains: “We offer all things for dogs and cats, whether that’s vaccinations and checkups, spaying and neutering, other surgical care and diagnosis and treatment of illness. We also have a board certified surgeon that comes in when we need him to do more advanced surgeries so our clients don't have to drive to Dallas to get specialty service.”

 

This is a rich environment for students en route to becoming veterinarians themselves. But Dr. Propp was quick to point out that Tech’s students aren’t the only ones with a learning opportunity here: “The students that we get for this program are really top-notch and ready to learn.  It creates a positive environment for everyone.  We have the experience and the knowledge and we’ve seen the cases, but they offer information on the new research and advancements they’re learning at school.   It really is a two way learning street.”

 

Dr. Polk had a message for the pet owners of Oakmont, one that we hope you’ll take to heart: “Routine check ups are vital to your pet’s health.  Problems sneak up on us and pet’s often won’t let their owners know something is wrong early on.  With routine exams, we can assess overall health and sometimes catch these problems early.  Also, never be afraid to ask questions.  Owners know their pets best.  If you feel like something isn’t right, ask us about it.”

 

Animal Medical Center’s veterinarians and staff work hard to stay on the forefront of veterinary medicine, and working with Tech’s community-based model for education helps everyone involved do just that. It also helps us, the pet owners, by ensuring that our beloved furry friends get the best possible care both now and for years to come.

If you'd like information about becoming a preferred partner with Stroll Oakmont Estates please reach out to Vicki Blair at vicki.blair@n2co.com.