From Moultri Observer

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) and St. Matthew’s University, School of Veterinary Medicine (SMU) on Grand Cayman Island recently finalized an articulation agreement that will allow SRTC’s Veterinary Technician students to seamlessly transition into a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree program.

As outlined by the agreement, students who choose to transfer from SRTC’s Veterinary Technology program to St. Matthew’s DVM Program will be provided with a smooth curriculum transition that minimizes loss of credit and duplication of coursework, according to a press release from SRTC. With this goal in mind, the two colleges drafted the articulation agreement to allow any student who has successfully completed the Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology at SRTC to transfer into the education program leading to a DVM degree at SMU. Transfer students must complete all of St. Matthew’s general education requirements that have not been satisfied in the articulation agreement, and will only be allowed to transfer if they have earned an overall GPA of 2.7 or higher. Students must also be recommended by a SMU Admissions interviewer.

St. Matthew’s program is particularly appealing to technical college graduates, as students are not required to earn a bachelor’s degree before continuing on; therefore, they can spend significantly less time earning their DVM, the SRTC press release said. SMU also offers a shorter program as compared to most veterinary colleges. Students can complete their DVM training in 3 and 1/3 years as opposed to the traditional 4-year program. This equates to around 6 and ½ years of total instruction, including their time at SRTC, as opposed to the average 8-year completion time of a traditional veterinary college. DVM students will return to a stateside clinical training site in order to complete their final year in clinical rotations. SMU is an accredited college with a 92% first-time pass rate on the NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination.)

Dr. Jennifer Mason, program chair for Veterinary Technology, said that even within St. Matthew’s rigorous program, SRTC Vet Tech graduates should expect to thrive at the university.

“Our Veterinary Technology Program’s curricula closely mirrors the initial curricula of most Veterinary Medicine Programs and will provide our students with a strong foundation upon which to succeed in obtaining the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.”  

Like SRTC, SMU also boasts smaller class sizes with a max of 20 per cohort compared to the typical cohorts of 100-175 at most other veterinary colleges, SRTC said.  

Mason said that students in South Georgia who have a goal of becoming a veterinarian should strongly consider this pathway.

“Competition for admission to veterinary colleges is intense!” she said. “Our program will allow students who may not gain traditional acceptance into a veterinary college the opportunity to matriculate and attain a degree in a shorter period of time, with less financial burden, through a very well-rounded education.”

She added, “it is also a good option for our own current and alumni Vet Tech students who have been surprised by how much they love the field and want to further their education and their career… and who wouldn’t want to go spend some time in the Cayman Islands?”

SRTC currently has standing agreements for specified programs with Albany State University, Georgia Military College, Thomas University, and Valdosta State University. Additionally, there is a statewide agreement between TCSG and USG schools for transferability of over 28 general education (core) courses. To learn more about SRTC’s articulation agreements please visit http://southernregional.edu/academics/transfer-agreements.

For more information about the newly minted VTAAS-DVM articulation agreement, or the Veterinary Technology program at SRTC, contact Dr. Jennifer Mason by emailing [email protected].

SRTC offers over 155 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get a student quickly into his desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu.

For more on this story go to: https://www.moultrieobserver.com/news/local_news/new-agreement-will-help-srtc-students-become-veterinarians/article_35f74b68-f2a0-11e9-a3a0-67b480448703.html