Do you love animals and like working with them? Lincoln's honors pre-veterinary course may just be the course you have always dreamed about having—and you can earn up 
to two college credits with Pierce College's pre-vet program.
Teacher Mary Brown at Lincoln High School offers an honors pre-veterinary course for students interested in working with animals. She began teaching the course three years ago and it has become a popular third-year science option for students focused on veterinary medicine beyond high school. This year, 22 students opted for the program in which they learn about a variety of veterinary topics.
For a unique spin on learning physiology and anatomy, students complete a unit where they dissect a fetal pig and a full-size pig heart. High school students engage in a variety of lessons traditionally reserved for college students, including the basics of first aid/CPR for dogs and cats, parasitology, animal nutrition and how to take the temperature and pulse of an animal. Students also learn about various animal diseases, such as zoonotic diseases that animals can give to humans.
This course focuses on companion animals including, dogs, cats, pocket pets, reptiles and amphibians. Students bring in their own dogs when learning to take an animal's temperature, pulse and respiration using a stethoscope.
Each month, Brown brings in a guest speaker for her students, and the guests bring in their own animals. You might spy snakes and reptiles, service dogs or even an AKC trainer with his or her animals during the class period.
This year the curriculum includes components of biotechnology techniques used by research veterinarians. Students will complete a protein assessment using electrophoresis on various types of fish tissue samples, obtained at the supermarket.
Members of FFA who are also enrolled in this course offer a safety dog presentation to second graders at Whitman Elementary School. This presentation occurs in the spring, once Brown's students have had the opportunity to prepare their presentations and learn more about pre-veterinary experiences. During the spring, FFA students also have the opportunity to tour the Washington State University Veterinary Medicine College during the state FFA convention in Pullman.
Each year, the pre-vet students take major field trips. In the fall, students go to the Humane Society, Pierce College Veterinary Tech Program and to Sumner Veterinary Clinic. The vet clinic tour also includes exposure to "It's a Dog's World," a professional dog training facility. In the spring, students go to a Doggy Day Care facility and on an interactive tour of the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's Veterinary Hospital for exotic animals.
Students in this course may earn college credit with the Pierce College vet-tech program. Students can earn up to two credits if they receive a B or better in each semester of their high school course.
The Lincoln pre-vet program produces great opportunities for students beyond high school. A Lincoln graduate who completed the pre-vet program enrolled in the pre-veterinary medicine program at Washington State University. A second Lincoln graduate completing the school's pre-vet course now studies at Pierce College in the veterinary tech program.