Vet Camp is a program designed to introduce highly interested high schoolers (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) into the veterinary field. This program has been in operation for about 8 years now, with this past year being the most successful. We had a total of 19 students enrolled in this past year's program. Since the program has increased in popularity, we have decided to make two sessions per summer. These sessions would consist of 10 students each and run for 5 days per session.

Also, the program is undergoing changes for the enrollment process for this upcoming year. The program will be fun, but will also be intense. There will be oral presentations, written quizzes and tests, and video training. Therefore, as stated above, a student who wishes to enroll needs to be at least 16 years old. In some cases, 15 year olds will be accepted as well. This year a cover letter should be included with 2 teacher recommendations (preferably one from a science teacher). Also on the cover letter, please indicate any extra-curricular activities. It would also help if the student had excellent grades. Along with a cover letter, a written essay should also be included. The essay should explain the hopes/expectations of the applicant and the reason for applying. Applicants will then be selected based on recommendations, cover letter, essay, and a telephone interview with the vet camp coordinator. Please understand if you enroll in this program, you are agreeing to take it seriously. A sample cover letter and teacher recommendation form will be posted on this website soon. These will be available to print out and give to the applicant so they can use them in their enrollment process.

Students participate in a great variety of activities. These activities include viewing surgeries, assisting in reading fecal specimens, holding animals while technicians give medicines, assisting in surgery recovery, etc. Students will participate in every aspect of All Creatures Animal Hospital at some point during their session. Students will rotate through the different zones - reception, out-patient, inpatient, surgery, grooming, and boarding. Also, when assigned to a certain zone students, may have certain duties and responsibilities that they are expected to fulfill. Therefore, the different managers of each zone will sign off when the student has completed such said duties. Students will also have presentations given by the doctors of the hospital, as well as representatives from the different pharmaceutical companies, such as: Bayer, Fort Dodge Animal Heath, and Merial. There will be discussion sessions where the students will be able to give feedback to the coordinator and ask questions about material covered. At the end of the program, students will receive a certificate of completion, which certifies that they passed the program. This experience is meant to be very hands on and intense so that it can help the student determine if this is the right career path for him or her.

Hello, my name is Steven Grogan. I am the Vet Camp Coordinator. I am currently a senior at St. Xavier High School in Finneytown. A little over three years ago I was a participant in the Vet Camp program. After the program, I continued to volunteer in the hospital because I decided that I liked veterinary medicine very much. Since I volunteered so much and worked with such a passion for the field of veterinary medicine, I was hired on as an Out-Patient Technician. I have worked here now for almost three years. This year I was asked again to run Vet Camp. I said I would love to, of course, because I remembered my experience in the camp and thought of many things that I would've liked to work out differently. I realized, however, when I took on this responsibility, that I would have to really rework the program. I imagined myself as fulfilling Dr. Meakin's original dream for Vet Camp - that is, an intense look at the field of veterinary medicine. So, I quickly got to work on scheduling presentations and making up quizzes. I wanted them to have an enriching experience that would stay with them forever. Because even if a student found out this wasn't for him or her, I was pleased with the knowledge that I, along with my fellow staff members and, of course, the indispensable Dr. Daniel Meakin, passed along to them. This being that they would now be better educated on how to take care of their pets. Also, I remembered that I wanted more hands on experience and intense studies during my session so that I could really get a feel for the field of veterinary medicine. So, for this coming year, I would like to look at myself as a "learning facilitator" for the incoming students. My goals are to introduce the students to this field with an intense look and give them awareness. These are vital to the success of the program. So, I hope that the program continues to be a successful and enriching one for all who are involved. I hope to see many new faces, as well as old, in the coming year!

This year the enrollment process is quite different from previous years. Here are some things needed for us to process your application:

1. A cover letter - This cover letter should include a list of anything important that would make us look at your application seriously. The cover letter should have things on it like grade point averages, extracurricular activities, any special awards (academic, i.e. National Honor Society).

2. Essay - There should be an essay which the applicant has written. The topic is to explain why you believe you want to go into veterinary medicine and what you hope to get out of the program. This essay will help us determine how passionate an applicant is about this program.

3. Teacher Recommendations - We would like to have two teacher recommendations from each of the applicants. One of which is preferably a science teacher. These will give us a glimpse into the student's talents in school and allow us to understand their motivations.

These three things will allow us to choose the best possible applicants for the program. For the teacher recommendations, there is a form posted on this website that you can print out and give to your teacher.

After we receive all the applications, we will then review each aspect of the applications and then conduct interviews. Then, after all interviews have been conducted, we will make our selections.

Acceptance Letters - These will be sent out after all applications are reviewed and telephone interviews are completed. The acceptance letters will include any forms that need to be completed before the student comes to camp (volunteer release forms, etc.).

Here is where you will be able to download all the necessary forms to complete your application for vet camp. The teacher recommendation form, essay prompt, and cover letter are available here.

Please make sure to mail all application items to:
All Creatures Animal Hospital
Attention: Steven Grogan
1894 Ohio Pike
Amelia, OH 45102