It seems the most popular response when you ask young people, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a veterinarian. After discussing future career goals with our teen club, middle school club, ham club, and livestock club, 4-H Agent, Julia Reid, noticed this was certainly the case among her 4-Hers. In order to provide the youth with exposure to veterinary medicine, Julia called a local team of vets, Nick and Kate Werle.  They agreed to help lead the club and host half of the meetings at their clinic. 

The youth rotated between the extension office and the vet clinic and on their first meeting they witnessed a spay surgery on a cat. We had 15 spots in the club and all of them were filled. 4 of the members said they realized veterinary medicine was not for them after the spay surgery. This is wonderful to realize as a middle schooler rather than getting through a few years of undergrad before they come to this realization. Students were also able to practice injections, learn cattle handling and working practices, and routine horse care. Overall, the youth said they had gained new skills through the club and they had a better understanding of veterinary medicine as a career path.