PirateQ 
PSC veterinary technology major Terra Black will be attending the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall.
Veterinary technology major Terra Black says she has found the A.S. program at Pensacola State College challenging and rewarding. Completing the program in May, she is now prepared to face the new challenges of her next step at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
Black enrolled in the PSC vet tech program to become a certified veterinary technician after graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences. She says she chose PSC because it was the only local school offering a veterinary technology program that could certify her for her backup career in case she did not get into veterinarian school. Plus, she was already familiar with PSC from being dual-enrolled while attending Pace High School.
However, her dream has always been to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
“Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a veterinarian,” she said. “It first started when I was young because I’ve always loved animals, and I thought I would get to play with puppies and kittens all the time.
“As I’ve gotten older, the reason I want to be a veterinarian has changed. I want to be able to not only help animals and heal them, but also help educate their owners with the best information to care for their pets and keep them healthy and loved.”
Black’s childhood dream is becoming a reality.
“I am excited that I got accepted to the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and I will be starting in the fall,” she said. “This was my third time applying to vet school, so I was very ecstatic to find out I got in!” Black says that the PSC program has taught her about the gold standard of practice and that her
hands-on skills training will better her as a veterinarian by helping her understand what to expect of the veterinary technicians (CVTs) she will work with in practice.
One important lesson she will take with her is to learn from mistakes and take the time needed to practice a skill and become better at it.
“An experience at PSC where I felt the most out of my comfort zone but still learned so much, was in our large animal lab during the second semester of the program. In this lab, we are taught how to properly handle and care for equine (horses), bovine (cows), caprine (goats) and swine (pigs). During the horse lab, we were taught how to give IV injections via the jugular vein safely out in the field.
“I remember being so discouraged when I couldn’t get a blood sample from the vein in our first lab, but my teachers (Katherine Gaskill and Courtney Green) encouraged us to practice and not to get discouraged if we couldn’t get in on the first try,” said Black.
“My classmates and I went back to the school, and the next week, before lab, we practiced jugular vein venipuncture on our horse model, Admiral. In the next horse lab that we had, I was able to get a blood sample from the vein and administer a saline IV injection safely and effectively.”
That experience and others taught Black not to give up.
“All of the teachers truly want us to succeed and leave the program being the best we can be, and I aspire to be as caring and knowledgeable about my patients as they are,” she said. “They all have a very different approach to teaching, but I have learned a lot from them and will always
treasure what they taught me and how they nurtured me in moving forward with my dream to be a general practice veterinarian.
“Hopefully, I can come back to this area to serve the community that I was raised in, unless God calls me somewhere else.”
Black is strong in her faith, and her advice for other students is to never give up on something if they feel God is calling them to do that thing and if it’s been their dream.
“I would also advise them to advocate for themselves and never to be afraid to ask questions,” she said.
“Over the years, I have seen how important it is to promote good medicine with animals and educate the public on what it means to own an animal and care for them,” said Black. “This is my big dream, to become a veterinarian, and I am so thankful for what I have learned in the veterinary technology program at PSC.”
PSC’s Veterinary Technology A.S. program is accredited by the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities. Visit https://pensacolastate.edu/academic-programs/vet-as to learn more.