Only 1.2% of veterinarians are Black. A Camden career day aimed to change that.
The Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine program was formed in 2023 to expose students in underrepresented communities to the profession.
As a youngster growing up in Camden, Sophia Leon loved animals and set her sights on becoming a veterinarian.
She had no idea that the odds were against her: Only 8.5% of veterinarians are Hispanic or Latino and even fewer, only about 1.2%, are Black, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Leon, now a 17-year-old senior at Camden Academy Charter High School, learned about the statistics during a recent career day that provided encouragement to students in underrepresented communities like Camden by introducing them to veterinarians who overcame similar barriers.
“I thought there were more. There should be more,” Leon said.
Niccole Bruno, a veterinarian from Houston who started the Believe and Belong in Veterinary Medicine program, hopes to make that happen by providing students the hands-on opportunity to learn about career possibilities, meet veterinarians, and obtain mentors to help with their journey.
“We’re the least diverse medical profession,” said Bruno, founder and CEO of blendVET, a veterinary education training group. “My goal is to have them become whatever they want to be in the profession.”
Bruno recruited veterinarians, mostly Black, from around the country to participate in the all-day career event at the Marjorie and Lewis Katz Clubhouse in Camden in late October. So far, the program, launched in 2023, has reached more than 1,600 students around the country.
“I do believe representation matters. When they see us, it makes it easier to have it in their mind,” said Lisa R. Branner, the emergency medical director of VCA Old Marple Animal Hospital in Springfield, Delaware County. “It is enlightening to be able to show them this is what you can do.”
Students rotated among labs that included emergency medicine, general practice, neurology, clinical pathology, and ophthalmology. They learned about careers from veterinary technician to surgeon.
A visit to the first-floor gym where they met Hazel, a friendly 2½-year-old golden retriever, was a favorite stop. Her owner, Elsa Schock, described her family pet as “a people dog.”
A trio of students listened intently as Schock, a veterinarian at the Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital in Monmouth County, showed them how to examine Hazel by checking her ears, paws, and teeth. They took turns using a stethoscope to listen to her heart rate and take her pulse.
Hazel patiently lay on the floor, occasionally rewarded with treats. She was examined at least 20 times, Schock said.
“I thought it was cool that we get to interact with the dog,” said Mayte Coyotl, 16, a junior at Camden Academy Charter High School. “I’ve come to love animals.”
Coyotl said that spending time with Hazel and the veterinarians gave her a new insight and that she would possibly consider a career in veterinary medicine.
This is the second time that Bruno has brought the program to Camden. Bruno, who grew up in Queens, N.Y., credits her mother with helping her overcome racial barriers. Her younger sister, Jasmine, is also a veterinarian and participates in the program.
In addition to Camden Academy Charter, students from Camden’s Promise Middle School and KIPP Lanning Square Middle School were also in attendance.
“I love it,” said Leon, who has enjoyed tending to animals while visiting relatives in Nicaragua. “It’s a great opportunity for us.”
The students were also able to try surgical techniques, learn how to perform CPR on animals, bandage wounds, and do basic suturing. They learned how to don surgical gowns, carefully keeping them sterile before practicing techniques to neuter or spay stuffed animals.
“I’m scrubbing out,” quipped Yadrian Gonzalez, 17, a senior at Camden Academy, after taking off his blue gown and moving on to his next rotation.
Across the hall in a room with the lights lowered, a few students sat at desks hunched over microscopes to examine dead pig eyes. Kenneth Pierce, a veterinary ophthalmologist, showed them how to do an eye exam and diagnose common ocular diseases.
The students were impressed when Pierce, a veterinary consultant based in Philadelphia, told them that he has treated domestic animals and exotic animals, including performing cataract surgery on a chimpanzee.
“Do you think this is the best field to go into just starting?” asked Winter Glover, a student at Camden Academy.
Pierce said he underwent years of training and has enjoyed his career.
“It’s always in high demand,” said Pierce, who added that he is trained to treat just about any animal. “I’ve looked at humans, too, but legally I can’t prescribe anything for them.”
The day was an eye-opener for some students. One squeamish student, overwhelmed by the pig eye exam, needed a break and briefly left the room.
Katelynn Moreno, 17, said she was intrigued by the surgical lab where students were shown how vets treat a herniated disk.
“I got to learn a lot of new things. This is something I could actually see myself doing,” said Moreno, a senior at Camden Academy.
Armani Holden, 17, also a senior at Camden Academy, is interested in culinary arts but attended the vet program out of curiosity.
“Honestly, I liked it better than I thought it would be,” she said. “I thought it would be boring.”
Bruno, whose program evolved from a presentation she made at an international veterinary conference in 2023, said she looks forward one day to seeing a student she met in the program graduate from veterinary school.
“The first one will be the most special,” she said. “I’ll be in the audience crying with their parents.”
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