WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Trocaire College is celebrating a major milestone as its first graduating class of veterinary technology students prepares to enter the workforce at a time when demand for veterinary technicians continues to grow nationwide.
Students in the program say the experience has given them the opportunity to apply years of classroom learning through hands-on training with animals ranging from rabbits and rats to horses and cows.
"We have learned so much from working and handling rats and rabbits all the way to horses and cows, and it's just been kind of crazy and like learning, you know, actually applying what we learn in the classroom out in the field," said graduating student Alexa Czerniejewski.
Ali Gula said seeing everything come together during the program has been rewarding.
"Getting able to utilize these skills and put them to the test and like bring everything together that we've learned over the past few years, like it's been awesome," Gula said. "It's been really cool to see it all come back together at the end."
The college officially opened its new veterinary science facility on Transit Road in 2025, expanding the program with additional space dedicated to hands-on learning. The facility includes animal wards, a surgery suite, radiology labs and teaching laboratories designed to prepare students for careers in veterinary medicine.
WATCH: Trocaire College celebrates first graduating veterinary technology class amid growing demand for vet techs
Jessica Yandricha, a licensed veterinary technician and instructor in the program, said the second year of training is when students begin putting those foundational skills into practice.
"The second year is when the students really start putting everything they learned in the first year into play," Yandrichea said. "So it's a lot of hands-on learning, all those fundamental techniques, a lot of live animal labs, surgical nursing, a lot of really incredible hands-on stuff that they get to do."
That hands-on experience is translating into job opportunities for some students before graduation.
"Knowing that we have these opportunities, like I've already had four different hospitals reach out to me, along with the one I'm working at now, so it's actually insane, but it's very reassuring," said graduating student Keenan O’Shei.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for veterinary technicians is projected to grow between 9% and 20% through 2034, faster than the average for most occupations. Industry experts say increased pet ownership and higher spending on veterinary care are contributing to an ongoing shortage of trained veterinary technicians.
To help address that need locally, Trocaire College recently announced scholarship opportunities for new Fall 2026 applicants entering its nursing and veterinary technology programs. Students entering the veterinary technology program may be eligible for up to $3,000 in annual funding if they remain enrolled and meet academic requirements.
