Ten undergraduate students who have faced uncommon challenges in their path to higher education are getting a helping hand at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine this summer during a special summer enrichment program.

During the intensive five-week program, which runs through Aug. 7, participants see firsthand how veterinarians diagnose and treat patients in specialties such as radiology, dentistry, dermatology, behavior and cardiology. They also shadow senior veterinary students who are doing weekly rotations in clinics with horses, exotic animals, small pets and livestock at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis.

The summer training also includes visits into the community, such as a “house call” to a Sacramento koi fish business on Thursday afternoon, July 30.

"Summer enrichment students see a variety of animals in the teaching hospital and gain veterinary-related experience that is required for entry into the doctor of veterinary medicine program,” said Yasmin Williams, director of admissions for the veterinary school. “They learn basic diagnostic concepts and practice presenting actual case material from the teaching hospital — just as they would do in veterinary school."

The summer participants, whose challenges range from financial hardship to language barrier to physical disability, this year are from California and Colorado. They will also receive guidance on interviewing, test taking, writing and communication, and career options related to veterinary medicine, all intended to give them a competitive edge as they apply to veterinary school.

Since the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Summer Enrichment Program began in 1987, about half of the participants have entered doctor of veterinary medicine degree programs. More information on this year’s summer program and participants is available online at: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whatsnew/article.cfm?id=2057.

This year's program is provided free of charge to participating students, who each receive a $500 stipend to defray expenses. Allie Jones, a member of the veterinary school’s Class of 2011, serves as the coordinator, arranging class schedules, teaching aides and extracurricular activities for participants.