Spring Break
New vet hospital to help meet growing demands
VIVIAN GIANG
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
In 1979, the University's teaching hospital opened and has increased its annual case loads by 37 percent, enrollment by 20 percent and full-time staff by 337 percent. But the square footage of the hospital has grown by 4 percent.
"Look at how many people are in here," Kathy Bangle, director of development for the college, said in an operation room. "This is internal medicine - there's people trying to diagnose, do research, look up things. It's just insane - there are way too many people in too small of space."
Compared to surrounding teaching hospitals, the University's hospital is approximately 150,000 square feet smaller - in other words, each University vet student has roughly 1,700 fewer square feet compared to students from other institutions.
It is common to have physicians, fourth-year students, technicians, interns and residents all in the same area to treat the estimated 13,000 large animals and 7,000 small animals the hospital cares for annually.
The new hospital would be built on College Station Road and expand square footage nearly three times the original hospital's size.
The new facility would also increase enrollment to 130 students per classroom and allow opportunities for medical advances, further research and future expansions, Bangle said.
"It's been great so far really, but sometimes - especially when the juniors and seniors are down here - it can be busy in the hallways," said Amanda Rainey, a veterinary student from Anderson, S.C. "It would be nice if we had more computers and workspace ... sometimes we may have a lot of patients come in at the same time … it's kind of loud with a lot of people in a small space."
Next to the hospital, "get well" signs are taped to barn stalls filled to capacity with horses, goats and alpacas.
Bangle said the current hospital offers limited outdoor recreational space for animals' recovery.
"Having the new teaching hospital will provide us the wonderful opportunity that we can actually turn out some of the horses so that they can be outside," she said.
The new hospital would be built on a 100-acre site. Plans also include a private oncology entrance for patients going through chemotherapy or radiation, which allows for a more personal experience for the animals that visit daily.
"There's a shortage of vets across the country …the case loads are pushing the demands for vets," Giese said. "We see more than 18,000 cases a year, so it's vital we have more space so we can educate more students."
"Look at how many people are in here," Kathy Bangle, director of development for the college, said in an operation room. "This is internal medicine - there's people trying to diagnose, do research, look up things. It's just insane - there are way too many people in too small of space."
Compared to surrounding teaching hospitals, the University's hospital is approximately 150,000 square feet smaller - in other words, each University vet student has roughly 1,700 fewer square feet compared to students from other institutions.
It is common to have physicians, fourth-year students, technicians, interns and residents all in the same area to treat the estimated 13,000 large animals and 7,000 small animals the hospital cares for annually.
The new hospital would be built on College Station Road and expand square footage nearly three times the original hospital's size.
The new facility would also increase enrollment to 130 students per classroom and allow opportunities for medical advances, further research and future expansions, Bangle said.
"It's been great so far really, but sometimes - especially when the juniors and seniors are down here - it can be busy in the hallways," said Amanda Rainey, a veterinary student from Anderson, S.C. "It would be nice if we had more computers and workspace ... sometimes we may have a lot of patients come in at the same time … it's kind of loud with a lot of people in a small space."
Next to the hospital, "get well" signs are taped to barn stalls filled to capacity with horses, goats and alpacas.
Bangle said the current hospital offers limited outdoor recreational space for animals' recovery.
"Having the new teaching hospital will provide us the wonderful opportunity that we can actually turn out some of the horses so that they can be outside," she said.
The new hospital would be built on a 100-acre site. Plans also include a private oncology entrance for patients going through chemotherapy or radiation, which allows for a more personal experience for the animals that visit daily.
"There's a shortage of vets across the country …the case loads are pushing the demands for vets," Giese said. "We see more than 18,000 cases a year, so it's vital we have more space so we can educate more students."
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