Ngo-2018, iTexas Tech University yasungula iKolishi leUdokotela wezilwaneUmuthi wokusebenzela imiphakathi yasemaphandleni neyesifunda e-Texas naseNew Mexico ngezinsizakalo zezilwane ezinganakekelwa kahle.
Kuleli Sonto, abafundi abangu-61 abenza unyaka wokuqala bazozuza iziqu zokuqala zobuDokotela beVeterinary Medicine abake baklonyeliswa yi-Texas Tech University, kanti amaphesenti angama-95 kubo azoqhubeka nokuthweswa iziqu ukuze agcwalise leso sidingo. Eqinisweni, cishe isigamu sabathweswe iziqu baye baqhubeka nemisebenzi egcwalisa ukushoda kodokotela bezilwane entshonalanga ye-Interstate 35.
“Kubalulekile ngempela ukuthi laba bafundi basebenze lapho kunesidingo khona isikhathi eside sokwelashwa kwezilwane,” kusho uDkt. Britt Conklin, oyisekela lomqondisi wezinhlelo zemitholampilo. “Lokho kwanelisa ngaphezu kwabafundi abakhiqiza ngobuningi emigqeni yomhlangano.
U-Conklin uhole ithimba lokuthuthukisa unyaka wezokwelapha ohlukile kunesibhedlela esivamile sokufundisa esisetshenziswa ezinye izikole zezilwane. Kusukela ngoMeyi 2024, abafundi bazophothula ama-internship ayi-10 amasonto amane phakathi kwabalingani abangaphezu kwe-125 be-internship kulo lonke elase-Texas naseNew Mexico.
Ngenxa yalokho, cishe u-70% wabafundi abathweswe iziqu uqashwa ozakwabo abasebenza nabo futhi baxoxisane ngeholo eliphezulu ngosuku lwabo lokuqala lomsebenzi.
“Bazokwengeza inani ngokushesha okukhulu, ngakho-ke ngijabule kakhulu ukubona ukuthi baphathwa kahle kakhulu ohlelweni lokuqasha nokukhushulwa esikhundleni,” kusho u-Conklin. "Amakhono okuxhumana nawomsebenzi wabo bonke abafundi abedlula kakhulu obekulindelekile. Ozakwethu be-internship bebefuna izinhlobo ezahlukene zemikhiqizo, futhi yilokho kanye esikunikezayo - ikakhulukazi emiphakathini yasemaphandleni neyezifunda. Ukusabela kwabo kube nomdlandla kakhulu, futhi banethemba lokubona imikhiqizo eminingi efana nale njengoba siqhubeka nokuthuthuka."
U-Elizabeth Peterson uzobe ezinze eHereford Veterinary Clinic, ayichaze “njengendawo ekahle” yalabo abafuna ukusebenza emkhakheni wezokwelapha wezilwane.
“Inhloso yami njengodokotela wezilwane ukukhombisa zonke izinhlaka zemboni ukuthi singasebenzisana kanjani ngoba sonke sinenhloso efanayo,” kusho yena. "E-Texas Panhandle, umhlambi wezinkomo ungaphezu kwesibalo sabantu, futhi ngithemba ukusebenzisa ulwazi lwami lwangaphambili embonini yokupakisha inyama yenkomo ukusiza ukuvala igebe phakathi kodokotela bezilwane, abafuyi bezinkomo nabanikazi bezindawo zokudla njengoba ngichitha isikhathi esiningi lapha."
U-Peterson uhlela ukubamba iqhaza ocwaningweni ngangokunokwenzeka kanye nokusebenzisana ne-Texas Livestock Feeders Association kanye neKhomishini Yezempilo Yezilwane. Uzophinde asebenze njengomeluleki kubafundi bezilwane kanye nanjengozakwethu wokuzilolonga.
Ungomunye wabafundi abaningi abenza unyaka wesine abanethuba lokusebenzisa iSikhungo Sokugqwesa Sokufundisa saseHereford Veterinary Hospital. Lesi sikhungo sakhiwe ukuze sinikeze abafundi bonyaka wesine bezilwane izibonelo ezingokoqobo zezilwane ezidliwayo kuyilapho zisagadiwe ubuhlakani. Ithuba lokufundisa abafundi abafana noDkt Peterson lingaba yisipiliyoni esimzuzisayo.
“Iqiniso lokuthi iTexas Tech ibeka phambili abafundi abazobuyisela emphakathini lalilikhulu,” kusho yena. “Bakhethe abafundi abafana nami ababezinikele emigomweni nasezibophezelweni zabo.”
UDylan Bostic uzoba umsizi wezilwane esibhedlela i-Beard Navasota Veterinary e-Navasota, e-Texas, futhi uzosebenzisa umkhuba oxubile wokwelapha wezilwane. Ingxenye yeziguli zakhe kwakuyizinja namakati, enye ingxenye kwakuyizinkomo, izimvu, izimbuzi nezingulube.
“Bayashoda odokotela bezilwane emiphakathini yasemaphandleni neyesifunda enyakatho ye-Houston abangakwazi ukuphatha izilwane zasemapulazini,” usho kanje. “EBeard Navasota, sihlala siphuma siye emapulazini okuyihora nesigamu ukuyohlinzeka ngodokotela wezilwane ezifuyweni ngoba abekho odokotela bezilwane eduze abangongoti ngalezo zilwane. Ngiyethemba ukuthi ngizoqhubeka nokweseka le miphakathi.”
Ngesikhathi esebenza emtholampilo esibhedlela i-Beard Navasota, u-Bostic wathola ukuthi umsebenzi ayewuthanda kakhulu kwakuwukuhambela amapulazi ukuze asize izinkomo. Akagcini nje ngokwakha ukuxhumana emphakathini, kodwa futhi usiza abafuyi ukuba babe abacabangi abaphumelelayo namasu.
“Ukufuya izinkomo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi indawo yokudla, ukuhlola isizinda, noma ukuhlinza inkomo, akuwona umsebenzi owubukhazikhazi kakhulu,” encokola. “Nokho, kuwumsebenzi ozuzisa kakhulu okunikeza ithuba lokuba yingxenye yemboni lapho ungakha khona ubudlelwano nobungane obuzohlala impilo yakho yonke.”
Ukuze afeze iphupho lakhe lasebuntwaneni, u-Val Trevino wathatha umsebenzi e-Borgfield Animal Hospital, umtholampilo omncane wezilwane endaweni engaphansi kwedolobha laseSan Antonio. Phakathi nonyaka wakhe wokuqeqeshelwa umtholampilo, wazuza ulwazi oluningi olwabeka isisekelo sokunakekela kwakhe izilwane ezifuywayo esikhathini esizayo ngisho nezilwane ezingavamile.
"E-Gonzales, eTexas, ngisiza ukulawula isibalo samakati adukile ngokuwagwaza nokuwakhipha futhi ngiwakhulule emiphakathini yawo," kusho yena. “Ngakho lokho kube yinto emnandi kakhulu leyo.”
Ngenkathi eseGonzales, uTrevino wayekhuthele emphakathini, ehambela imihlangano yeLions Club neminye imicimbi. Lokhu kwamnikeza ithuba lokuzibonela ngawakhe umthelela ayenethemba lokuwenza ngemva kokuphothula iziqu.
“Kuzo zonke izindawo lapho sihamba nodokotela bezilwane, kukhona oza kithina asixoxele ngezilwane abazisizile kanye neqhaza elibalulekile abalibambayo emphakathini — hhayi nje ekwelashweni kwezilwane, kodwa nakwezinye izindawo eziningi,” kusho yena. "Ngakho-ke ngithemba ukuthi ngizoba yingxenye yalokho ngelinye ilanga."
UPatrick Guerrero uzokwandisa ulwazi lwakhe namakhono akhe ngokuqeqeshwa okujikeleza unyaka wonke eSignature Equine eStephenville, eTexas. Ube esehlela ukubuyisela isipiliyoni edolobheni lakubo eCanutillo, eTexas, futhi avule umtholampilo ongumahambanendlwana.
“Ngesikhathi ngisesikoleni sezilwane, ngaba nesithakazelo esikhulu emithini ye-equine, ikakhulukazi imithi yezemidlalo/ukulawula ukuxhwala,” uyachaza. “Ngaba umkhumbi osebenza endaweni yase-Amarillo futhi ngaqhubeka nokuthuthukisa amakhono ami ngokuthatha ama-internship amaningana odokotela bezilwane ngesikhathi sami samahhala phakathi nehlobo phakathi kwama-semesters.”
UGuerrero ukhumbula ukuthi lapho eseyingane, udokotela wezilwane omkhulu owayeseduze wayeseLas Cruces, eNew Mexico, cishe imizuzu engu-40 ukusuka lapho. Ubambe iqhaza ohlelweni lwezinkunzi zezentengiselwano iFuture Farmers of America (FFA) futhi uthe izilwane ezinkulu zikuthola kunzima ukuya kudokotela wezilwane, futhi azikho izindawo zokuthutha ezibekiwe zokuthulula izinkomo noma amahhashi.
“Lapho ngibona lokho, ngacabanga, ‘Umphakathi wakithi udinga usizo kulokhu, ngakho uma ngikwazi ukuya esikoleni sezilwane, ngingathatha engikufundile ngikubuyisele emphakathini wakithi nakubantu bakhona,’” uyakhumbula. “Lokho kwaba umgomo wami wokuqala, futhi manje sengisondele ekuwufinyeleleni.”
Chofoza lapha ukuze ufunde kabanzi mayelana nabafundi abangama-61 abazozuza iziqu zabo ze-DVM e-Texas Tech University, ingxenye yesithathu kubo okungabafundi besizukulwane sokuqala.
Bazoqopha umlando njengabaphothule bokuqala esikoleni sesibili sezilwane saseTexas, esasungulwa eminyakeni engaphezu kwekhulu edlule futhi singesinye sezinhlelo zezokwelapha zezilwane ezingama-35 e-United States.
Umcimbi wokuthweswa iziqu uzoba ngeSonto, Meyi 18, ngo-11:30 ekuseni e-Amarillo Civic Centre Conference Room. Abangane nomndeni bazobe bekhona ukuze bezwe izikhulumi ezimenywayo, okuhlanganisa i-College of Veterinary Medicine u-Dean Guy Loneragan, uMongameli we-Texas Tech University u-Lawrence Schovanec, uShansela we-Texas Tech University System System u-Tedd L. Mitchell, uMongameli we-Texas Tech University System u-Emeritus Robert Duncan, kanye noMbusi wase-Texas u-Greg Abbott. Ezinye izishayamthetho zezifundazwe nazo zizobe bekhona.
“Sonke siwubheke ngabomvu umcimbi wokuqala wokuthweswa iziqu,” kusho u-Conklin. "Kuzoba isiphetho sokuthi ekugcineni sikwenze futhi, bese singazama futhi."
Isikhathi sokuthumela: May-26-2025