下薗惠子 学校法人シモゾノ学園 理事長
Keiko SHIMOZONO Board Chairperson, Shimozono Gakuen‒ International Animal Health & Management Colleges[Slide 1] Good morning, everyone. Myare two campuses: one in Setagaya, Tokyo and thename is Keiko Shimozono, the Board

other in Omiya, Saitama Prefecture. As a vocational

Chairperson of Shimozono Gakuen. Iʼschool, we offer various courses to train students tom honored and grateful to be here tobecome professionals in the handling of animals. Thesespeak to you today. My topic forinclude not only veterinary nurses but also trimmers,presentation will address education

zoo breeders, animal trainers, etc. At our Tokyo Campus,

and training for the veterinary nursing

we also oﬀer a course specializing in veterinary physicalprofession at vocational training schools.

therapy.

[Slide 2] Iʼd like first to show you two slides. These

Since the speakers in Part 1 have already shown us theirphotos are, as you see, the scenes of animal-assisted

slides that introduce what veterinary nursing is, I think I

therapy for elderly people. [Slide 3] The next slide also

will skip my slides of similar content, [Slide 6, 7, 8]. Butcontains photos of animal-assisted therapy. I took theone thing Iʼd like to say about veterinary nursing is thatphotos on the left when I visited a veterinary hospital in

the veterinary nursing profession, for which we train ourHawaii to observe their activities. The photos on thestudents towards, is needed in various ways by theright show a dog that was born without front legs. It

veterinary medicine industry. And it is certainly awas thought that the dog would not live long, yet it

challenging and rewarding profession.

managed to grow up using only its hind legs. Now it.

serves to inspire people through its appearance. What I

Dr. Ikemoto gave a great presentation on advanced

want to say here is that our students wish to work as

education for veterinary nursing. The fact thatveterinary nurses after they graduate and are working

universities with veterinary courses are increasing invery hard with an excellent motive to become able tonumber will, I believe, promote the development ofprotect animals. I show them these photos with theveterinary nursing. Meanwhile, I would like to talk about

hope that they will always remember the wonderful

the characteristics of education at vocational schools

beneﬁts animals can bring to us humans as they pursue

and reconﬁrm their role.

their chosen profession to save and protect animals.
[Slide 9] In my understanding, universities are[Slide 4] I just received a newsletter from the Japanese

educational institutions that conduct academic research

Veterinary Nursing Association (JVNA), in which there

and where the emphasis is on the acquisition of broad

was an article by Vice President Mitsuaki Ohta that says

knowledge and research. On the other hand, vocationalsomething similar. The article was accompanied by aschools are training institutions tp provide specialist

summary of research results showing that people whoknowledge and practical skills, ultimately creating work-

take care of animals live longer and see a doctor lessready professionals.

often than those who do not. It is said that the existenceof animals is the most important thing in the lives of[Slide 10] These are the qualities that an ideal graduatehumans. I was very deeply inspired by this article andfrom Shimozono Gakuen is expected to demonstrate.

wanted to share it with you.

Those written in blue at the top are specialist
capabilities necessary for animal nurses. Those in red[Slide 6] Now, let me introduce you to our school. Thereare capabilities necessary for animal professionals, andWorkshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses

41those in green are capabilities required for working

coming into contact with animals as much as possible.

adults. These three capability categories are very

These are part of our curriculum.

important, but recently I have heard from many of theemployers hiring our graduates that they also expect

Currently, the number of elderly dogs is increasing andgraduates to have good interpersonal andmany animal hospitals are now oﬀering beauty services.

communication skills. They need these skills so that they

[Slide 16] There are many animal hospitals operated

can speak in front of people without fear as well aswith good management looking for veterinary nurses

being able to show both courtesy and excellent

with trimming skills. At our own school we have alsomanners when dealing with customers.

been oﬀering practical training for beauty service skills
since we started. We did this because we thought thatI n o rde r t o e qu i p ou r s t u d e n t s wi t h s p ec ia list

beauty services training, which can require a student tocapabilities, we must provide them with good quality

work with a single dog for at least three hours a daytraining. We also need to teach them nursing skills thatwould allow them to learn directly from the animal. Thiscan accommodate more advanced veterinary medicine.

is very important besides acquiring medical skills.

I think those written in red are the most importantcapabilities for veterinary professionals and we need to

The essential qualities a veterinary nurse needs include

reinforce our educational programs to develop them. As

a rich knowledge and practical skills. However, the mosthas already been discussed, it is necessary to fully

important quality needed is a ʻwarm compassion forunderstand the importance of animal welfare - one ofanimalsʼ, [Slide 17]. Nurses should have a great love andthe topics for todayʼs meeting - and to promote itcompassion for animals and at the same time deepen

through our own behavior. [Slide 11] This is written in

their awareness of various signs, catch an animalʼs

the same article (mentioned above) by Dr. Ohta. The

signals, and notice any slight changes in the animal.

article says that it is “important to understand andThese are very important qualities for veterinary nurses.

promote the study of human animal relations”. Reading[slide 17]these words convinced me that the direction in which
our school is heading is the right one. Naturally, theTo conclude my presentation, Iʼd like to show you

specialist knowledge and skills we teach will be ananother photo, [Slide 18]. The dog on the right was myimportant basis for building the relationship withdaughterʼs dog. She loved this dog very much, as muchanimals. [Slide 12] Now let me introduce you theas any member of the family. But we went through acurriculum in our Veterinary Nursing Course, including

heartbreaking farewell last year when the dog passed

liberal arts subjects. One of the accreditation criteria foraway. However, she received very considerate treatment

a vocational school is to provide more than 800 hours ofbefore she died. The veterinarian administeredvocational education and training, which we offer

treatment with consideration and the veterinary nurses

through two-year courses.

were compassionate in caring for her. After she died,they gave her a good brushing and put a ribbon on her.

[Slide 13] But is it enough for animal professionals,

I think these are the types of sensitivity that areincluding veterinary nurses, to acquire such knowledge

expected of veterinary professionals.

and skills? It is, of course, important and absolutely

42necessary, but I think more is required of veterinarySo, we intend to continue our eﬀorts to train students

nurses. [Slide 14] A nurse should be a person who canto become nurses possessing such sensitivities and tofeel the silent message or call for help from an animal.

offer an education and training that can answer theThey need to not only acquire knowledge but also

needs of the society in general, as well as the field ofcultivate an ability that is more akin to a special

veterinary medicine. Although there are still issues wesensibility. So how can they cultivate such ability? [Slideneed to deal with, including the unification of15] Firstly, I think students can learn a great deal bycertiﬁcation standards and training curricula, we hope

Workshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses

to connect and work together with all the relatedparties to move ahead towards a desirable future. I
would be grateful for your continued support andguidance. Thank you for listening to my presentation,[Slide 19].

䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪉䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪊䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪋䇽

Workshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses

43䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪌䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪐䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪍䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪇䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪎䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪈䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪏䇽

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Workshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪉䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪌䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪊䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪍䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪋䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪎䇽䇼䉴䊤䉟䊄 㪈㪏䇽

Workshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses

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Workshop Ⅴ Animal Care ̶ Role of Animal Hospitals and Nurses