Expanding veterinary education to meet the needs of northern, rural communities

Everything you need to know about the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program

In March 2023, the Province of Ontario announced its support for the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program (CDVMP), a groundbreaking investment to help the University of Guelph and Lakehead University expand the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program from 105 to 125 seats for domestic students, bringing the total number of graduates to 140 each year – the first increase of its kind in a generation. 

“This collaboration between the University of Guelph, Lakehead U and the province represents a critical investment in veterinary medicine in Ontario,” says Dr. Jeff Wichtel, dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). “Together, we’re working to help sustain agriculture and bring much- needed veterinary services to northern and rural communities.”

Students from northern and rural communities, including Indigenous communities, will be recruited. Once the CDVMP is fully operational, students will attend Lakehead in Thunder Bay for their first two years and finish their third and fourth years at OVC in Guelph. While Lakehead completes the needed infrastructure, the northern cohort will complete all four years in Guelph, with the first set of 20 students entering the program in 2025 at the Guelph campus. 

Lakehead and U of G are uniquely positioned to use their strengths to implement an innovative solution to complex and evolving challenges facing Ontario’s veterinary profession. Pairing U of G’s world-class veterinary training with Lakehead’s strength in supporting economic development and growth in northern rural and Indigenous communities will help address acute veterinary shortages in these communities and support growth in the provincial agri-food sector. The Province has also invested $900,000 into the Veterinary Incentive Program, providing financial support for up to 30 recently graduated veterinarians per year to specialize in large animal medicine and practise in made-vulnerable areas of Ontario.

An industry in crises

It’s no secret that workforce shortages are a growing challenge for the veterinary profession, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. These pressures are heightened in northern, rural and Indigenous communities where a single veterinary clinic can serve more than 100 large animal farms in addition to companion animals in mixed practices. 

A U of G study commissioned by the Province of Ontario established that the lack of veterinary capacity in northern Ontario impacts food animal producers, affecting agricultural practices in the North. Veterinarians in large animal and mixed specializations are in high demand, and veterinarians practising in rural and remote communities experience burnout when faced with rapidly growing caseloads.  

Northern Ontario is home to 884,000 acres of farmland, with large geographical regions and sparse populations. Many producers do not have access to proper veterinary care, and some communities have none. Demand for entry into veterinary programs is strong, and entry is highly competitive. Each spring, more than 550 applications are received to fill 105 spaces. The number of seats hasn’t expanded since 1988 – 34 years ago. Of those 105 seats, 70-75 per cent will specialize in companion animal practice with many settling in urban communities. The remaining seats specialize in food animal, equine or mixed-animal practices that support the success of Ontario’s rural sector. The CDVMP will double the number of graduates wishing to work in rural community practices. 

Phase 2 DVM student Rachel Schuster grew up partly in northern Ontario and has been mentored by family friend Dr. Keith Good, who practises as a large animal veterinarian outside of Sault Ste. Marie.

The impact of the workforce shortage is what drove her to a career in veterinary medicine. 

“Improving veterinary access is something I’m very passionate about,” she says, explaining that access to veterinary care can sometimes be taken for granted, particularly in urban areas.

Following her 2025 graduation, Schuster is planning a return to the North to develop the kind of connections and mentorship she experienced. “I think we feel a responsibility to carry this on,” she says. “It is a really terific opportunity to pay it forward.”

Indigenous culture will enrich training

Lakehead University’s community outreach among Indigenous partners will help support Indigenous recruitment and learning efforts in the DVM program. 

Undergraduate students at Lakehead – 13 per cent of whom are Indigenous – are required to enrol in courses on Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The education at Lakehead complements OVC’s DVM curriculum, which includes a focus on building cultural competencies. 

Through specialized programs at OVC, student veterinarians train to identify, understand and remove barriers to veterinary care to ensure they graduate equipped with the necessary skills to address systemic challenges in the veterinary profession. 

Educational offerings include the Intercultural Competence and Cultural Humility workshop, the Human-Animal Bond in Indigenous Communities tutorial, and the opportunity to participate in community-based clinics in underserviced areas throughout Ontario.

The new Medical and Surgical Learning Centre

The final two years of the program will see the northern students move to U of G to experience the clinical, hands-on learning environment. Here, students will apply the theory they’ve learned at Lakehead as they practise hands-on and surgical management of patients. 

To be able to teach more students, OVC must expand its learning spaces for the required surgical and medical skills that will enable students to participate in hospital rotations and clinical placements. These learning facilities give students the training they need to graduate and confidently use these skills in many environments. 

Fundraising is under way for a new multi-storey Medical and Surgical Learning Centre, which will provide opportunities for hands-on learning of surgical and medical skills, patient preparation, treatment and recovery, dentistry training and clinical areas for companion animal, equine, farm animal and wildlife practice. 

In addition, the building will provide dedicated space for pets receiving care through the Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program, which provides veterinary care for made-vulnerable community members including animals in shelters, people experiencing housing insecurity and Indigenous communities.

The new multi-storey facility will be the costliest capital project in OVC’s history. Fundraising efforts are under way to bring OVC closer to its goal and continue enhancing teaching and learning spaces while supporting the much-needed larger class.