Milestone year sets up veterinary college for future success

Q. The WCVM recently had an anniversary. How did the college celebrate? 

Yes, 2025 marked 60 years since the first class of veterinary students began their studies at the WCVM in 1965. More than 600 people came to Saskatoon for our anniversary celebrations in early June 2025, and it was a wonderful weekend full of reminiscing, renewed friendships and great conversations. A dozen WCVM classes also held reunions during the same weekend, so it was amazing to see so many alumni all together. We’re grateful to everyone who attended the celebration—their enthusiasm and support was energizing! 

Q. What else made 2025 a memorable year for the WCVM?  

A big moment came in May 2025 when the Governments of Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Manitoba renewed their financial commitment to the WCVM. This agreement provides more than $194 million over the next five years, helping to ensure the college can deliver critical veterinary medicine programming, research and clinical services.   

We also had great news about the college’s international accreditation status in 2025. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) granted the WCVM full accreditation after a successful site visit in October 2024. Another international body, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), reaffirmed accreditation for our Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC).

Q. How did the WCVM prepare for accreditation?   

Accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education, which includes a comprehensive site visit every seven years, represents the highest standard for veterinary medical education. In the years leading up to our most recent AVMA accreditation cycle, the WCVM conducted an intensive revamp of its four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum, and it was fully in place by the 2023/24 academic year.  

We made changes to integrate the principles of competency-based veterinary education that’s based on the model used in human medicine education. This educational approach focuses on outcomes-based and learner-centred education and assessment, with long-term goals of optimizing new graduate success and patient outcomes. 

Feedback from WCVM graduates and employers also encouraged our team to significantly increase the number of students’ hands-on training opportunities throughout the program’s four years. It ensures that our WCVM graduates have the skills and hands-on experience they need to be “practice ready” in the veterinary profession. 

Q. The duration of the veterinary program’s final clinical year is changing. Can you explain? 

To meet new AVMA requirements, we need to increase the length of our veterinary program’s final clinical year from 32 weeks to 40 weeks. The AVMA announced this change in fall 2024, and since it had to be in place by 2026, we had to work fast. But thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our academic team and with huge support from western Canadian veterinarians, we’re ready. 

Q. What solution did the college come up with? 

The WCVM is launching a new four-week primary care experience rotation, which will give fourth-year students more hands-on, practice-ready experience in primary care for companion animals as well as horses, cattle, sheep and other livestock. These rotations will take place in veterinary clinics across Saskatchewan, B.C., and Manitoba over the spring and summer months.  

All 88 students in the WCVM Class of 2027 must complete a primary care experience rotation along with four more weeks of WCVM-based clinical rotations. These experiences are over and above the current 32 weeks of clinical rotations that senior students must complete before graduating.  

Q. How challenging was it to organize?

The timing made it challenging, plus we had to ensure that all host clinics met requirements outlined by the AVMA Council on Education. Finding spots for all 88 students seemed daunting, but it has been reassuring to see so many veterinary clinics across our three partner provinces step up to support the education of new veterinarians. We now have 76 clinics (some clinics are taking more than one student) in 61 communities across B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba ready to host students. The support from western Canadian veterinarians has been overwhelming!  

Q. Can you give an update on the WCVM’s plans for a future expansion?

Canada continues to face a nationwide shortage of veterinary professionals in all areas of practice, and the western provinces aren’t immune to this shortage.  

The WCVM is currently at maximum capacity—we can’t increase our DVM class size any further without significant changes. That’s why the college and the university have teamed up to explore the option of expanding and renewing the WCVM’s facilities and resources. These activities have received funding from the Government of Saskatchewan over the past few years, and we’re very grateful for the financial support. In its most recent budget, the provincial government allocated $500,000 for investigations of the college’s space expansion and renewal needs.  

In February, an external consultant team spent time observing clinical operations in the WCVM’s Veterinary Medical Centre and meeting with a wide range of people who work, teach, learn and care for animals in the hospital. They’re working to better understand how people use the existing space and how new or renovated space can be designed to support their daily work. Later this spring when we receive the consultants’ conceptual and phasing plan for the hospital, their recommendations will help to determine the next steps in the project’s planning. 

We need to take all these important steps to determine what’s needed for a future expansion so our project is ready to go if enough funding can be secured.  

Q. Where will the WCVM seek funding support?  

It’s a big project that we hope will attract both public and private support. For example, the WCVM and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) are seeking federal funding for the development of a national training and testing centre for internationally trained veterinarians. The WCVM is Canada’s only English-language host site for the CVMA’s National Examining Board program, which helps to place up to 55 qualified veterinarians into the profession each year. Dedicated space for training and testing at the WCVM will help to increase those numbers. 

Q. What role do donors play in the WCVM’s future? 

The WCVM is fortunate to have an extensive family of longtime donors as well as new supporters who are excited to contribute to student scholarships, new research studies, new clinical tools and other initiatives.  

Our wonderful donors truly make a difference, which was demonstrated last fall when the WCVM celebrated the opening of its new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine and linear accelerator. This vital animal health care and education project cost $9.1 million, with donors from across Canada contributing more than $5 million in support of the animal health care initiative at the Veterinary Medical Centre. We couldn’t have replaced these vital technologies without critical support from our donors! 

Q. You have been reappointed as WCVM dean. What motivated you to continue in this role?  

In the past four decades I’ve been a veterinary student as well as a professor, researcher, administrator and dean at this college. The WCVM’s future is very near and dear to me, so I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue being the college’s dean for a second five-year term (beginning July 1). These are exciting times for the WCVM, and I’m honoured to be part of long-term decisions that will help to shape the future of this college. I look forward to the next five years!  

For more information, click here to view the 2025 WCVM Community Report.