More details released on vet student recruitment
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2022 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government on Friday released details of its plan to train and attract more veterinarians to ease the critical shortage in the province’s agriculture industry.
At a news conference in Ste. Rose Du Lac, Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson said the province and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan are continuing to work on an agreement to have more veterinarians trained to provide care for commercial livestock and poultry producers in rural Manitoba.
Currently, Manitoba has 15 guaranteed subsidized seats annually at the Saskatoon-based WCVM for new students. The province will increase its funding contribution to WCVM by $539,200 for the 2023-24 academic year to a total of $7,009,600. This will allow the college to take five more Manitoba students, meaning the number of students taking the full four-year degree program will increase to 65 from 60.
The province’s gradually increasing funding commitment will bring its intake to 20 seats from 15 seats every year until it supports 80 Manitoba students annually through the four-year program, Johnson explained.
Because there is an immediate need for veterinarians in agriculture, the five new intake seats will be the focus of an expansion of veterinary care for that sector.
“Our government will collaborate with stakeholders and WCVM in upcoming years to ensure the objectives of this targeted approach are met,” said Johnson in a news release. “Manitoba Agriculture will also work with educational institutions, agricultural organizations and other stakeholders to ensure information on the new strategy is shared widely.”
Students to fill these seats will be selected based on that need. Manitoba Agriculture will work closely with WCVM to attract and select students with the rural background, knowledge and drive to become veterinarians who want to return to rural Manitoba to support the livestock and poultry industries.
Students who are selected will be expected to want to work in veterinary practices serving commercial agriculture in rural Manitoba; a strong academic foundation through achievement in a university-level animal science program, as well as prior practical knowledge and experience in the livestock or poultry industries, gained through significant experience.
More technical criteria for the new intake seats will be developed for 2024-25 and beyond, Johnson added.
The hope is this funding initiative will get more people in veterinary medicine to keep the province’s livestock healthy and thriving, said Tyler Fulton, president of Manitoba Beef Producers. He added the organization is pleased the province is recruiting students who have a direct interest and first-hand experience in working with animals, and who have been raised in a rural environment.
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