Attraction and Retention of Veterinarians to Small/Mid-sized Urban Municipalities Veterinary Practice

Definitions
ABVMA – Alberta Veterinary Medical Association
GOA – Government of Alberta
GPA – Grade Point Average
MCAT- Medical College Admissions Test
MMI – Multiple Mini Interview
UCVM – University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

There is a crisis level global shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technologists, affecting Alberta.  It is estimated that there are currently at minimum 864 veterinary professional vacancies in Alberta (377 veterinarians and 487 veterinary technologists). The job vacancy rates for veterinarians (16.7%) and veterinary technologists (18.8%) far exceeds the provincial average of 2.6%.  In the April 2021 ABVMA/ABVTA Veterinary Professional Workforce Study, it was projected that due to increasing expansion demand (demand for service increases due to pet ownership, increased disposable income and increasing livestock numbers) and due to replacement demand, the shortage of professionals will increase more than 3.5 times by 2040.  Using current trends, in eighteen years, the shortage of veterinary professionals is estimated to be more than 3371 people (1331 veterinarians and 2407 technologists). 
While the labor shortage is an issue throughout Alberta, practices in small/mid-sized urban municipalities that also serve rural regions are particularly impacted by staff shortages due partly to recruitment and admissions challenges. Further, our communities are impacted acutely in the current environment and face restricted economic growth post-Covid without targeted and immediate actions to address the shortages. Attraction and retention of veterinary medical professionals based in small/mid-sized urban municipalities that also serve rural regions has not been keeping pace with increasing demand.

Alberta Municipalities is requesting the GOA officially endorse a UCVM initiative for the implementation of admissions and curriculum changes that would benefit a significant need in small/mid-sized urban municipalities that also serve rural regions in Alberta. 

UCVM is one of five veterinary schools in Canada and was the last Canadian veterinarian program to begin operations. It was developed to meet Alberta’s need for highly skilled veterinary graduates to support rural Alberta, production animal and equine industries, animal and human health research, and public health. In the 15 years since inception, UCVM has become one of the top 40 veterinary schools in the world.  

Established in 2005, UCVM commenced with a class of thirty (30) students which was augmented by the transfer of the twenty (20) funded Alberta students at Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). In 2017, Alberta’s government reduced funding for the twenty WCVM seats and transferred the funding to UCVM. These 50 seats for veterinary education of Alberta students have remained unchanged despite shifting demand pressures. Today, UCVM needs the support of Alberta Municipalities to expand its capacity and to adapt its programming. 

Currently, UCVM selects 50 Alberta students per year to enter the four-year veterinary medicine program. Recent funding announcements will increase that number to 100 starting in 2025. In August 2021, there were 5.4 qualified applicants for every educational seat at UCVM.  Alberta students are demanding veterinary education be available at home rather than pursuing their education and career in other jurisdictions. 

Starting with the incoming class for 2022, all applicants must write the MCAT. A pre-determined minimum MCAT score is required to advance to the interview stage of the application process. This minimum score is to ensure that successful applicants can handle the academic requirements of the curriculum. Applicants who successfully meet the pre-determined MCAT score then enter an interview process that involves Multiple Mini Interview scenarios.  The MMI is designed to gauge a successful applicant’s knowledge of a career in veterinary medicine and their likelihood to succeed in such a career. It would be advantageous for Alberta Municipalities to establish a strong relationship with UCVM, which would provide opportunity for Alberta Municipalities to be part of the recruitment, selection and retention of UCVM graduates.  

The long-standing shortage of veterinary practitioners in small/mid-sized urban municipalities that serve rural regions in Alberta is well known.  It has been shown that the likelihood of someone entering and succeeding in a veterinary practice in small/mid-sized urban municipalities that serve rural regions is much higher (39%) if they have significant knowledge and experience in a practice within and lifestyle of small/mid-sized urban municipalities. UCVM partnerships with Alberta Municipalities will assist with identifying suitable candidates for the DVM program. Members of these communities are in the ideal position to judge “best fit”. The “grow your own vet” model will increase the likelihood that veterinary students will go back to their home community after graduation.

In 2020, there were 1832 registered veterinarians in Alberta and 1852 registered veterinary technologists, working in 554 veterinary practices, employing over 6600 full time equivalent employees.  The total output of Alberta veterinary practices was estimated to be $2.021 billion.  This does not include the contributions made by veterinarians to Alberta’s agriculture sector, which contributed $9.68 billion in GDP and employed 69,800 Albertans. As such, access to local veterinary services for farmers and livestock producers is essential for the sustainability of the primary agriculture industry as well as Alberta’s overall economy. Further, sustainability and growth of our small/mid-sized urban communities is dependent on access to veterinary services both today and in the foreseeable future.