Veterinarians Trained in Foreign Countries Offered Opportunity for Canadian Veterinary Certification

A program being offered by the Western College of Veterinarian Medicine and delivered in partnership with western Canadian veterinary practices is allowing veterinarians trained in foreign countries to qualify for veterinary certification in Canada.The SMART swine residency certification program, offered by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in partnership with swine veterinary practices in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan is providing the training necessary for foreign trained veterinarians to qualify to be licenced as a swine veterinarians in Canada.

Dr. John Harding, a professor of swine medicine with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says it's a three-year program in which students spend 70 percent of their time on clinical training, working on farm with veterinarians, and 30 percent doing course work and conducting research.

Quote-Dr. John Harding-Western College of Veterinarian Medicine:

Obviously these individuals are foreign trained veterinarians so they have a degree.They're present in Canada so they are either permanent residents or Canadian citizens and have a desire to stay in Canada, they need to have substantial knowledge and experience and interest in the swine industry and they need to have the grades from their undergraduate degree as well as the English language proficiency requirements to be eligible for a University of Saskatchewan graduate program.

When we recruit students we try to recruit a student or a resident who would work in their local community and try to avoid them having to move across the prairie provinces because of the disruption and the economic challenges that that will actually bring.So, they get their clinical training done within that practice environment that is in their local community where as the academic training, primarily the research and the course work that encompasses the research and the clinical training, that's delivered remotely by myself through WCVM and University of Saskatchewan.On completion of this program, the residents will have completed the requirements for a master of science degree as well for certification in swine health management by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

Information on the SMART swine residency certification program can be obtained by emailing john.harding@usask.ca.