2. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Faculty Information
Contact Information
Locations:
Foothills Campus
Cal Wenzel Precision Health
3280 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, AB
T2N 4Z6
Spy Hill Campus
Clinical Skills Building
11877-85 Street NW
Calgary, AB
T3R 1J3
W.A. Ranches
274237 Range Road
34 Rocky View County, AB
Student Information:
General Inquiries: 403.210.3961
DVM Admissions Inquiries: 403.220.8699
Graduate Studies Admission Inquiries: 403.210.6628
Clinical Training Programs Inquiries: 403.210.6116
Faculty Number: 403.210.3961
Email addresses:
General Inquiries: vetmed@ucalgary.ca
Dean’s Office: vetdean@ucalgary.ca
DVM Admissions Inquiries: vet.admissions@ucalgary.ca
Graduate Studies Admission Inquiries: vmgrad@ucalgary.ca
Website: vet.ucalgary.ca/
Introduction
The University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) offers an accredited program leading to a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and eligibility for licensure in North America. UCVM also offers graduate education and advanced clinical training programs. The DVM program is offered and administered by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Graduate studies under the supervision of UCVM faculty members are administered through the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Pattern
The DVM program, accredited by the AVMA-CVMA (American and Canadian Veterinary Medical Associations) Council on Education, provides a comprehensive general veterinary education covering all the major domestic species, including food-producing animals, equine and companion animals, and the major exotic animal species. It also includes public and ecosystem health, wildlife and conservation medicine, professional and communication skills, research skills, and comparative medicine.
Delivered over four calendar years (nine semesters) of instruction, the program combines on-campus and off-campus learning experiences. The first three years follow the university’s academic calendar and include classroom, laboratory, and experiential components, with optional extracurricular opportunities. The fourth (practicum) year consists of 40 weeks of practicum rotation experiences, plus additional days for assessment, delivered over a full calendar year.
The DVM curriculum, which integrates clinical medicine and surgery with pathology and basic sciences, ensures the best possible foundation on which to build any future career in the veterinary profession. Students will learn comparative medicine, acquire and practice clinical and professional skills, and develop diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic planning ability with early exposure to clinical material at the individual animal and population levels. The first three years also provide students with opportunities to align the direction and depth of their learning with their intended career goals.
Delivery of final year practicum rotations through the Distributed Veterinary Learning Community (DVLC). The DVLC comprises private and public veterinary practices, non-governmental organizations, federal and provincial agencies, and other animal industry partners who collaborate with UCVM faculty to create an engaging learning environment and excellent educational opportunities for our DVM students. By providing students with access to a large case load that includes many primary care cases, as well as more complex cases, the DVLC offers a wealth of clinical and professional experiences, preparing students for the diverse career opportunities within the veterinary profession. Spanning 12 months, the final year schedule allows students to experience seasonal variations in clinical cases.
Within the fourth year, general veterinary practice and rural community practice are emphasized. The remaining rotation blocks are tailored to the interests of the individual students through an offering of rotations which cover all major species and areas of veterinary medicine.
Opportunities
Graduates of the DVM program are eligible for licensure to practice in Canada, but the DVM degree does not itself confer the right to practice. The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) is the professional organization governing the practice of veterinary medicine in Alberta under the authority of the Veterinary Profession Act. Students interested in exploring matters relative to license to practice in Alberta should refer to the ABVMA website (abvma.ca). For information relative to license to practice in the other provinces in Canada, students should contact the appropriate provincial veterinary association.
Professional Conduct
The study of veterinary medicine places students in a position of special trust with their clients, patients, the public, and other health-care professionals. The UCVM recognizes that the preparation and learning of veterinarians occurs both inside and outside the classroom and has the responsibility to ensure that its veterinary students and graduates are competent conduct themselves in accordance with the standards and expectations of the profession. If there is evidence that the student has acted in a manner that may be deemed harmful to oneself or others, or commits any other serious contravention of any associated University of Calgary policies, including the Student Non-Academic Misconduct Policy, as well as the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) legislation, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Codes of Practice, and the CVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics there may be grounds for determining whether the student should continue in the program, with or without conditions, or be dismissed from the DVM program.
ABVMA Legislation: Regulations, Policies, Standards, and Act:
https://www.abvma.ca/site/about/legislation?nav=mainsidebarCVMA Codes of Practice:
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/policy-and-outreach/codes-of-practice/CVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics:
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/about-cvma/principles-of-veterinary-medical-ethics-of-the-cvma/
Students are expected to ensure they are both familiar with and comply with these standards.
Student Services
The UCVM Student Experience Office is the main point of contact for our undergraduate veterinary students for all non-academic related matters, which includes learning resources, academic accommodations, wellness support with our UCVM dedicated counsellor, leadership opportunities and so much more.
Office email: ucvmstud@ucalgary.ca
Office hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm, Mondays to Fridays
Resources
UCVM has three locations:
The Foothills Campus, located approximately one kilometre south of the main campus of the University of Calgary and functions as home-base for the Faculty, containing faculty and administrative offices, educational space, the Health Sciences Library, a student bookstore, food services, and many of the core research facilities. The Dean’s Office is located on the second floor of the Cal Wenzel Precision Health Building.
W.A. Ranches is a 19,000 acre commercial cow/calf operation located north of Cochrane, 30 minutes from the Spy Hill Campus. The purpose of the ranch is for teaching and learning, research and community engagement.
The Spy Hill Campus, including the Clinical Skills Building, the Veterinary Sciences Research Station and the Wildlife Research Station are located approximately 17 kilometres north-west of the Foothills campus. The Clinical Skills Building (CSB) is the site of clinical and professional skills education during the first three years of the DVM program. The CSB has educational facilities for anatomy, animal handling, medical exercises, surgical exercises, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic support, and pathology instruction. There are outside holding pens for cattle and horses, and kennel facilities for dogs and cats. The CSB also has classrooms, small group teaching rooms, laboratory facilities, and all the necessary support areas. Primary student support services are provided at the Foothills Campus and main campus; however, additional administrative and student support space (e.g. kitchen, lounge area, learning commons) are available at the CSB to support students and activities while they are at that location. The Wildlife Research Station and the Veterinary Sciences Research Station, also located at the Spy Hill campus, support the educational and research activities of the Faculty.
The first three years of the DVM program are delivered predominantly at the Foothills and Spy Hill Campuses, with students spending time at each site. Students are responsible for their own travel between sites, with classes scheduled to allow full day activities at each site. During the final year of the DVM program, students complete their practicum rotations on and off campus. Most practicum rotations occur in private veterinary practices and other institutional settings that together constitute the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s Distributed Veterinary Learning Community. The off-campus sites are distributed across Alberta and beyond, including international sites. As part of the DVM program, students must participate in learning opportunities at partner sites and may be required to live in close proximity to the site to facilitate on-call responsibilities. While travel support is provided, students are responsible for their travel arrangements to partner locations and for their own accommodation arrangements.