Shortage of veterinarians in B.C. has regulatory body worried about mental health of those working
CBC
British Columbia is in dire need of more veterinarians and the regulatory body for the industry is sounding the alarm about the mental health impact of heavy workloads on those currently trying to meet the increasing demand for their services.
According to the College of Veterinarians of B.C., the shortage is expected to continue for years based on the projected number of new graduates versus those leaving the profession.
Many practising vets say they are already overworked — and with high rates of suicide in the profession, the college is concerned.
"We're short 100 veterinarians a year for the next five years, and we're only graduating 20 veterinarians from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine," said Michele Martins, council vice-president for the college.
There are only five veterinary schools in Canada and only 20 seats are currently available for B.C. residents at Western College, which is in Saskatoon. The only other school west of Ontario, Quebec or the Atlantic region is in Alberta and only Albertans can attend that one.
Martins says one way to help get this province's vet numbers up would be to provide funding to add 20 more seats for B.C. residents at Western College.
More colleagues would be welcome relief for Marco Veenis, a Kelowna, B.C.-based vet with three decades on the job.