The Province of British Columbia is investing nearly $10.7 million to double its WCVM provincial seat quota from 20 to 40 in the college’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program for the 2022-23 academic year.  The press release from the government of BC can be found here.

The College of Veterinarians of British Columbia is pleased to hear the exciting news of the increase in seats for BC veterinary students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) from 20 to 40 starting in the fall of 2022.  This will help to alleviate the heavy workloads and veterinary shortages that have been identified as a critical issue in BC.  We appreciate the efforts of the Ministry of Advanced Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food,  the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the Society of British Columbia Veterinarians, and veterinarians and veterinary students who have all advocated to increase the number of BC veterinary student seats at the WCVM.  Veterinarians are essential to ensuring animal health, protecting public health, ensuring food safety, performing veterinary diagnostics, and advancing research and innovation and these additional seats will help to ensure the veterinary needs of BC continue to be met.  It is important to recognize that we need to continue to explore opportunities to support veterinarians in BC recognizing that the impacts of these new seats on the veterinary work force will not be realized for 4 years.