JANuary
      24,
      2006
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Hard
      Road
      to
      Becoming
      a
      Vet
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Will
      Cooper
     
     
      News
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Atlantic
      Veterinary
     
     
      College
      is
      one
      of
      only
     
     
      three
      English
      language
     
     
      veterinary
      schools
      in
      all
      of
     
     
      Canada.
      Each
      year,
      there
     
     
      are
      60
      places
      open
      to
      new
     
     
      students
      at
      the
      AVC.
     
     
      According
      to
      Timothy
      H.
     
     
      Ogilvie,
      Dean
      of
     
     
      Veterinary
      Medicine,
      3-4
     
     
      times
      as
      many
      qualified
     
     
      students
      typically
      apply.
     
    

    
     
      By
      “qualified
      students”,
     
     
      explains
      Ogilvie,
      he
      means
      students
     
     
      who
      have
      received
      exceptionally
      high
     
     
      marks
      in
      the
      required
      Science,
      Math,
     
     
      and
      English
      courses
      (generally
      in
      the
     
     
      high
      80s),
      as
      well
      as
      exhibit
      strong
     
     
      people
      skills.
     
    

    
     
      One
      student,
      Jennifer
      Lussing,
     
     
      with
      a
      degree
      in
      Biology,
      feels
      the
     
     
      requirements
      ate
      too
      much.
      “I
      got
      good
     
     
      marks
      in
      most
      of
      the
      required
      coutses,”
     
     
      says
      Lussing,
      “but
      the
      AVC
      requires
     
     
      that
      all
      your
      courses
      be
      taken
      in
      a
      full
     
     
      five-out-of-five
      course
      load.
      So
      if
      I
     
     
      want
      to
      have
      a
      chance
      of
      getting
      in,
      I
     
     
      have
      to
      go
      back
      and
      do
      another
      two
     
     
      years
      of
      school.”
     
    

    
     
      Yet,
      even
      with
      the
      entry
     
     
      requirements
      being
      as
      demanding
      as
     
     
      they
      are,
      it
      is
      likely
      that
      every
      year
     
     
      mote
      than
      200
      qualified
      students
      will
     
     
      compete
      for
      the
      mere
      60
      prized
      places.
     
     
      Despite
      this,
      Ogilvie
      does
      not
      foresee
     
     
      the
      College
      expanding
      to
      meet
      the
     
     
      demands
      of
      students
      any
      time
      soon.
     
     
      Why
      not?
     
    

    
     
      The
      problem
      is
      not
      that
      we
     
     
      can’t
      use
      more
      veterinarians
      in
      Atlantic
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada.
      It’s
      that
      the
     
     
      governments
      of
      Atlantic
     
     
      Provinces
      are
      unwilling
      or
     
     
      unable
      to
      pay
      for
      them.
     
     
      The
      AVC,
      you
      see,
      like
     
     
      most
      vet
      schools,
      is
      a
      not-
     
     
      for-profit
      institution.
     
     
      Students
      are
      charged
      only
     
     
      a
      fraction
      of
      what
      it
     
     
      actually
      costs
      to
      educate
     
     
      them.
      The
      governments
      of
     
     
      this
      region
      are
      expected
      to
     
     
      foot
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      bill.
      In
      return
      for
     
     
      their
      contributions,
      the
      provinces
     
     
      receive
      a
      number
      of
      places
      for
      their
     
     
      students
      at
      the
      AVC
      proportional
      to
     
     
      the
      amount
      of
      money
      they
      contribute.
     
     
      Nova
      Scotia
      pays
      for
      16
      places
      for
     
     
      students
      from
      its
      region.
      New
     
     
      Brunswick
      pays
      for
      13,
      Prince
      Edward
     
     
      Island
      10,
      and
      Newfoundland
      and
     
     
      Labrador
      2.
      In
      addition,
      19
      seats
      are
     
     
      marketed
      annually
      to
      international
     
     
      students.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      there
      is
      a
      light
      at
      the
     
     
      end
      of
      the
      tunnel
      for
      all
      of
      the
      vet
     
     
      school
      hopefuls
      out
      there.
      Ogilvie
     
     
      predicts
      that,
      if
      the
      current
      trend
      of
     
     
      supply
      versus
      demand
      for
      veterinarians
     
     
      continues,
      by
      the
      year
      2015
      there
      will
     
     
      be
      a
      significant
      enough
      shortage
      of
     
     
      vets
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada
      that
      the
     
     
      provinces
      will
      likely
      have
      to
      do
     
     
      something
      about
      it.
      Like
      build
      a
      bigger
     
     
      AVC.
      Meanwhile,
      the
      75%
      of
      students
     
     
      who
      devote
      countless
      years,
      tears,
      and
     
     
      dollars
      into
      preparing
      for
      vet
      school
     
     
      only
      to
      be
      denied
      entrance
      will
      just
     
     
      have
      to
      keep
      waiting,
      working,
      and
     
     
      hoping...
     
    
   
   
    
     
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