Standing on the front steps of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), you can feel the history steeped in the building’s 19th century façade. In contrast, the modern additions to the left at the Lifetime Learning Centre (LLC) indicate that change and innovation build upon tradition and convention.
The College’s footprint takes up an entire city block, housing four departments and a working hospital treating large and companion animals. However, what goes into teaching the students in this space goes further than just its walls.
Inside the front doors are collections of artifacts from classes long since graduated, surrounded by the bustling of students training in very different circumstances today. On any given day, you might see students observing the art of client communication in suites equipped with two rooms that feature a window between them so students can watch or practice client communication with professors and peers. In the lab across the way, some students will be learning hands-on skills using models to clean teeth or practice suturing.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students at OVC are trained over four one-year phases. Here, students have diverse opportunities for hands-on experiential learning and interdisciplinary training in on-site facilities for companion and large animals.
Luca Defilippis, Phase 1, Class of 2027- “Everything feels like it is starting to click and relate back to each other, and it is a great feeling being able to understand and think about things that directly apply content covered in lectures in a real-life setting.”
Luca Defilippis’s journey to becoming a veterinarian started before he ever stepped foot in OVC. For him and many aspiring veterinarians, there was value in gaining some core animal experiences as a high school student and undergraduate to strengthen his application.
“From a very young age, I started growing my experience with animals, starting with fostering animals, which led to a job at PetSmart, and eventually, to working alongside some of the most brilliant veterinarians and technicians in an emergency hospital setting,” Defilippis says. “My experience applying [to OVC] was definitely stressful, but what got me through was keeping my goals in mind and pushing forward despite adversity.”
During the first year, students like Defilippis are introduced to some of the core sciences required to solve problems, think critically, and evaluate information using anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology and pathology. At the same time, they begin to develop the professional skills that guide the ethics, morals and scientific principles that a veterinarian needs to work with animals and communicate with clients.
By the end of Phase 1, students have already developed some proficiency in core veterinary techniques used to evaluate small and large animal health. This includes identifying normal and abnormal tissue, safely conducting routine exams, working with clients to establish relevant medical history for patients, handling surgical instruments and basic suturing.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunities we get in Phase 1 to work directly with cows and horses in the barn and dogs through skills practice,” Defilippis explains.
When asked what pet owners should take away about how veterinarians are trained, Defilippis wants to reassure them that OVC’s education is rigorous, and constantly evolving, equipping students with the tools and knowledge to serve their patients effectively. “From the very start of the program, we are fully immersed in the world of veterinary medicine. Whether that be hands-on training, client communication simulations, emotional intelligence training or comprehensive lectures. There is an understanding among veterinary students, as future practitioners, that we have a duty to keep our understanding of the field current and relevant. We are always learning what is new and developing in the world of veterinary medicine, in these walls and beyond.”
Tula Sifling, Phase 2, Class of 2026- “Pathology is one of my special interests, so it’s been amazing to be provided with specimens on a regular basis where we get to practice identifying and describing lesions. I believe this is also a very valuable skill to have for thorough physical exams and necropsies as a clinician.”
Tula Sifling knew from an early age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.
Sifling was born with an autoimmune disorder that meant her body could get really sick in response to severe infections. The disorder meant she spent time among many doctors, one of whom left an impression. While pretending to be a puppy at a doctor’s appointment, her doctor played along and pretended to be her veterinarian. After that, she never wanted to be anything else.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Sifling has attended the University of Guelph as an international student, starting with her undergraduate degree. She bolstered her application to the DVM program – which accepts anywhere from 20 to 25 international students per year in each cohort – by gaining experience working in veterinary clinics, a zoo and shadowing equine and dairy veterinarians. The day she found out she had been accepted to the DVM program she had spent the previous night on-call in the Large Animal Hospital helping with surgery.
As a Phase 2 student, Sifling and her peers will learn how to use pharmaceuticals, order proper diagnostic testing, treatments and preventative medicine, make evidencebased decisions when interpreting test results and apply that information to a case, and develop treatment plans.
They are working to expand their professionalism and understand their legal and ethical responsibilities, while also learning about disease control and spread among domestic species.
“This year, we’re learning about a lot of the drugs and diseases that we will be faced with as veterinarians,” Sifling reflects.
She’s hoping to use this knowledge in her summer position at a local clinic and an upcoming trip with Global Vets to Costa Rica and Panama.
In Phase 2, students are expanding their hands-on skills by becoming familiar with dermatology and neurology, learning and applying emergency management knowledge, understanding reproduction for common domestic animals and expanding their surgical skills to include draping, hand scrubbing, gowning and gloving.
One of Sifling’s favourite aspects of Phase 2 has been the training in anesthesiology.
“We learned and practiced the important nerve blocks on both large and small animal patients, which is an important part of making patients comfortable and safe during surgical procedures as a clinician, so I really appreciated the ability to practice these skills early on,” Sifling says.
Kiara Seow, Phase 3, Class of 2025- “I am most excited about being able to experience interesting cases and surgeries while experiencing rural medicine.”
Kiara Seow, in Phase 3, finds the sheer number of paths a veterinarian can take within their field to be the most interesting aspect of her career.
“I am most passionate about small animals and exotics, community outreach and emergency medicine specialties,” she says. “It’s an important goal of mine to increase access to care for exotic species in Ontario, which is limited right now.”
Phase 3 has offered Seow a larger window to learn about and understand the work that goes into treating exotic animals.
“My favourite course this year has been comparative medicine,” Seow says. “Learning about reptile, avian, and small mammal species I wish to work with in the future as a veterinarian has been extremely exciting and intriguing.”
By the end of Phase 3, students will be able to identify and describe common diseases across a variety of species, know and select what tests are needed to make a diagnosis, provide treatment and prevent disease, understand the business concepts they require for their own veterinary practice and identify and evaluate welfare issues. Phase 3 also marks the first time students will apply their surgical theory skills on real-life patients, which they do in groups of three to perform spay and neuter operations on companion animals.
“The most exciting part of third year has been connecting the dots to come up with diagnoses based on everything we’ve learned this year and the foundation of knowledge we’ve built over the previous two years,” she says.
For Seow, the transition between Phase 2 and 3 was more challenging than expected. On top of demanding course loads, students are organizing some of the key clinical experiences they will have in Phase 4.
In the summer between the third and fourth phase, students complete an eightweek externship at a veterinary clinic, which is often their first opportunity to self-direct their learning and apply their skills in a large or small animal clinical setting before starting clinical rotations in Phase 4.
This summer, Seow will travel to Cranbrook, British Columbia for her externship.
“The clinic is located in an area that does not have emergency hospitals nearby, which means they do a lot of on-call emergencies and surgeries that a typical general practice clinic wouldn’t do,” Seow says.
Lauren Bowers, Phase 4, Class of 2024- “I truly attribute my resiliency and ability to perform well in an emergency setting to my career in the CAF, both of which are incredibly important skills as I enter into emergency medicine in the spring.”
During Phase 4 of the program, students enter one of four areas of emphasis that they want to focus their practice on: small animal, rural community practice, equine or food animal. The courses they will take in their final year are primarily hands-on with core and elective rotations that help students gain experience and practice what they’ve learned.
Lauren Bowers’s experience in the DVM program was altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. From the beginning of Phase 1, all learning was moved fully online. That led her to appreciate the in-person, hands-on experiences of Phase 3 and 4 even more.
“My favourite part of this year is treating real patients each and every day, being in person surrounded by amazing mentors and my classmates, and being able to focus my learning on my passions, which include surgery, emergency medicine and treating working dogs,” she says.
Bowers finished her externship in Australia, with additional Phase 4 placements on different coasts of Canada, giving her the chance to travel and experience veterinary care in diverse locations globally.
It wasn’t until Bowers entered her fourth year and experienced an emergency that she realized the cumulative effect of nearly eight years’ worth of schooling and practical placements.
“During an external elective, I had an extremely critical patient present to the emergency room, and I was quickly tested on what to do,” Bowers explains. “Without any time to think, I answered my mentor’s questions and jumped right in with the team to revive this animal. After the chaos subsided, I realized all the knowledge I needed was right there in front of me and all those hard years of training helped save a life. This moment was pivotal for realizing my potential as a future veterinarian and proved how crucial all the hands-on training is.”
During her undergraduate degree and veterinary schooling, Bowers served as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), something she says benefitted her in training as a veterinarian.
“Working in the CAF taught me teamwork, leadership and how to work efficiently and effectively in a highly stressful, fast-paced environment,” she explains.
This story, written by Katie Duncan, originally appeared in Best Friends magazine (Spring/Summer 2024).
Images in this story (top to bottom):
- Luca Defilippis stands on the front steps of OVC’s main building facing Gordon Street. Defilippis wears his blue coat, which DVM students receive during OVC’s Blue Coat Ceremony, symbolizing the start of their training. He will exchange his blue coat for a white one at the end of Phase 3. Photos by Katie Duncan.
- Tula Sifling from Phase 2 stands in the Lifetime Learning Centre outside of the client communication suites where students learn to communicate with pet owners while also getting to observe their professors and peers.
- Kiara Seow stands outdoors in front of the OVC Health Sciences Centre.
- Lauren Bowers stands in the surgical and anaesthesia wing of the OVC Health Sciences Centre.