Courses

To view all of the current courses in the DVM program, please visit the U of S Course and Program Catalogue. The following Subject Codes refer to all courses offered by the WCVM (DVM and graduate programs): 

  • VBMS — Veterinary Biomedical Sciences
  • VLAC — Large Animal Clinical Sciences
  • VSAC — Small Animal Clinical Sciences
  • VTMC — Veterinary Microbiology
  • VTPA — Veterinary Pathology
  • VINT — Veterinary Interdepartmental Studies

Academic calendar

Scholarships and bursaries

Over 170 various awards with an accumulated value of more than $330,000 are available to students enrolled in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine's DVM program.

The USask Academic Services and Financial Assistance Office administers some of these awards while others are overseen by the WCVM Awards Committee. Many of these scholarships and bursaries have specific deadline dates, selection criteria and submission requirements.

Application Process

Bursaries: To be eligible for any WCVM-administered bursaries, you must:

  • Complete the Financial Need Calculator on your PAWS account by the December 1 deadline date.

 Scholarships: To be eligible for WCVM-administered scholarships, you must:

  • Review the scholarship requirements below by the April 1 deadline.

Students wishing to apply for bursaries open to WCVM students must submit the online application for Continuing Bursaries and the Financial Need Calculator. 

Please note: by simply submitting the online forms, WCVM students will be considered for all awards.

 

Student organizations

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s student body is organized through the Western Canadian Veterinary Students’ Association (WCVSA). Its objectives are to:

  • instil a strong sense of professional pride and dignity in veterinary students
  • stimulate interest in professional organizations such as the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and provincial veterinary medical associations
  • promote awareness of the opportunities provided by these provincial, national and international veterinary organizations
  • promote the interests and welfare of veterinary students with regard to educational, social and athletic life

The WCVSA oversees all of the student-related matters and is governed by an executive council that’s elected by the student body. Members of the WCVSA Executive Council are elected each spring and meet periodically at the WCVSA president's request.

The 2021-22 WCVSA president is Jessica Jackson, while the WCVSA president-elect is Tamara Delport. 

WCVM students are encouraged to attend and actively participate in the WCVSA general meetings that are held every three months. Become an active member of your association!

Questions or concerns? Please email wcvsa.wcvm@usask.ca.

This club is a student chapter of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour. Membership provides WCVM students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of animal behaviour by attending lunch talks and field trips, and participating in the WCVM's Teaching Dog Training Program. Past events include stock dog and clicker training labs, as well as presentations on swine enrichment and animal behaviour cases in private practice.

This club strives to provide students the tools and resources needed to succeed in the veterinary business profession after the completion of their veterinary degree. Educational speakers and materials in the areas of client development, legal, financial, human resources and practice management augment the medical knowledge obtained at the WCVM. Lunch and after-school seminars/workshops are held regularly, fostering relationships between students and business leaders throughout Western Canada.
Members promote student participation and interest in veterinary emergency and critical care medicine through hands-on wet labs and small animal emergency teams, by providing information about further education and training, and by informing members about potential opportunities to gain work and volunteer experience. The club is a chapter of the Student Emergency and Critical Care Society (SVECCS).
Throughout the school year, club members offer equine wet labs, guest presentations and other activities that provide students with more insight into equine practice. As part of its community involvement, club members also organize an annual equine seminar day for local 4-H and Pony Club members. The WCVM Equine Club operates as a student chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and has access to AAEP-supported resources and events.


This organization provides students the opportunity to gain interpretive skills for radiology, as well as advanced imaging modalities such as MRI, CT, and ultrasound. Challenging and relevant clinical cases from all species are discussed in weekly, student-led rounds. This club also provides insight into career opportunities in the rapidly expanding field of veterinary medical imaging. Activities include weekly rounds (every Monday at lunch in Room 2104), wet labs, pizza lunch seminars and guest speakers.

The One-welfare Veterinary Outreach Initiative (OVO) offers veterinary students a way to engage in socially accountable activities in their communities by providing health promotion, and basic veterinary services to people and their pets who would otherwise not be able to access them.

This club also provides a space to have discussions about why and how we engage in socially accountable practice, introduces guest speakers, and brings the importance of socially accountable veterinary practice in Western Canada to the forefront.

As a student chapter of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, the WCVM Veterinary Pathology Club encourages student involvement in the field of veterinary pathology and introduces members to the diverse career opportunities available in the discipline.
This organization brings together students who are interested in production animals including cattle, swine and poultry as well as individuals who wish to gain additional knowledge and experience in theriogenology. The club organizes a variety of activities including wet labs, monthly rounds, field trips, seminars and guest speakers. The Production Animal Club also supports student members of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP) and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) as well as student members of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV).

This club brings together students who are interested in practising companion animal medicine. The club strives to expand students' knowledge beyond the classroom through various club activities including lunch-time seminars on relevant and upcoming topics. Members also aim to gain hands-on experience through supplementary wet labs. The club provides leadership, mentorship and externship opportunities for students through its partnerships with the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association.

Entirely organized by WVCM veterinary students, this two-day public exposition is held every two years at the college. The open house allows people of all ages to see a variety of displays, demonstrations and talks that showcase animal health care, research, veterinary careers and public health. Visit the Vetavision web site for more information.

The WCVM DIVERSE club is focused on creating an inclusive learning environment for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. 

The club provides a safe space for BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students and students with disabilities (and allies) to come together in solidarity to shine a much-needed light on racism, exclusion and discrimination within the veterinary field.

This club will serve as a source of information and education on proactive anti-racism and anti-discrimination for its members through discussions, guest speaker series and outreach initiatives. Finally, we hope this club will instil the confidence necessary for members to proudly and boldly promote a student and work environment free from discrimination.

As a branch of OVC (Ontario Veterinary College) DIVERSE, this club broadens its access to speakers, platforms and networks in the Canadian veterinary collegiate system.

The WCVM Pride club helps to provide a safe space for 2SLGBTQAI+ and ally veterinary students to come together in solidarity to work toward dismantling discrimination and encouraging expression of diversity in gender and sexual orientation within the veterinary field.

The club works with other groups such as WCVM DIVERSE, OVO, PrideVMC and OUTSaskatoon to provide students with guest speakers, educational resources and social events that support sexual diversity in our community. The club also hopes to work with these groups to lobby administration efforts to recruit and support more diversity among veterinary students. 

The Wild and Exotic Animal Medicine Society (WEAMS) is a non-profit organization that’s operated by student volunteers at the WCVM. When concerned citizens bring in ill or injured wildlife to WCVM’s Veterinary Medical Centre, WEAMS’ dedicated members work closely with supervising clinicians to provide care for these special patients. The goal is to fully rehabilitate all patients and to release them in their natural habitat. Visit www.weams.usask.ca.

This student-run club has the goal of acquiring and sharing knowledge on the health and diseases of wild animals in relation to their biology, conservation and interactions with humans and domestic animals. Members will have the opportunity to network with other students and professionals in the field of wildlife health, and to receive regular invitations to workshops, labs, seminars and social activities related to wildlife disease and health. We also host an annual karaoke night, a yearly dog sledding trip, camping and hiking trips, and other outdoor activities for members who like to get outside!

Student handbook & Policies

Employment

As a courtesy, the WCVM Student Services posts summer positions for western Canadian veterinary clinics that are seeking undergraduate veterinary students.

Please note: WCVM Student Services only posts the positions and does not serve as the main contact for the job listings. For further details, please check each posting's contact information. 

 

Rotations and Externships

During their fourth and final year, WCVM veterinary students complete a series of two- or four-week practical rotations in a range of disciplines and interest areas. The rotations provide students with an opportunity to develop, integrate and apply veterinary medical knowledge and skills in a clinical setting under faculty supervision.

While most of these rotations take place in the WCVM Medical Centre, some students also gain clinical and applied experience at locations outside of the WCVM.

Links

Submit completed forms to the WCVM Student Services Office (WCVM 4104.2). Note: Students are only permitted to make two changes to their clinical rotation during the year.

When expertise in a certain discipline or animal health area isn't available at the WCVM, senior veterinary students have the option of arranging an externship at another institution or practice in North America.

Before the externship application deadline, students must:

Within two weeks of completing their externships, students must:

  • submit an Externship Evaluation Form (available on the student portal)
Links

Contact

Dr. Chris Clark, Associate Dean, Academic, WCVM
WCVM 4115
Tel: 306-966-7409

Please direct all bookings related to Dr. Clark's role as Associate Dean to Shauna Quintin (shauna.quintin@usask.ca or 306-966-7459).

Paige Links, Manager of Student Services, WCVM
WCVM 4104.1
Tel: 306-966-7326 • Fax: 306-966-8747

Curriculum Manager, Student Services, WCVM
wcvm.curriculum@usask.ca