AVC hosts successful 2021 Dr. Tim Ogilvie AVC Vet Camp
After a hiatus in 2020 because of COVID-19, the Dr. Tim Ogilvie AVC Vet Camp was back in full swing this summer at the Atlantic Veterinary College. In the month of July, 200 young people from across Canada discovered what life as a veterinarian is like during four one-week camps for junior and senior high school students.
The participants took part in a variety of interactive activities including viewing surgeries; learning about anatomy, pathology, and radiology; checking out microscopes; getting hands-on with large and small animal physicals; clicker training; animal welfare; and more. They also went on field trips that included a local dairy farm and the PEI Humane Society.
New to the vet camp program this year was a bursary program designed to engage Indigenous youth to learn about veterinary medicine and STEM disciplines. Seven Indigenous youth from Atlantic Canada attended the camp with the help of bursaries supported by Nestle Purina Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and AVC.
One bursary recipient wrote after her experience at the camp: “Although I am going into Grade 10 this coming September, I have always dreamed of pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Because of attending the AVC Camp last week, I am even more excited to follow this career path. Thanks to this opportunity and bursary, I am determined to accomplish this goal!”
Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC, expressed his pleasure at the resumption of the College’s vet camp program.
“After having to cancel our 2020 vet camp program because of the pandemic, it was such a pleasure to see the young people in the College again. I am particularly pleased with the success of our Indigenous bursary program and look forward to seeing it expand in future.”
