Tough testing process for foreign trained veterinarians

Jan 25, 2023

A key challenge for the livestock sector is the shortage of veterinarians ...especially large animal vets.

As with the medical profession, we see international vets immigrating to the country that are looking to practice in Canada.

In order to do so they must complete a Clinical Proficiency Examination at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dean Dr. Gillian Muir says they are the only institution in Canada to offer the four-day exam which they host three or four times a year.

"The applicants for this exam need to demonstrate their competency in a number of areas that cover the breadth of what veterinarians do in Canada. So food animal practice, equine practice, surgery, anesthesia, small animal medicine, medical imaging, a whole number of the regular work that veterinarians do all the time."

She says this is the final step of a lengthy process.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.