SIOUX LOOKOUT – With Ontario's looming shortage of veterinarians, Dryden Veterinary Services and the Municipality of Sioux Lookout saw a creative opportunity to fill a big gap for everyone's pets.
Led by the Dryden Veterinary Services, Sioux Lookout will be hosting a two-year pilot internship project where a registered veterinary technician will administer care through a mobile veterinary technician clinic in the spring.
Sioux Lookout’s economic development officer Jennifer Esposito said DVS has two internship positions open for those willing to work as an RVT in Sioux Lookout.
RVTs are trained to provide vaccination, dental care, X-rays, and lab work for the animals. They act as the front line in assessing the ailments of pets. Once all the information is gathered, a veterinarian from DVS can provide a diagnosis and prescribe medicine virtually, according to Esposito.
Esposito acknowledges that for more “complex cases or surgery, animals would need to be referred to Dryden.”
But, Esposito explained, “this would allow the RVT to assist with the physical exam to give the veterinarian more information and to obtain any lab samples that are needed to help the veterinarian make a diagnosis.”
An advantage of having an RVT working in Sioux Lookout is ensuring veterinary care is available for the animal without pet owners having to drive lengthy distances.
With the lack of veterinary services in the region, Northwestern Ontario has become a veterinary desert. Pet owners in Thunder Bay drive the four hours to seek help in Dryden. Much is the same in Sioux Lookout.
Therefore, the pilot project serves as a creative solution by cutting the workload in half.
"The motivation for this project was really about improving quality of life first and improving our ability to attract and retain labour," Esposito said.
"All of that is reliant on our community having access to proper services and pets are part of our family these days. The global veterinary crisis is affecting all communities, but especially the North. Sioux Lookout hasn't ever had a veterinarian. It was important to us to see some way that our residents can have a little bit less stress when it comes to caring for their fur babies."
“Imagine if you're dealing with an animal that's been hit by a car or having a seizure - imagine if there's a snowstorm when that's happening. And this is the pet of an elderly old woman who's on her own and doesn't have any family to support her for that drive. There are many instances where that can be stressful, even just a busy young family with several kids and you're trying to juggle work and extracurriculars, and now your animals have to have three hours just of transportation time to go and have a vaccine,” Esposito added.
Moving forward, DVS and Sioux Lookout are sending the word out to those individuals looking to take advantage of a $70,000 paid internship. Recruitment and retention of employment in the healthcare sector have put the region in a tough position.
Esposito explained: “DVS has just started recruiting and the pilot is contingent on finding those interns. They don't have expendable staff in Dryden to fully support this. We have to be able to find the capacity within, to look out for this to be sustainable.
“So, this is the important first piece in finding individuals who want to take on this opportunity, which is an excellent opportunity for somebody. Whether they're looking for a career change or just starting their career, I think it's really interesting and unique. And starting at $70 grand for a student, that's not bad. It's a good opportunity,” Esposito said.
“The intern would be developing their skills in Dryden a few days a week and obtaining the practical skills that they need. Then supporting an RVT and learning through observing and customer service and helping to restrain animals - like kind of being an assistant in Sioux Lookout until they get their licence. Then ideally those students would take over the operation of the Sioux Lookout facility after the program pilot ended as long as it was successful.”
For more information and eligibility requirements for the program, contact the Dryden Veterinary Services.
