In 2001, the World Veterinary Association (WVA) established World Veterinary Day, a day to be celebrated on the last Saturday of April. The aim of World Veterinary Day is to promote the veterinary profession and work on improvement of animal and human welfare, the environment, food safety, and practices of animal transport and quarantine. World Veterinary Day 2022, will celebrate efforts from veterinarians, veterinary technologists, veterinary associations and others to strengthen veterinary resilience and bring attention to this important vocation. 

The theme of World Veterinary Day 2022 is: Strengthening Veterinary Resilience 

When announcing the theme for World Veterinary Day 2022, on worldvet.org, the WVA stated that "Resilience cannot be facilitated solely by individual veterinarians though. It requires appropriate support by associations, institutions and governments to ensure adequate education, training, mentorship, and collegiality. It also requires ongoing research to better understand the mental and physical burdens veterinarians face and the opportunities to provide greater support."  

The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) has been diligently working to support veterinarians and veterinary teams, and to monitor the mental and physical burdens of the veterinary profession here in Alberta. The ABVMA completed a workforce study and economic impact assessment of the industry in 2021, and has continued to engage in ongoing meetings and discussions with key stakeholder groups to address the challenges facing the veterinary profession. The ABVMA is pleased to acknowledge the Government of Alberta’s commitment to veterinary education, with Budget 2022, in which they announced an investment in the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) and advanced education in Alberta. $59 million over the next three years is allocated for infrastructure to expand UCVM. The Alberta Government has also allocated a further $171 million to additional post secondary schools in the province to expand enrolment by 7000 seats in targeted occupations. Veterinary programs such as animal health technology programs will be eligible to apply for funding under this announcement.

Celebrating the Veterinary Industry in Alberta

The ABVMA is proud to celebrate all veterinary professionals on World Veterinary Day, especially those veterinarians and veterinary technologists who call Alberta home. Safeguarding animals against illness means protecting those who can suffer but cannot speak. Veterinarians, as well as the entire veterinary team, are called upon to ensure these animals have a voice and an advocate who ensures their welfare is a priority. Veterinary professionals are aware though that this burden can be physically and mentally taxing. Healthy animals require healthy advocates. Resilient veterinary professionals are better equipped to handle the daily challenges and crises that may occur in their practices.

This year’s theme of Strengthening Veterinary Resilience is very appropriate for us in Alberta as veterinarians in our province have faced many challenges during the past few years, especially during the pandemic. Veterinary teams in our province are busier than ever. There are an estimated 3,700 pets for every veterinary team in Alberta. Having pet owners plan ahead for vaccinations, regular exams and routine visits is invaluable to veterinarians and vet teams. Having pet owners understand the challenges that Alberta veterinary practices are facing and provide understanding could make all the difference to the veterinary professional working in the industry in our province.

The ABVMA would also like to highlight and thank the efforts veterinarians and their teams make in food animal medicine and production, zoo and exotic medicine, government, research, academia, industry and one health. Veterinarians work in numerous different roles above and beyond seeing pets in practice.   

On April 30th, we encourage you to set aside a moment to recognize your veterinarian, veterinary technologist, and their team, or veterinarians working in other areas of veterinary medicine that you may interact with. Thank them if you are able, as they would greatly appreciate it. The world needs veterinary professionals. Not just because our animals need doctors, or food production needs to be safe, but because the world needs more professionals who are selfless, caring, compassionate individuals who will stop at nothing to ensure the health and welfare of all animals.

To learn more about World Veterinary Day on April 30, 2022, please visit the World Veterinary Association's site: https://worldvet.org/