Veterinary School Admission — A comment

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Dr. Francis’ comments about “Veterinary School Admission” published in the November 2017 issue of The Canadian Veterinary Journal (CVJ;58:1145–1146). While I appreciate the standpoint offered in Dr. Wichtel’s response, I would like to provide another perspective and some additional evidence in support of Ontario Veterinary College’s (OVC) practices.

As a previous OVC faculty member and participant in the admission process (including the Multiple Mini Interview format) for 3 years, I echo Dr. Wichtels’ sentiments and that of the evidence he provided, which states that the process is reliable and feasible in selecting candidates for the DVM program.

Additionally, as an advocate for wellness in the veterinary profession, I feel called to specifically respond to Dr. Francis’ question “Why are we admitting second career people as veterinarians?” As someone who grew up with both parents as veterinarians, I understand the feeling that “veterinary medicine is in one’s blood.” I knew from a young age that I wanted to follow my parents’ path into veterinary medicine and subsequently was accepted into the Western College Veterinary Medicine DVM program at the age of 19. However, it would be untrue for me to claim that this benefited me in any way, as I felt far less mature, prepared, or competent than my older classmates who had already completed bachelors and masters degrees or who had pursued other careers.

With the growing concerns about mental health and well-being in the veterinary profession, I think it behooves us to consider who we are selecting for the DVM program. Recent research investigating factors associated with resilience in medical students has shown that older age is associated with increased resilience scores (1). This might be due to anatomical maturation within the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for complex cognitive behavior, decision-making, and personality expression that occurs during young adulthood (age 23 to 25 years old). So, while it might seem that children or even late adolescents (age 18 to 19 years old) know for certain the career path they wish to pursue, research suggests that incomplete brain maturation might prevent optimum cognition and decision-making at that age (2). Although this does not mean that admission of younger adults to the DVM program is detrimental, I believe there is more evidence in the literature to support the admission of older adults, especially into academic programs that are as demanding and stressful as veterinary medicine.

Ultimately, how old a person is when they decide to pursue a career in veterinary medicine should not be a determining factor in admitting them to veterinary school.