Melodie Bingham
Jan. 28, 2021
Vet Med faculty develops virtual experiences for Stoney Nakoda youth
The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program is one of the more hands-on programs offered at 草莓污视频导航, with many clinical skills courses requiring in-person learning. Over the course of the continuing pandemic, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) has worked hard to ensure safe and physically distanced ways for students to hone their skills in large and small animal labs.
So, how do you give high school students a similar experience and a taste of veterinary life if you can鈥檛 be with them in person?
That was the challenge facing UCVM鈥檚 Dr. Catherine Wagg, DVM, senior instructor of clinical pathology, when it came to this year鈥檚 school outreach initiative at the Stoney Nakoda Nation.
鈥淭he goal is to present veterinary medicine as a potential career option to Indigenous youth,鈥 says Wagg, who along with Dr. Tessa Baker, DVM, a project specialist, and Dr. Aylin Atilla, DVM, associate professor at UCVM, put their heads together to find a creative way to virtually connect with students.
鈥淏y going out there and showing them a glimpse of what this profession is like, we hope to break down barriers and help support interested students on their journey to becoming veterinarians.鈥
PPE and diagnosing Charlie the dog over Zoom
With support from an Ii鈥檛aa鈥檖oh鈥檛o鈥檖 Indigenous Strategy Intercultural Capacity Building grant, the team purchased personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, including masks, gloves, and gowns to help the students feel and look the part.
Wagg says the grant was due to expire in August 2020, but because of the challenges around COVID-19 and in-person community-based projects, the funding was extended until the end of the year. This enabled them to purchase supplies for the student activities, as well as tobacco and honoraria for the Elders involved.
From there the team began to put together a presentation that would walk students in the school鈥檚 biology classes through the process of diagnosing a sick dog, making the decision to operate, and eventually extracting an ingested ball from the dog鈥檚 intestine.
They had the help of Stoney Nakoda Elder Alice Kaquitts,聽who has worked with the UCVM team to incorporate Stoney language into past year鈥檚 live, and this year鈥檚 Zoom, presentations. Wagg says as a member of the UCVM-Stoney Nakoda Advisory Council, she is an encouraging voice to Stoney students who may be considering animal health studies and veterinary medicine.
鈥淭he teachers聽as well as the principal and vice-principal joined in,鈥 says Melodie Bingham, Morley Community School鈥檚 guidance counsellor and school lead for this initiative. 鈥淲e were all very invested in Charlie the dog!鈥
Taking their culture with them
Bingham emphasizes how important initiatives like this are to not only bridge barriers for Indigenous students聽but also show them they can achieve their goals without leaving聽their culture behind.
鈥淲hen I was a teacher, back in the day, a student brought a frog back from the river in a jar,鈥 says Bingham. 鈥淲hen an Elder saw that, she returned the frog to its natural habitat, because you can鈥檛 take animals out of nature to keep as a pet. Stoney-Nakoda people are stewards of animals and if our students want to become veterinarians, they have to take teachings from Elders as their responsibility to share with others.鈥
It鈥檚 a journey
To help bring veterinary medicine and UCVM to life and contextualize it within the Stoney culture, Wagg and her team have been working with Morley School Elder Duane Mark to translate key aspects of UCVM鈥檚 virtual summer camp website into the Stoney language. The 聽will be provided to students to give them more information and insight into the profession outside of these annual engagements with the faculty.
鈥淭his process is a journey,鈥 says Wagg. 鈥淲e return to the community regularly, each time widening the pathway to those interested in veterinary medicine. It鈥檚 about more than just these visits. It鈥檚 about mentorship and building relationships between UCVM and Stoney Nakoda students.鈥