Mentorship and Opportunities

P2P1 Guide Program 

The P2P1 Guide Program pairs a first-year practice group with two second year student veterinarians to discuss and discover life as a student at OVC throughout their first year, starting prior to first year orientation. The program offers students entering the program the opportunity to ask questions about classes, textbooks, study tips, useful resources at OVC, volunteering and extra-curricular activities. The P2P1 guides are recruited over the summer prior to their entry into Phase 2.

This program is not intended to be a counselling service. If you’d like services to talk about personal wellbeing, there are resources on campus to help including OVC Peer Helpers and professional counsellors through Counselling Services who can help you with serious life issues.

Veterinary Mentorship Program

Every second year, students in phases one and two have the opportunity to choose their main fields of interest, and are assigned veterinarians as a mentors. Mentors work in an area of interest that the student shares and lives within traveling distance to OVC for in-person exchange. Mentors volunteer their time to meet and talk to DVM students, sharing their knowledge and experiences and career modelling.

Mentorship helps student veterinarians build relationships and contacts within the veterinary community and explore veterinary careers of interest.

Mentor activities might include group chatting virtually on Facebook, Teams or Zoom, dinners at a local restaurant, outings to industry events or conferences, potlucks and/or volunteering at your mentor's clinic or place of work. Groups are open to new and creative ways to make connections.

Summer Career Opportunities and Research Exploration (CORE) Program

The Summer Career Opportunities and Research Exploration (CORE) Program offers Bachelor of Science, DVM and other students the opportunity to work on primary research/educational activities with faculty advisors during the summer break from May to August. The program works in conjunction with the Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) and Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) programs, which offer students the chance to work with faculty on novel or on-going research projects. 

CORE includes a round table discussion series with veterinarians and scientists working in diverse and intriguing areas, field trips to scientific conferences, cutting-edge research facilities and the Metro Toronto Zoo, and professional development workshops to prepare for conference-style sessions.

Students get the opportunity to share project advancements and/or results with peers and the OVC community through poster presentations in mid-August. Registration for CORE starts in May.

How the CORE Program is funded

The New Opportunities Career Path funds the program through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) Special Grant program at OVC. Two students are funded by the Boehringer Ingleheim Veterinary Scholars Program and others through internal awards.