Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 66
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
Mentorship is embedded in the DNA of VCA Canada
A
fter graduating
from the Atlantic
Veterinary College
in May 2023, Roshan
McGuinness stepped
directly into his first role as an
associate veterinarian at North
End Animal Hospital in Halifax,
part of VCA Canada Ltd., a
network of veterinary hospitals
with headquarters in Calgary.
While the hospital’s welcoming
environment made the transition
smooth, McGuinness says it
was the company’s mentorship
program that truly set his
experience apart.
I think that’s the best
way to learn: to do
something hands on
as opposed to just
watching it.
— Roshan McGuiness
Associate Veterinarian
“When I started, I was paired
up with one of the doctors at the
clinic to be my mentor, and she
closely followed me throughout
those first core couple of months,”
says McGuinness. “But in general,
the whole team of other doctors,
including my mentor, helped me
with my surgical skills so I would
scrub in with them while they
did their surgeries. It was very
collaborative.”
That included an opportunity
to assist with a gastropexy, a
preventative procedure in dogs
that attaches the stomach to the
abdominal wall to prevent it from
twisting.
“The veterinarian in charge
allowed me to have an active role
in the surgical procedure,” says
A veterinary technician at VCA Canada assists with a patient examination.
McGuinness, who has a special
interest in preventative medicine
and soft tissue surgery. “I had
instruments in hand and was able
to do some of the incisions.
“You get only limited surgical
experience in veterinary school
so it was great to have different
people show me their skills and
how to improve. I think that’s the
best way to learn: to do something
hands on as opposed to just
watching it.”
Christine Michalko,
vice-president people and
organization, says mentoring
is a core part of VCA Canada’s
organizational culture. The
company has both a formal VCA
Academy mentorship program
for new veterinary graduates as
well as less structured informal
mentoring that happens regularly
within hospitals.
“We attract new veterinarians,
often coming into the organization
directly from school,” says
Michalko. “Getting them to be
comfortable with their new
roles takes time as well as some
mentorship from seasoned
veterinarians who have been
through different scenarios in
their careers. The graduates
lean on those mentors quite a lot
within their first few years.
“Mentorship is just part of our
DNA. The network of expertise
we have on our teams is quite
spectacular in terms of what we
can offer our associates from a
mentorship perspective.”
VCA Canada also provides
significant professional
development and learning
opportunities through multiple
pathways. In addition to its
mentorship and onboarding
programs, the company offers
continuing education through
WOOF University (an in-house
training and development
platform), scholarships for
veterinary technician programs
and continuing education funding
for employees. For example, the
company supported McGuinness
to do an ultrasound course at the
University of Guelph and attend
the recent Canadian Veterinary
