The Lloydminster Animal Hospital receive the 2018 Mentorship/Leadership Award for their work with up and coming veterinarians.
The clinic received the award this past weekend, although the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association usually honours on an individual basis. Veterinarian Trent Wennekamp says the clinic was nominated by former student Al Chicoine who is now a professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
“He experienced that mentorship that we provided for him way back then. He knew that it was a group thing that the clinic had done for him and that we have all been providing that, so he wanted to recognize the clinic as a whole.”
The clinic has taken a focus on mentoring new veterinarians, technicians, receptionists and other members of the profession. Wennekamp believes there might be some increase in people trying to learn at the clinic.
“Lots of young people want to become veterinarians, it’s very common we get requests. We try and accommodate as many as we can. There are not very many days that go by where we don’t have somebody here that is being mentored in some aspect.”
Wennekamp says it’s an honour to win the award but doesn’t believe there will be a huge impact on the clinic. The hospital will continue with normal operations with a new plaque hanging on their wall.
“I think the main reason we won the award was due to mentorship, Just helping young people to pursue a passion for veterinary medicine. That’s something we do every day and I think it’s going to be a continuation of that.”