Veterinarians globally are reported to face high levels of occupational stress and mental health challenges. In response, Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph developed a formal wellbeing curriculum centered on positive psychology concepts, integrated across its four-year DVM program. Led by Andria Jones, DVM (professor at OVC trained in positive psychology), supported by Jennifer Reniers (educational developer), and guided by faculty and its Curriculum Committee, OVC drafted wellbeing learning outcomes and embedded scaffolded wellbeing content within extant courses (Art of Veterinary Medicine) in Years 1-3. In Year 4, a one-week elective wellbeing rotation is offered.
Year 1: The focus is on mindset and building a strong wellbeing foundation amongst high academic demands. The content includes nine domains of wellbeing: Wellbeing Strategies, Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets, Learner vs. Judger Paths, Thinking Traps/Thought Distortions, Thought Reframing, Imposter Phenomenon, Help-Seeking, Self-Efficacy, Character Strengths, and Mental Health Literacy. Students complete 12 photo assignments (1% each; pass/fail), documenting them engaging in wellbeing activities (e.g., physical activity, cooking, making a budget) along a brief written reflection of their impact. A capstone project (8%; pass/fail) invites students to reflect on their experiences, course content, personal learnings, and plans for maintaining future wellbeing in a format of their choice (e.g., written document, blog-type article, video).
Year 2: Students expand their learning with concepts of self-compassion, emotional intelligence, personal boundaries/assertiveness, and mind-body techniques delivered via formal instruction and in-class worksheets for reflection, discovery, and application. Students apply concepts to personal challenges and reflect on how they may respond differently. Assessment includes written reflections on wellbeing skills used during simulated client communication labs.
Year 3: Students are introduced to personal values, meaning and purpose, moral stress/ injury, and trauma-informed client care. Assessment is through guided written reflections on their personal discoveries.
Year 4: This 1-week, 35-hour rotation revisits concepts covered in Years 1-3 and expands with additional concepts delivered by content experts from the larger academic community: physical activity, nutrition, yoga, financial wellbeing, gratitude, and leadership. The rotation is offered four times per year with five to eight students per rotation.
Student and Faculty Reaction
Feedback on the curriculum is largely positive, with students indicating it helps them “break old cycles,” practice self-discovery, and prioritize wellbeing. Many report that “OVC must genuinely value wellbeing,” dedicating time and grades to it in meaningful, “non-performative” ways. Challenges include finding space in a tight academic schedule and poor buy-in from some students (shown through multi-tasking during class or absenteeism to study for “more traditional” courses). Attempts to collect longitudinal data to investigate curriculum impact were ended due to low response rates, despite sizeable incentives.
With the expected incorporation of AAVMC’s Wellbeing Competencies into the CBVE Competency Framework, OVC will review and update its wellbeing curriculum to support in-program development of these skills for the benefit of students and the profession as a whole.