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Being raised on a cattle ranch, Carling Matejka sees the industry from a producer’s point of view, and now she sees it from a veterinarian’s.

“Growing up with cows, I have such an appreciation for them and part of the reason I went into veterinary medicine, not only for my love of all animals, was to make an impact on the agricultural industry,” says Matejka, graduating in June from the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM).  

“I could have continued working on the farm and been a farmer, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to have a louder voice to try to make a difference.  Being a veterinarian gives me an ability to have a strong impact and really be involved in the ag industry.”

Her family owns Matejka Farms, a purebred Angus seed stock operation near Ponoka. When she started vet school four years ago, her father said he was looking forward to free vet care when she graduated.

“In the first few years of vet school he was very hesitant on taking any of my advice,” Matejka recalls. “He’d text me every once in a while, and I’d give him an answer and then he’d respond back, ‘Ya, that’s what the vet in Ponoka said too’. Now he’s starting to trust me a little bit more because some of the things I suggest he actually tends to do.”

Dr. Gordon Atkins, a teaching professor and cattle expert at UCVM, has no doubt Matejka will serve her dad and her many other rural clients well. “Carling’s exemplary performance in all her large animal courses and clinical skills has prepared her well,” he says. “Her passion for the cattle business has been infectious and has been a catalyst to encourage other classmates to experience the great benefits of a veterinary career in rural Alberta.”

First veterinary job offers variety and mentorship

No stranger to examining a cow, Matejka spent her final two-week clinical rotation doing ‘quite a bit of calving’ at Veterinary Agri-Health Services in Airdrie. “It’s nice my last rotation was with cows. I love them so much and it’s been a good way to wrap things up.”

With a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in hand, Matejka is starting her career at Central Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Ponoka. “Initially, I said I wasn’t going to go back to Ponoka because that’s where I’m from. Then I finally decided to put in a resume and went for an interview and it was the practice I felt most comfortable at. I knew I was going to get really good mentorship.”

Matejka will treat a variety of animals as the practice is a 50/50 split of small and large animal medicine. And while she has a definite soft spot for cows, dogs and cats, chickens are another story.

“In my interview they mentioned they have some chicken work, and I don’t know if I was nervous but I said ‘Oh ya I love chickens, I’ll definitely do the chicken work.’” she laughs. “So, I might end up doing some of that, too. I don’t regret it yet, so we’ll see.”

Four years went so slowly and also flew by

But leaving UCVM behind is bittersweet. Matejka shared four intense years with the Class of 2018 and built strong friendships.

“It’s pretty surreal looking back at it all because at the moment it felt like it went so slowly but now looking back it’s like the four years flew by,” she says. “Some of the biggest moments I’ll take away are the clinical skills times. There were a lot of good laughs in those labs, even though they were supposed to be more serious.

“It was a break in our hectic lives to be able to appreciate why were there and appreciate what we have coming for us and really show us what veterinary medicine is. It made our whole school feel like a community. Those days are definitely something I’ll remember forever.”