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State of the Profession
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AVMA workforce study nixes notion of veterinary shortage
4/24/2013
Report calls on practitioners to increase public's demand for services
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New York Times article rocks veterinary profession
3/18/2013
Crises aired on national stage generate mixed reactions
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Final destination for Ross veterinary students — Buffalo?
3/7/2013
Abandoned medical facility could become veterinary teaching hospital
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Influx of veterinary colleges on horizon
1/26/2013
New programs give rise to supply and demand questions
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BVA fears new school could create surplus of UK veterinarians
11/15/2012
University of Surrey plans to open veterinary school in 2014
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‘The Incredible Dr. Pol’ asserts innocence despite board discipline
10/8/2012
Star of reality TV show placed on probation
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Veterinary visits up but pet ownership down
8/10/2012
New AVMA survey results offer mixed prospects for profession
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Can MDs and DVMs bridge the cultural divide?
7/24/2012
Physician champions concept of 'zoobiquity'
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Study: No widespread shortage of veterinarians
5/30/2012
Veterinary presence needed in public health, agriculture, food safety
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No simple answers on supply and demand in veterinary profession
5/29/2012
Workforce data outdated, conflicting
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Labor Department job outlook for veterinarians: 'Overall ... good'
3/29/2012
New occupational profile less upbeat on small-animal practice, however
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Private university in Arizona plans new veterinary school
3/8/2012
Midwestern University cites shortage of rural practitioners
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Labor Department maintains rosy outlook for veterinarians
2/1/2012
Jobs projection contradicts view of many practitioners
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Student debt relief option: Instant gain, distant pain
1/4/2012
Pros and cons of Income-Based Repayment
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Independent voice of digital radiology silenced?
10/13/2011
DVMInsight's sale to Idexx viewed by some as contradiction
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Anniversary inspires veterinary history commemoration
8/18/2011
National Library of Medicine exhibition highlights equine medicine
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Out of the frying pan, veterinarians mix economic uptick with uncertainty
7/28/2011
Increased competition likely to blunt recovery for veterinary clinics
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AVMA task force to review merits of foreign accreditation
7/20/2011
Resolution stripped of economic language on advice of AVMA lawyer
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Dream of veterinary career deterred by school expense
7/7/2011
Student couldn’t justify cost of education
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Tight job market squeezes large-animal veterinarians
6/27/2011
Some say shortage of food-supply practitioners is over
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Tough job market compels dogged hunt by new veterinarians
5/19/2011
Fewer grads enjoy luxury of multiple offers
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Federal bill tackles rural veterinary shortages
5/13/2011
Veterinary Services Investment Act to be introduced
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Report: unprecedented change in store for AVMA, profession
4/28/2011
'Continuous improvement' prescribed for nation's largest veterinary association
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New Utah veterinary education program wins approval, funding
3/11/2011
Plan stirs concerns about a potential oversupply of practitioners
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NAVMEC addresses great challenges facing veterinary profession
3/8/2011
Economist's call for change goes beyond NAVMEC recommendations
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Veterinary student debt continues to climb
1/4/2011
Despite years of concern, solutions remain elusive
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Debt problem is everyone’s
1/4/2011
Most student loans financed by taxpayers
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Study: No widespread shortage of veterinarians
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May 30, 2012
By: Jennifer Fiala
For The VIN News Service
The National Research Council of the National Academies released a book-length report today highlighting the job market for veterinarians as well as challenges facing academia, agriculture and public health sectors.
Four years in the making, Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine spans 320 pages, taking an in-depth look at the economic issues universities deal with due to eroding state support, the questionable sustainability of skyrocketing tuition and the dwindling presence of veterinarians in agriculture and food safety.
During a webinar held to brief stakeholders and media on the study’s findings, the chairman of an 18-member committee charged with conducting the study's research addressed why the project took so long to complete. It was commissioned in 2006 by several major players in organized veterinary medicine, including the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and initially was slated for release by fall 2008. The deadline was extended seven times.
Dr. Alan Kelly, committee chairman, likened the work to a “dramatically shifting target,” noting that the study’s original focus on zoonosis, bioterrorism and the premise that the nation would see a shortfall of 15,000 veterinarians by 2025, eventually shifted to the economic downturn’s impact on the profession.
“The report became a continual work in progress,” said Kelly, dean emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Preparing the report was hard,” he added, “as we found the databases in veterinary medicine confusing, incomplete, difficult to find and inconsistent, making it difficult to draw long-term conclusions.”
The report cites a need for veterinarians to infiltrate public health, agriculture and food safety areas, however its authors retreated from the once-widely espoused notion that a large influx of veterinarians is needed in the United States, especially in the profession’s most populated sector — companion animal practice.
“We found little evidence of widespread shortages, meaning that well-paying jobs are going unfilled,” stated Malcolm Getz, an economist at Vanderbilt University and member of the committee responsible for producing the study.
“The sign of shortages are significant increases in earnings … and with the exception of industry, earnings are growing slowly if at all,” Getz said during the webinar. “Salary levels are mismatched relative to educational investments.”
Others presenting the report highlighted the abysmal state of funding for academia, which has lost much of its support from state legislatures in recent years and now more heavily leans on students via sharp tuition increases.
The impact of this not only weighs heavily on students, it forces programs to forgo hiring faculty, which leads to fewer grants and less research, said Dr. Bennie Osburn, dean emeritus of the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Some schools are at the point where they’re now cutting programs,” Osburn said during the presentation. “This puts a strain on … meeting standards of accreditation.
“Tuition costs increase because as state funds go away the cost of education is being passed on to students. The steep increases, however, have not made up for reductions in state funding,” he added.
In response, Kelly presented several scenarios outlined in the report for lowering the cost of education, thereby easing the student loan burden for new veterinary graduates.
One idea he supports: Creating pre-veterinary medical school curricula that can be completed within one to two years of study rather than the four years of undergraduate work most widely expected by veterinary college admissions.
“In Britain we go from high school to veterinary school, and I’ve never understood why some very bright students in the U.S. need to first go to school for four years,” said Kelly, who was educated at universities in the United Kingdom. “The overall cost and length of time before a person can capitalize on training … is an extreme burden for students and families.”
Overall, the committee called for partnerships, resource sharing and collective action to strengthen the profession’s foundations.
The report acknowledged the difficulties tied to balancing supply and demand — a key element to maintaining the economic sustainability of veterinary practice and education.
“Matching the supply of veterinarians to demand for veterinary expertise depends on the commitment of the profession to promote and develop diverse careers paths in veterinary medicine and on the efficient delivery of veterinary services,” the report said.
Along with the AVMA, the study was funded by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, the American Animal Hospital Association, Bayer Animal Health and the Burroughs Welcome Fund.
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