Long-awaited job supply study unveiled

SCHAUMBURG, ILL. - 6/6/06 - First-year students tracking toward food animal careers report the human-animal bond does not drive their interest in veterinary medicine. They're also less concerned about working nights and weekends or having frequent vacation time than their classmates planning for small animal practice.

Such statements appear in the long-awaited report "Estimating FSVM Demand and Maintaining the Availability of Veterinarians for Careers in Food Supply Related Disciplines in the United States and Canada". Results from the $300,000 study are being published as a three-part series in June 1, June 15 and July 1 issues of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). A coalition of veterinary organizations commissioned the work in 2004 to examine supply and demand patterns of food animal DVMs. The research goal: to garner solutions to stem what experts predict is a growing shortage of rural practitioners.

At presstime, the study's first installment in JAVMA outlined 16 strategies to encourage more students to consider food animal careers following interviews and surveys with focus groups. The list reveals most students and faculty rate educational loan reimbursement in exchange for food animal service as an effective strategy to attract practitioners to rural areas. Externships, mentoring and assistance in setting up food animal practices also earn high value marks from those polled. Reserving class slots for academically qualified applicants committed to food animal medicine garnered a neutral reaction from students and a "somewhat effective" score from faculty members.