• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Pet healthcare industry summit mulls action plan on boosting DVM population

September 1, 2007
Daniel R. Verdon

Portland, Ore. - More than 140 leaders, representing many of the diverse disciplines in the veterinary market, hope to address the perceived and growing shortage of veterinarians in the United States.

PORTLAND, ORE. — More than 140 leaders, representing many of the diverse disciplines in the veterinary market, hope to address the perceived and growing shortage of veterinarians in the United States.

The goal of the 2007 Pet Healthcare Industry Summit, sponsored by Banfield, The Pet Hospital, was to explore changing market dynamics and offer solutions to long-term problems including the recruitment, training and retention of a flat work force.

The two-day meeting drew association leaders, academicians and leaders of many of the top animal-health firms.

Banfield Chairman Scott Campbell, DVM, reports the meeting was called to explore changes in market dynamics and identify tangible areas in which the profession can work toward meeting goals and challenges of tomorrow.

Topping the agenda was this year's release of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC) Foresight Report. This broad-based industry report sought to "identify pathways which will be critical for veterinary medicine in the next 25 years."

Recruitment and retention of veterinarians to address a shortage in a diverse array of disciplines, including companion-animal medicine, fueled much of the discussion.

Advertisement

What's driving the shortage? In companion-animal medicine, the ratio of veterinarians entering the market vs. retirees is flat – a long-standing trend in this market. On the decline is the average number of hours worked each week by veterinarians, while demand is increasing — rapidly.

Case in point: In Banfield's 635 hospitals, one-third of its work force is part-time. It's a trend that is not just a Banfield problem. Numerous surveys, including last-year's DVM Newsmagazine's State of the Profession survey, have documented that veterinarians are logging fewer hours in the office in a variety of practice sizes. Quality of life is good, right? Yes, but someone else has to pick up the hours dropped by an aging baby-boom work force who didn't flinch over a 70-hour work week.

This gap between a flat population and dramatically shorter work week, Campbell contends, is pinching the country's animal healthcare-delivery system.

"If (this gap) gets too big, only bad things start happening, because society will legislate change to fill the need, and that might not be good for veterinarians," he says.

The reality: It might just get worse in certain demographic segments. For most companion-animal practitioners, the oversupply question has been a longstanding hard sell and largely dependent on the dynamics of each practitioner's community.

When you factor in a blossoming pet healthcare market (roughly translated, demand is increasing), well, it's decidedly caught the ear of academia.

In fact, AAVMC's report is calling on veterinary colleges to address the issue of supplying companion-animal veterinarians to the market as well as mothering 10 other growing areas of professional focus identified in AAVMC's report.

For Banfield's new president, John Payne, former animal-health industry executive, the issue is about growing the financial pie within animal health. "We have been about creating growth. But we can't tackle these problems all on our own. The biggest problem facing this industry is there are not enough veterinarians."

The shortage of veterinarians in rural areas has become so critical, the cries for relief sparked national legislation now on the move in Congress (see related story). "This is the most important piece of legislation to affect veterinary medicine in the last 30 years," contends Dr. Greg Hammer, American Veterinary Medical Association president.

Attendees assembled in breakout groups to consider many of the recommendations outlined in the Foresight Report.

Scott Campbell, DVM

Some of the suggestions included:

  • Improving veterinary education tracking by professional focus during a veterinary student's third and fourth years.

  • Determining national manpower needs/forecasts in the areas of professional focus (e.g. public health, equine medicine, etc.)

  • Create new centers of excellence to help train students interested in less traditional or underserved areas of veterinary medicine.

  • Improve existing programs to attract and retain new veterinarians.

  • Work with professional licensing boards to streamline and adapt testing requirements based on areas of professional focus.

John Payne

While the Foresight Report looked at possible pathways for the profession in the next 25 years, Dr. Keith Prasse, former dean at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and spokesperson for the report, says the next step is to create a strategic plan for veterinary medicine and the colleges, which is expected to begin this year.

Related Content:

Medical
UC Davis oral surgeons repair kitten’s severe cleft palate
UC Davis oral surgeons repair kitten’s severe cleft palate
Tips and tricks for diagnosing canine osteoarthritis early
Tips and tricks for diagnosing canine osteoarthritis early
Performing surgery on dogs with GDV
Performing surgery on dogs with GDV

Advertisement

Latest News

Morris Animal Foundation appoints new chief program officer

CDC issues warning over cat-transmitted sporotrichosis

An AI solution is speeding up insurance claims processing

3 categories of inappetence in dogs

View More Latest News
Advertisement