• Hero 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
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
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
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
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.

Study affirms the need for veterinary profession to evolve

June 13, 2012

The role of veterinarians is changing, and veterinary schools and colleges are responding and retooling.

A big question looming over the veterinary profession is if colleges are preparing students to meet society's changing needs. And if needs are changing, how can academic veterinary medicine respond?

To answer those questions, the Association of American Veterinary Medicine Colleges (AAVMC) requested the help of the National Academy of Sciences in conducting a study on “Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine.” The study sought to assess not only current workforce estimates, but also the unmet needs that the profession must address in order to remain relevant to society.

The National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies released its findings in May. The report concludes that there are sectors of unmet need for veterinarians, but researchers found little evidence of widespread workforce shortages at the current time. The study did find an imbalance in the distribution of veterinarians and expressed concern about the state of the veterinary workforce in critical areas of veterinary medicine, such as the public sector.

In addition to assessing the current state of the veterinary medical workforce, the study makes projections on future needs across all sectors and recommendations for meeting those needs. For example, the report identified a need for veterinarians to become involved in food and water security and safety. The committee found troubling trends in the public sector veterinary workforce. Longstanding job vacancies, a looming wave of retirements, declining programmatic support for animal research, and reports of too few positions in key agencies raise questions about the ability of the government to achieve its missions to ensure food safety and prevent and respond to infectious diseases of animals and humans.

Advertisement

In order to prepare graduates who can meet society's evolving need for veterinary expertise, schools and colleges of veterinary medicine have already begun implementing many of the study's suggestions, which align with recommendations from the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium's (NAVMEC) “Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible,” a report specific to academic veterinary medicine that the AAVMC spearheaded and released in 2011. The NAVMEC report also called for resource sharing, greater use of technology, the development of centers of emphasis or excellence, a focus on One Health, and the development of graduates with a broader range of skills and competencies. The NRC report warned that veterinary medical education in its current form is unsustainable due to a decade-long decline in funding for education and research and increasing student debt load relative to income.

The AAVMC, the American Veterinary Medical Association, Bayer Animal Health, the American Animal Hospital Association, and Burroughs Wellcome Fund sponsored the study. The report is available for download at: nap.edu.

Related Content:

Market TrendsBusiness
CityVet names new chief strategy officer
CityVet names new chief strategy officer
Hannah Pet Hospital names new CEO
Hannah Pet Hospital names new CEO
CityVet Celina opens in Prosper, Texas
CityVet Celina opens in Prosper, Texas

Advertisement

Latest News

Integrative approach to treating Giardia lamblia infections

Innovative digital microscopy platform is launched

Enhanced pet health and wellness app now available

Advice on dog and cat seasonal allergies with air quality threats

View More Latest News
Advertisement