Recruitment and retention of veterinarians in food animal practice — we all have a role to play

The lack of engagement of new veterinary graduates in food animal practice in the private and public sectors is being hotly debated. Species specialty groups have addressed this concern in open fora. This issue came to the forefront at the 2002 Canadian Veterinary Summit on “Education, Licensing, and Expanding the Scope of Veterinary Practice” and was the topic of a 2-day meeting in Kansas titled “Food Animal Veterinarians: An Endangered Species.”

Opinions as to the reasons for the lack of interest of veterinary college graduates in food animal practice abound. Some of the reasons cited include: the increasingly urban backgrounds of students admitted to veterinary colleges; the increasing number of women in the profession; the emphasis on grades at admission versus noncognitive criteria; the notion that veterinary curricula do not prepare graduates adequately for food animal practice; the physical and time demands of food animal practice; the lack of spousal employment opportunities and amenities for the “veterinary family” in rural areas; and the lack of adequate compensation in food animal practice in the face of high student debt loads.

What can the Canadian veterinary profession do to better understand this problem and change this trend? Firstly, I believe we need data. We need to confirm or deny our assumptions about the causes of the problem. We need to have a better grasp on the number of graduates veterinary colleges must produce in each category to meet the needs in all employment sectors. We also need to better understand the needs of the food animal industry. For example, how many traditional mixed animal practitioners do we really need and how many production-based species specialists are required? Where are they required and what are the circumstances that make them absent from those areas? Also, can the role of technicians be expanded through advanced training to ease the load of rural practitioners? In the meantime, each of us should use our understanding and experience to consider and address this important issue.

Since fewer than 2% of Canadians now make a living by farming, and because data indicate that approximately half of entering DVM students have made their decision to become a veterinarian by Grade 7 (1,2), it is of the utmost importance that school-age children be introduced early to the diversity of career opportunities that veterinary medicine has to offer. Although modern recruitment materials produced by professional associations such as the CVMA are required for this purpose, the role of individual veterinarians in this recruitment process cannot be underestimated. Of the students currently enrolled at Kansas State University, 41% stated that it was a veterinarian who most influenced them in their career choice (2).

Some members of our profession are recommending that the colleges reexamine their admissions practices to increase the likelihood of admitting students who will enter and remain in food animal practice. They envision a minimum academic standard for admission, after which noncognitive selection criteria would come into play, for example, leadership skills, communication skills, a “real” interest in food animal practice, etc. In this regard, Colorado State University has been using noncognitive criteria as the sole method for selecting veterinary students, once it has been established that the candidate can handle a rigorous science-based program (3). Interestingly, about 16% of 1st year students currently enrolled at colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States were raised on farms or in towns of less than 1000 people (2). Similarly, 15% of students entering the Atlantic Veterinary College in 2002 reported living on a working farm (1). From these data, it appears that the colleges may be doing a reasonable job of recruiting students with a farm background, but that this interest in food animals may be diverted as they progress through their undergraduate program, or postgraduation.

Many veterinarians state that recent graduates lack the confidence and competence to enter food animal practice. In this regard, there is a sense that veterinary curricula in Canada offer relatively little opportunity for career differentiation, and that students who have to “learn it all” cannot develop the depth of knowledge required to meet the expectations of society in their chosen practice field. Participants at the 2002 Canadian Veterinary Summit felt that this situation could be rectified through streaming and perhaps through required internships, postgraduation (4). The colleges may need to find additional ways for their students to develop areas of concentrated study during their veterinary education, while not jeopardizing their ability to become licensed in the current licensing environment.

The value of creating excitement and interest in production animal medicine through early extracurricular enrichment opportunities is also important. Accordingly, a number of schools now have special programs to increase interest in food animal production medicine, early in the educational process. The Early Veterinary Student Dairy Experience Program at the University of California, Davis, is one example of such a program. This program, jointly funded by the university and industry, offers interested veterinary students scholarships to spend time with a progressive dairy herd (in their 1st summer in veterinary school) and with progressive dairy practitioners in subsequent summers. The first participants in this program have graduated and are reported to be engaged in dairy practice (B.P. Smith, personal communication). Species specialty groups have also recognized the value of early exposure of undecided veterinary students to food animal careers and are offering scholarships to support such experiences in private practice.

Our profession should also consider debt assistance programs as incentives for debt-laden graduates to enter food animal practice in underserviced areas, as well as addressing the lifestyle factors that decrease tenure in rural practice. As alluded to already, there are some who propose an expanded role of veterinary technicians in food animal practice, analogous to a nurse practitioner role in human medicine.

The reasons for recent graduates not entering food animal practice are complex. The recruitment process involves us all. It begins with inspiring school-age children to consider a career in food animal practice, extends to colleges to reevaluate their admissions practices and curricula, and ends with food animal practices that must strive to increase remuneration and address concerns about lifestyle.