There is a common misconception about the role that veterinarians play in society. They are not only instrumental in healing sick animals but also provide a necessary barrier to the transfer of disease from animals to humans. They are an integral and indispensable component of the nation's public health system because they prevent and control infectious diseases, ensuring the safety and security of the nation?s food supply. Veterinarians are responsible for the early detection and response to unusual diseases such as SARS, West Nile Virus and monkeypox. Essentially, veterinarians make sure what we eat doesn?t kill us.
The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association has recently completed a comprehensive study on the current and future state of the large animal veterinary profession and found a gradual decline ? a job shortage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 28,000 job openings in the veterinary medical profession by 2012 due to growth and net replacements, even though the demand for veterinarians will rise only from 12% to 13%.
This is due to the fact that nearly half of the state and federal veterinarians are nearing or are eligible for retirement. This means that for every 100 food supply veterinarians demanded only 96 will be able to fill them. Furthermore, there are not enough graduates from the nation?s 28 veterinary colleges to meet this demand. This is cause for concern because we are in the midst of a potential crisis that affects the health of the 300 million Americans that live in this nation. Virginia Tech Dean of Veterinary Medicine Grant H. Turnwald shares his concern, stating, "The inability for veterinary sciences to serve livestock also hurts the economy of the industry; furthermore, the outbreak of a foreign disease may not be dealt with accordingly because of the lack of professionals in this field." Many of the veterinarians are overworked such as Dr. Robert Cherenson, a California dairy veterinarian who has only had seven days of vacation in the last two years.
According to Turnwald, the gradual decline of professionals in this field is due to the changing demographics and decline in rural population. This combination has caused a disinterest and decreasing number of students in this field. About 70% of veterinary students choose to study this profession because of their own background in the rural lifestyle, and 6% choose it in order to make a positive impact on agriculture and food production. According to Turnwald, if we want to increase the interest within this profession we must make it more attractive and redefine its fundamental importance to society. Turnwald has used a number of strategies such as recruiting, stating that "we actually spend a quarter of a million dollars annually recruiting. We have also begun an ambassador program wherein our students go back to their high schools during breaks and offer career advice and counseling. About five years ago we started a practitioner mentorship program as well." Other incentives have been used to attract students such as scholarships, early admissions, reserved class spots and paid externships. The government has recognized this threat and passed the Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act in order to "establish a competitive grant program to build capacity in veterinary medical education and expand the workforce of veterinarians engaged in public health practice and biomedical research."
Although this is a national crisis, it can also be a golden opportunity for future students because the demand will continue to increase. However, with the ever-changing demographics and the shrinking of rural communities, there is less attraction to this profession. Without proper incentives we can not hope to sustain a proper amount of veterinarians who are essential to this nation?s health and responsible for protecting us against disease. "Needless to say, we can?t afford to have a shortage of large animal veterinarians. It would be catastrophic for the industry and for society," states Dr. Lyle Vogel of the American Veterinary Association.
