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About the Veterinary Shortage |
The
veterinary profession is at a critical point. According to the Association of
American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), urbanization and affluence have
led to increased demands for companion animal veterinary care. At the same time,
critical national needs in public health, food safety, biosecurity, animal
health, and comparative medicine continue to increase at an alarming rate.
However, there is a growing shortage of veterinarians nationwide. This
identified veterinary shortage and the projected increased need in public health
indicate that in 20 years, there will be a shortage of 15,000 veterinarians. In
addition, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 4,000 veterinarians in
the next six years if current trends continue according to a recent study based
on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is also estimated by the
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) that only approximately 17
percent of veterinarians work in food supply, which includes private and public
practice veterinarians involved in the entire food chain from farm to fork.
Research forecasts a shortfall of four to five percent per year in the ranks of
food supply veterinarians.
Another major problem lies in the realm of starting salaries, especially those
of food animal veterinarians. According to statistics provided by the American
Veterinary Medical Association, new veterinary graduates face an average of
$106,000 in debt after finishing school (Penn’s veterinary students have an
average debt load of $160,000 upon graduation), while they can only expect a
baseline starting salary of about $55,000 in food animal medicine and about
$40,000 in equine medicine. This compares to an average baseline starting salary
of more than $61,000 for graduates entering small animal medicine. Faced with
considerable debt, many students do not consider careers in these fields.
Now is the time to address this shortage. Veterinarians play a crucial role in
protecting Pennsylvania’s food supply and public health and are the first line
of defense in zoonotic, foreign, and emerging diseases and biosecurity. They are
the only health professionals trained in multi-species comparative medicine and
therefore are a distinctive asset to Pennsylvania.
The veterinary and agricultural communities in Pennsylvania have expressed
concerns about the shortage of veterinarians available to care for producers’
livestock. The biomedical research community has seen shrinking numbers
interested in these career paths while needs have increased for comparative
medicine research, and state and federal agencies face similar challenges
recruiting veterinarians to fill crucial roles in biosecurity, public health,
and food safety. Now is the time to partner together to make a difference.
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