Advertisement
The initiative would increase the number of veterinary students who gointo and stay in underserved areas of the veterinary profession through theestablishment of a targeted loan forgiveness program, targeted recruitment ofstudents interested in these areas, and on-the-job mentoring for newgraduates.
Advertisement
"Pennsylvania has a shortage of large-animal veterinarians in certaingeographic regions, as well as a shortage of practitioners in less traditionalareas such as biomedical research, public health, regulatory medicine andacademia," said Robert D. Fetterman, VMD, a large-animal practitioner and PVMApresident. "Using loan forgiveness as an incentive to fill these voids is aninvestment in the state's agricultural industry, as well as in food safety andeven national security."
Dr. Fetterman noted that the average veterinary student graduates with adebt load of $120,000, and the debt load of a graduate from the University ofPennsylvania is $160,000. The disparity between starting salaries and debtload can be a major factor in deciding to enter into -- and more importantly,to remain -- on a particular career path, Dr. Fetterman said.
Loan forgiveness programs typically help retire a portion of that debt foreach year that the veterinarian remains in the underserved region or thesector.
Historically, salaries in the underserved areas are lower than those fortraditional career paths such as companion animal medicine. However,veterinarians play key roles in areas such as food safety, public health, andbiosecurity, all of which are crucial to protecting humans as well as animalsand can have a major impact of the economy.
Noting that agriculture is Pennsylvania's largest industry, Dr. Fettermansaid other agricultural states such as Kansas and Nebraska already have begunsimilar programs. Farmers and the agribusiness community rely onveterinarians for the health and welfare of livestock.
Dennis Wolff, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture;State Rep. Bob Bastian, DVM; and Joan Hendricks, VMD, dean of the Universityof Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, were among those whoparticipated in the program launch.
The initiative includes the establishment of the Project Pennsylvaniacoalition, which will educate the public and policymakers on the issue. Thecoalition will develop industry partnerships and advocate for legislativeinitiatives to help alleviate the veterinarian shortage.
Organizations across the Commonwealth that have already agreed to sign onto this important initiative are the University of Pennsylvania School ofVeterinary Medicine, PennAg Industries, Pennsylvania Society for BiomedicalResearch, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania State Grange, and thePennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders Group.
"For the agricultural industry to thrive, and for Pennsylvania to remaincompetitive with other states, we must address the veterinarian shortage," Dr.Fetterman said. "It's an investment that will pay dividends in terms ofeconomic prosperity and the quality of life."
SOURCE Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association
