As animal health professionals, we have a responsibility to learn about and monitor the status of our veterinary profession, the foundation of animal health and zoonotic disease prevention. This article sheds hopeful light in the near term, but also presents data indicating the profession’s position is not entirely positive. Learn answers to the following questions and more in this review of the AVMA Economic Summit presentations.
- Do we have enough veterinarians?
- If so, are they deployed in the right places?
- Do they have the right stuff?
- Can they pay their educational debts; are they concerned about debt?
- With veterinary spending being discretionary, will the market value be sustainable?
Source: JAVMA News, December 15, 2015, page 1339. (direct link unavailable)
Higher starting salaries are one indicator the U.S. veterinary profession is experiencing economic growth with the rest of the economy, according to research presented in October. In related news, students willing to pay for a veterinary education may not know—or, in some cases, care—how much that decision will cost.
INSIGHTS: Also consider the commentary from Jennifer A. Woolf, DVM, How can veterinarians be reporters of animal abuse when they are not taught to recognize it?, page 1363.