Spring in the Bluegrass is a bustling time for horse owners. Equestrian competitions flourish, featuring events in multiple disciplines every week. The foaling season reaches its peak as mares of all breeds give birth, and the Thoroughbred breeding season commences, with thousands of mares transported to breeding farms across Central Kentucky. However, amidst the veterinary trucks on the road and the constant flow of patients to the numerous equine hospitals in Central Kentucky, rural areas of Kentucky, and the United States as a whole, face a significant shortage of large-animal veterinarians. Large animal veterinarians are responsible for the care of farm animals, including horses, cows, goats, pigs, and sheep, in contrast to small animal veterinarians who primarily focus on cats, dogs, pocket pets, and reptiles.
The term "veterinarian shortage" is not subjective. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, releases an annual Veterinarian Shortage Situations report that identifies three different types of veterinarian shortages. According to the Farm Journal Foundation, there are over 200 "shortage areas" in the United States encompassing more than 500 counties.
While horse owners in Fayette County may have sufficient equine veterinary options, 72 out of Kentucky's 120 counties are grappling with large-animal veterinarian shortages. In rural areas, the shortage is even more pronounced, making it increasingly challenging to find an adequate number of equine veterinarians. Consequently, no horse owner is exempt from the potential ramifications of this shortage, which could have dire consequences for horses in need of medical assistance.
Consider the following statistics:
- By 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau projects a possible national shortage of 15,000 veterinarians, primarily needed in rural areas.
- The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) reports that only approximately 6% of new veterinary school graduates pursue equine practice. This means that out of the 4,000 vet school graduates each year, fewer than 50 opt for equine veterinary positions.
- Within five years, 50% of these young veterinarians transition to small-animal medicine or leave the veterinary field altogether.
- Nearly 60 equine veterinarians retire annually, and this number is projected to increase by 3% each year.
Four primary reasons contribute to the departure of equine veterinarians from the field and the limited number of newcomers:
- Lack of work-life balance: Many large-animal vets serve multiple counties, leading to an overwhelming workload and excessive working hours.
- On-call requirements: Veterinarians located farther from medical hubs often find themselves on call 24/7, particularly if they work as solo practitioners.
- Pay disparity: Graduating veterinarians often carry more than $200,000 in student loan debt. Equine veterinarians consistently earn approximately half the compensation of their small-animal counterparts.
- Stress: Equine veterinarians face immense stress due to inadequate support, financial burdens, the pressure to be constantly available, and the expectations placed on them by horse owners and themselves. This cumulative stress can be overwhelming.
These issues become more acute in rural practices, prolonging wait times for routine care and emergency services, leaving horse owners in a difficult position.
While horse owners in Fayette County may have su cient equine veterinary options, 72 out of Kentucky’s 120 counties are grappling with large-animal veterinarian shortages.
So, what is being done?
While numerous nationwide initiatives aim to address the veterinarian shortage, Kentucky stands out as the only state to establish a Large Animal Veterinary Shortage Working Group focused on community readiness regarding the shortage issue. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles invited industry stakeholders, including livestock and farm organizations, colleges, veterinary schools, and other agricultural and veterinary entities, to participate in the group.
In late May, the working group formed four committees, each with a specific focus:
- Developing a robust pipeline of Kentucky students interested in pursuing veterinary school.
- Identifying opportunities for Kentucky to support vet school programs, such as increasing the number of seats available to Kentucky students or providing additional financial assistance.
- Exploring strategies to encourage recent veterinary school graduates to seek employment in rural areas and specialize in large-animal care.
- Proposing initiatives to retain veterinarians in rural and large-animal practices.
Kentucky has already embraced unique approaches to foster interest in large-animal veterinary medicine, including:
- The Large and Food Animal Veterinary Incentives Program: Administered by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, this program offers grants and forgivable loans to approved large- and food-animal veterinarians in the Commonwealth, reimbursing them up to 75% for eligible expenditures, such as ambulatory-only practice vehicles, with a maximum reimbursement of $100,000.
- The Large Food Animal Veterinary Loan Program (VET): Provided by the Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation, this program assists Kentucky veterinarians in constructing, expanding, equipping, or acquiring practices catering to large and food animal producers.
- Exploring additional support for colleges that serve as primary feeders for veterinary schools, such as the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, and others with strong undergraduate programs in agriculture and animal science.
- Engaging in ongoing discussions with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to increase the number of available seats in veterinary schools, enabling more students to enroll each year.
- Offering additional graduate program opportunities, such as Master of Veterinary Education, Master of Veterinary Clinical Care, and Master of Veterinary Bioscience degrees (available at Lincoln Memorial University's College of Veterinary Medicine).
- Establishing the University of Kentucky/Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine cooperative program, allowing students to graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Veterinary Science, with financial assistance available.
Regrettably, addressing the large-animal veterinarian shortage is not as simple as alleviating student debt or creating more veterinary school seats, although these aspects are relatively easier to address. The fundamental issues of lack of work-life balance and the resulting stress remain the primary reasons why veterinarians hesitate to join or remain in the field. Well-being and mental health directly correlate with stress and its management, and burnout significantly affects the veterinary population.
The Kentucky working group is exploring preventive measures to mitigate burnout. They aim to assist young professionals through species-specific mentorship, acclimation to rural practice and community engagement, and positive messaging from experienced veterinarians, among other strategies.
Sarah E. Coleman is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Council and an appointed member of Kentucky’s Large Animal Veterinary Shortage Working Group.