Auburn researchers develop career insights into food animal veterinarian shortage
September 29, 2023
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To strategically address the nation’s ongoing food security issues, the Office of Academic Insight and the College of Veterinary Medicine are working to develop solutions to increase the number of veterinarians working in food-animal operations, a critical component of food production and human consumption.
The team of three researchers, including Melinda Camus, professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Charlie Wilder, senior analyst for education research in the Office of Academic Insight and Kendall McGoey, a doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology, united as part of AUBURNACHIEVE, the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan, to advance the student career outcomes among the college’s professional students.
Addressing the national shortage of graduates working in the livestock industry, specifically those who ensure food animals receive proper medical care, the trio compiled and analyzed data from Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) graduates over the last five years to identify key factors that influence career decisions and professional placements.
“Forty-seven states have federally recognized veterinary shortage areas, resulting in a need to understand the complex causes better and develop professionally centered solutions,” said Camus.
Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, results from the study suggest the community of origin, preferred community, and gender are among the primary variables influencing students’ employment choices. Understanding that students from rural areas who chose to live and work in rural areas were most likely to accept employment in a similar food-animal employment setting, the study found that male students are slightly more likely to accept a position than female students.
Results from this study will provide critical insights to professional veterinary programs across the country as academic and industry leaders continue working to address the shortage of rural, food-animal veterinarians. More importantly, colleges can use the data to strengthen application pipelines by fostering greater interest in food and animal medicine. The researchers plan to expand their research by incorporating data from a sample of veterinary programs across the US.
The team of three researchers, including Melinda Camus, professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Charlie Wilder, senior analyst for education research in the Office of Academic Insight and Kendall McGoey, a doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology, united as part of AUBURNACHIEVE, the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan, to advance the student career outcomes among the college’s professional students.
Addressing the national shortage of graduates working in the livestock industry, specifically those who ensure food animals receive proper medical care, the trio compiled and analyzed data from Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) graduates over the last five years to identify key factors that influence career decisions and professional placements.
“Forty-seven states have federally recognized veterinary shortage areas, resulting in a need to understand the complex causes better and develop professionally centered solutions,” said Camus.
Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, results from the study suggest the community of origin, preferred community, and gender are among the primary variables influencing students’ employment choices. Understanding that students from rural areas who chose to live and work in rural areas were most likely to accept employment in a similar food-animal employment setting, the study found that male students are slightly more likely to accept a position than female students.
Results from this study will provide critical insights to professional veterinary programs across the country as academic and industry leaders continue working to address the shortage of rural, food-animal veterinarians. More importantly, colleges can use the data to strengthen application pipelines by fostering greater interest in food and animal medicine. The researchers plan to expand their research by incorporating data from a sample of veterinary programs across the US.
The AUBURNACHIEVE program is supported by the Office of Academic Insight’s applied research lab, the Insight Lab. Any campus unit interested in learning more about the Quality Enhancement Plan or applying for a Bright Idea Seed Grant are encouraged to contact the Office of Academic Insight at assess1@auburn.edu.
