A notable shortage of veterinarians over the last few years — and particularly large animal veterinarians — spurred the New York Agricultural Animal Coalition to start a new program that connects young people interested in the industry with mentors.
Veterinarians spent time at the New York State Fair volunteering in the dairy cow birthing center, where farms bring their cows to give birth so the public can experience what it is like on farms.
“We have 26 different shifts for veterinarians to join us and they are practicing vets. On a perfect day, they don’t have to do a whole lot besides interact with the public, but they are here when and if they’re needed,” said Eileen Jensen, executive director of NYAAC.
They had 27 high school juniors and seniors apply and accepted 10 into the program. Jensen said they are then matched with veterinarians during a volunteer shift at the fair.
“The goal and the hope is to get these young folks to understand what it takes to be a veterinarian, get their concerned addressed and talk about education opportunities,” Jensen said.
Carie Telgen, a volunteer veterinarian at the dairy cow birthing center, said the industry shortage is due to many reasons.
“It’s a lot of long hours, clients can be mean, in large animal medicine, it’s crazy hours. You can get calls at 2:00 in the morning,” Telgen said. “It can be hard on the body.”
There are only 32 accredited veterinary schools in the country, according to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.
“Depending on the school, you only graduate about 100 veterinarians per year, so we are increasing the output, it’s just a matter of retention and being able to retain people in the profession,” Telgen said.
However, these factors don’t deter students Alexis Forster and Evan Jackson, participants in this aspiring veterinarians program.
“I think the idea of being able to improve the lives of animals and be there when not everyone would have the skillset or the knowledge to do that,” Forster said.
While these two didn’t grow up on farms, Forster has horses and Jackson was raised near many farms.
“I’ve learned a lot about how you care for the animals and also it’s more than just the animals, you have to interact with the people and tell them what is going on,” Jackson said.
Telgen encourages young people interested in veterinarian medicine to get involved through this new program to understand what the industry is really like.
“It takes dedication, and you really have to have a passion for it,” she said.