Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Veterinarians starting practice in underserved rural communities are typically recent graduates serving areas that may be economically disadvantaged, and where seasoned veterinarians may have avoided due to the lack of business opportunity. Their professional success may depend on their ability to convince livestock producers that they can offer services that add value in non-traditional ways. Thus, the skillset required of food and fiber animal veterinarians working in rural communities includes the need to understand concepts including epidemiology, business management, and livestock production systems. We propose four objectives to improve practice success in rural areas while benefiting animal health and well-being, public health, and food safety. They are to provide:Objective 1: Additional educational opportunities for veterinary students from Mississippi State and other institutions to gain experience in population level health, practice management, systems thinking, and communication.Objective 2: Enhanced training to residents in the population medicine program.Objective 3: Continuing education opportunities to rural veterinary practitioners in the first five years of practice on topics including population-level, health, data analysis, epidemiology and systems thinking.Objective 4: Opportunities for high school students (grades 11 and 12) to inform students of career opportunities in food animal medicine, the role of veterinarians in the well-being and health of food-producing animals, and on the veterinarian's role in the safety and security of food animal products (e.g., meat and milk).These objective are consistent with the (FY) 2024 Program Area Priorities of the VSGP, Education, Extension and Training Grants (EET) and are intended to prepare a robust veterinary workforce that is fully trained for rural veterinary practice.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Veterinarians starting practice in underserved rural communities are typically recent graduates serving areas that may be economically disadvantaged, and where seasoned veterinarians may have avoided due to the lack of business opportunity. Their professional success may depend on their ability to convince livestock producers that they can offer services that add value in non-traditional ways. Thus, the skillset required of food and fiber animal veterinarians working in rural communities includes the need to understand concepts including epidemiology, business management, and livestock production systems. We propose four objectives to improve practice success in rural areas while benefiting animal health and well-being, public health, and food safety. They are to provide:Objective 1: Additional educational opportunities for veterinary students from Mississippi State and other institutions to gain experience in population level health, practice management, systems thinking, and communication.Objective 2: Enhanced training to residents in the population medicine program.Objective 3: Continuing education opportunities to rural veterinary practitioners in the first five years of practice on topics including population-level, health, data analysis, epidemiology and systems thinking.Objective 4: Opportunities for high school students (grades 11 and 12) to inform students of career opportunities in food animal medicine, the role of veterinarians in the well-being and health of food-producing animals, and on the veterinarian's role in the safety and security of food animal products (e.g., meat and milk).
Project Methods
Formal and informal (extension) methods will be used to prepare a veterinary workforce for rural veterinary practice. The targeted subjects and approach include formal education to veterinary students in one required and one elective course, and informal education to population medicine residents, recent veterinary graduates, and high school students. Change in knowledge or action will be evaluated for each specific outcome through course examinations and pre-test/post-test surveys.