Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The shortage of veterinarians in food animal practice not only threatens the safety and security of the food supply but also negatively impacts animal welfare on the farm, and impairs the livelihood of producers and current veterinarians in food animal practice. One of the problems identified during a retreat with stakeholders at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine was the lack of intoduction of high school students to possible career paths in food animal medicine. Our objectives are to create a framework for outreach opportunities at the high school level that increases the number of high schoolers in California interested in pursuing a career in livestock veterinary medicine. We will further expand internship opportunities for high schoolers at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare. To achieve these objectives, we will create specific outreach materials that will draw a positive, yet realistic image of what possibilities exist in the field of food animal medicine as well as point out funding options for veterinary school, including available scholarships at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. A database of high schools, their career counselors, and possible opportunities such as career days will be made available to participating veterinarians. An internship for high school students will let them shadow clinicians and researchers to gain a more in-depth experience. The proposed activities may help increase the pool of applicants interested in food animal medicine at UC Davis and other veterinary schools and ultimately help in ameliorating the current shortage situation.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
Our overarching goal is to create a framework for outreach opportunities at the high school level that increases the number of high school students in California interested to pursue a career in livestock veterinary practice. To meet this overall goal, we propose the following specific objectives:# 1) Create informational materials geared towards high school students on possibilities and available support for a career as a food animal veterinarian in private or public practice or academia. Academic prerequisites and ways to finance the education will be outlined as well as examples given of successful food animal veterinarians who have come from a non-traditional or disadvantaged background.# 2) Recruit, train, and deploy individuals who will act as ambassadors for the SVM during visits to high schools. A key component of this project will be to develop a unified positive message and to outline an optimistic yet realistic path toward a career in livestock veterinary practice. The program will work with high school career counselors and veterinarians in private practice to create these opportunities. A dedicated webpage will let veterinarians search and sign up for career days and other outreach events. Ambassadors will visit high schools and deliver content to students.#3) Expand opportunities for interested high school students to gain experiences in livestock veterinary medicine settings. In addition to revamping the already existing internship at the center's milk quality lab, a second internship at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center (VMTRC) in Tulare will be developed to include on-farm clinical exposure. The curriculum will include shadowing clinicians and researchers and scheduled interaction with veterinary students at the center.
Project Methods
Specific objective # 1: Create age-appropriate education materials for high school students on the possibilities and available support for a career as a veterinarian in private or public/academic practice. We will draw a positive, yet realistic image of current and future possibilities in the field of food animal medicine by showcasing stories of veterinarians that span multiple species including poultry. During in-person and virtual informational sessions for high school students, veterinarians will talk about their specific work and encourage a Q&A session with students. The retreat highlighted that the pathway to veterinary school is largely inaccessible to large numbers of students, especially those in rural areas, public schools, or disadvantaged neighborhoods. Academic and financial restrictions discourage many students from the pursuit of a professional career, despite its popularity as a career choice early in childhood. Research exists to support the idea that the cost of education may seem as an insurmountable barrier to socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority parents (Grodsky and Jones 2007). We further aim to describe the necessary steps and provide a checklist to become a competitive applicant for veterinary school. Educational materials that demonstrate the prerequisite college coursework, and financial obligations and opportunities available for a veterinary education will be integral to this support program we aim to develop. A dedicated project scientist with a background in instructional technology or high school education will be working on developing the strategic curriculum with input from stakeholders and in close collaboration with the PIs. The multi-faceted curriculum will provide high quality multi-modality content, including a roadmap to becoming a livestock veterinarian and what the work looks like on a daily basis. The content will provide a layered approach to fully inform a high school student about this career path and its rewards. We envision multiple formats to deliver the content.1) Powerpoint presentations will highlight different career options which feature personal experiences of food animal veterinarians at different stages of their career (e.g. early, mid-stage, and late career DVMs, variety of genders and ethnic backgrounds, variety of practice settings). These interviews will highlight perspectives and experiences along the professionals' path. The Admissions and Student Programs office will provide up to date admissions requirements including best practices for a successful application as well as scholarship/grant opportunities available to DVM scholars and loan repayment programs for DVM graduates. Special circumstances and funding options for food animal veterinarians whose careers are in the governmental sector (e.g. USDA, military) will be highlighted.2) A series of short videos will be professionally produced to reach a wider audience through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.3) Online and printed workbooks to track a student's pathway to food animal veterinary medicine (i.e. chronology of coursework, work experiences, research experience, etc.) as well as financial and professional career planning will be designed to complement the presentations in all formats.Specific objective # 2: Recruit and deploy educational and career ambassadors across a network of high school guidance counselors.The project scientist will create and frequently connect with a statewide network of high school career and guidance counselors to identify interested key partners and facilitate all outreach to high schools. This novel network database will be interactive and online for frequent reference and timely updates for all partners and participants. Outreach materials will follow the established curriculum with emphasis on the pathway to, costs of, and successful applications for veterinary school that weaves in highlighted background information on career options in food animal medicine including options for financing a veterinary education (e.g., USDA NIFA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program [VMLRP] and the USDA Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) for Rural Practice Enhancement) (California Department of Food and Agriculture, 2023). Private and public practitioners have already vocally provided their support to partner in these activities to grow their own professional network and foster interest for future colleagues as the shortage of livestock veterinarians has become a real threat to their businesses, sustainability of the profession, and delivery of quality care to food animals. The program will be advertised to food animalveterinarians through articles in professional publications (e.g. trade/industry magazines, California Veterinary Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Association journals, etc). Interested veterinarians will be encouraged to attend a short online training module on the background and content of outreach materials. After successfully passing a quiz, ambassadors will receive access to a password protected webpage to explore opportunities in their surroundings. Every effort will be made to facilitate ambassador visits to their preferred high schools. Areas with few livestock veterinarians will be covered by veterinarians at UCD SVM, in particular those in extension. Feedback from veterinarians, students, and high school personnel will be obtained to evaluate the impact and track the success of the program.Specific objective #3 Expand opportunities for high school students to gain experiences in livestock veterinary medicineHigh school students from Mission Oak High School in Tulare currently participate in an internship program in the milk quality lab within the VMTRC. They participate for several hours each week focused on the work at the lab, gain experience with microbiological lab techniques, and interact with veterinarians and final year veterinary students on clinical rotations. An additional internship opportunity at the VMTRC is planned for high school students from Mission Oak and other local high schools where students will shadow veterinarians in the dairy medicine service on farm calls as well as in the dairy epidemiology laboratory. This unique approach will allow students to experience the work of a livestock veterinarian in individual, herd, and large population-based medical practices and advancements. Students will participate in scientific discussions and journal clubs as well as collaborate on a small project appropriate to their learning level to introduce them to the work of academic livestock veterinarians. The value of these veterinary internships will be emphasized to students as a key component for a successful veterinary school application package during career day presentations. Enrollment will be limited and competitively allocated through an application process so opportunities will be paired to students that justify a compelling case focused on their interest in food animal medicine. Grades will be considered but a holistic approach to evaluation will be developed and followed.