Calling Rural Veterinarians

CALLING

Rural Veterinarians

OSU AND OKLAHOMA WORK TO FILL RURAL VETERINARIAN POSITIONS

The sun rises over rural Oklahoma. Tools neatly line the veterinary box, prepared to assist in a day of unknowns. The phone rings alongside the morning cup of coffee, and a rural veterinarian starts the day.

Rural veterinarians are an enormous asset to a community, said Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, director of continuing education for the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine and beef cattle specialist for OSU Extension.

Veterinarians are critical in helping with not only animal health but also food safety, public health, education and military services, said Biggs, who is an alumna of the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the OSU-CVM.

“Agriculture is one of the top industries in Oklahoma,” Biggs said. “It is at the heart of all things good in Oklahoma. Rural communities are focused largely on agriculture, especially animal agriculture.”

A recent shortage of rural veterinarians has brought challenges to rural Oklahoma, Biggs said.

However, rather than being discouraged, State of Oklahoma officials, the veterinary community, and OSU administrators and faculty are committed to overcome these challenges in the most effective manner, Biggs said.

Dr. Rod Hall, Oklahoma state veterinarian and OSU-CVM alumnus, said he attributes the state’s veterinarian shortage to the salary-to-student debt ratio, the need for emergency calls, the rural lifestyle, the misconception of fair pay for veterinarian services, and the hard work that goes into being a rural veterinarian.

“We have to figure out how to help students get into veterinary school,” Hall said, “and how to help them be successful after graduation.”

In 2021, 718 students applied to OSU’s veterinary medicine program, and 106 were accepted. Of these applicants, 171 Oklahoma residents competed for the 58 spots reserved for in-state students. The remainder competed for the 48 out-of-state spots.

The OSU-CVM has implemented programs to allow veterinary medicine students the ability to gain hands-on experience as well as networking and job opportunities with an emphasis in fostering sustainable veterinary practices, Biggs said.

“OSU’s Integrated Beef Cattle Program is a cross-disciplinary partnership across veterinary medicine,

In 2021, the USDA NIFA distributed $1,250,000 to rural veterinarians for the Rural Practice Enhancement program. Photo by Maddie Neuschwander.

animal science, agricultural econom- who are being successful at hiring ics and extension,” Biggs said. “This veterinary associates are beginning to program addresses the current chal- understand that they’re going to have lenges in veterinary medicine and puts to pay more and give some benefits to 20 practicing veterinarians learning graduates,” Hall said. alongside 20 veterinary students to One recent OSU veterinary medihelp them develop various skills.” cine alumnus has already made strides

Will Shelby, 2021 OSU animal toward a debt-free veterinary mediscience alumnus and first-year OSU cine career, Biggs said. veterinary medicine “An alumnus student, has taken advantage of the SEEING THE in our program has been out for scholarships and two years with a programs offered DIFFERENCE YOU six-figure debt through the OSU- and has already CVM. Shelby said he is thankful for the MAKE IN RURAL paid that back,” Biggs said. many opportunities he has received and COMMUNITIES AND “There is opportunity out there. looks forward to his Together through future career. BUILDING THOSE education, both

Dr. Bob McCraw, from the undermixed animal CONNECTIONS IS AN graduate level veterinarian and and the College OSU-CVM alum nus, said the AWESOME THING TO of Veterinarian Medicine, student-debt crisis OSU turns out is one of the biggest DO EVERY DAY. practice-ready challenges facing WILL SHELBY veterinarians. We recent veterinary support them all medicine graduates. the way through.” However, veterinary medicine has Supporting veterinarians and aspirtaken initiative in combating this issue ing veterinarians is a task that relies nationally, he said. on community support, Biggs said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Oklahoma has communities Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment with students who have the potential Program will pay up to $25,000 each to be tremendous assets to veterinary year toward education loans to eligible medicine, Biggs said. veterinarians, according to the USDA. “If I ask a grade-school class, ‘How The program requires recipients to many of you would be interested in work at least three years in shortage being a veterinarian?’ there’s always a zones designated by the National lot of hands,” Biggs said. “I want each Institute of Food and Agriculture. student who raises a hand to know that

This year, up to seven Oklahoma they can.” veterinarians could be nominated for In Oklahoma, multiple families have the loan repayment program, Hall said. a long line of veterinarians, Biggs said.

Oklahoma is one of the states with Having a mother who was a veterinarthe greatest number of nominations ian allowed Biggs to see the number of for the program, he said, and officials opportunities veterinary medicine can encourage a multitude of different offer as did being surrounded by posiveterinary practices to apply for this tive advocates for veterinary medicine, program. Hall said he also hopes to she added. see older practices increase pay and Shelby also had strong veterinary resources for graduates. role models throughout his life, he

“The people in rural Oklahoma said, including his father, Dr. Troy Shelby. Will Shelby found his passion for veterinary medicine early in his life, he said.

Will Shelby, who grew up in Madill, Oklahoma, said veterinarians make a difference through their work with rural communities and as advocates for the agricultural industry.

“I believe that to cattle producers, especially in a rural area, having a good veterinarian they can plan with and come together with is really vital to their successes, especially since cattle producers work on such tight margins,” Will Shelby said. “Anything veterinarians can do to increase efficiency or decrease death loss helps bring success to their businesses.”

The relationship between veterinarians and their clients is similar to a partnership, Biggs said. Veterinarians operate with the goal of saving their clients money, she said.

Supporting rural veterinarians sets off a chain reaction of helping a long list of small businesses, she added.

“As a rural veterinarian, you automatically are considered an upstanding citizen,” Hall said. “People value your expert opinion. You will have opportunities to be involved in civic organizations.”

Serving the rural community as a veterinarian can be a privilege, Will Shelby said. However, drawing a line after business hours is a difficult task for rural vets, he added.

Current veterinarians and aspiring veterinarians must know their boundaries and when to say no, McCraw said. Often, saying no is difficult but necessary when prioritizing your work-life balance, he added.

“You can really make a difference as a veterinarian,” Will Shelby said. “Seeing the difference you make in rural communities and building those connections is an awesome thing to do every day.”

MADDIE COX

Will Shelby examines a fecal sample in an OSU-CVM lab. As a student at OSU-CVM, Shelby learns the fundamentals of identifying potential illnesses in different species. Photo by Maddie Cox.