• Date Due: January 08, 2025
  • Author: Board of Veterinary Medicine
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 43 (Regular Session, 2024)
  • Description:
    Report on the findings and recommendations on the study of the shortage of large animal veterinarians, including (i) ways to strengthen existing debt repayment programs for veterinarians, including making recommendations on how to simplify application criteria, exploring state matching loan repayment programs, limiting barriers for participation, and improving methods for consistent identification of veterinary shortage areas to better target rural communities in need; (ii) options for developing programs that offer business support to provide incentives or low-interest business loans for large animal private practices; (iii) programs that support a strong pipeline of veterinary students from rural backgrounds and help such students navigate post-secondary education to increase retention; (iv) other possible solutions for increasing the number of large animal veterinarians in the Commonwealth, such as expanding veterinary technician-type or physician assistant-type programs to allow large animal veterinarians to expand their scope of practice in rural areas; and (v) reexamining the recommendations from the 2010 study on the shortage of large animal veterinarians published pursuant to House Joint Resolution 730 (2009). (First year of a two-year study.) [Reporting requirements of Senate Joint Resolution 15 of the 2024 Acts of Assembly are identical.]