“There is a huge shortage of veterinarians!”
That from Dr. Willie Reed, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue. He says it’s not just veterinarians, but also veterinary nurses and technicians.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many opportunities for veterinarians in my whole career as we have now.”
Reed hopes that their new state-of-the-art facility on campus, the David and Bonnie Brunner Purdue Veterinary Hospital Complex, will encourage more young people to consider a career in the field.
Reed says the facility, that they moved into last May and June, is very spacious.
“And it allows us to add technology that we have not had. Also, it provides a safer environment for our students, our faculty and for our clients. And it also allows us to, in the future, expand our class size, and we’re very excited about that. And it also supports clinical research.”
The new facility appears to be working. Reed is pleased to say that they have more applicants to the School of Veterinary Medicine than at any time in their 62-year history.
“So, this year, we are selecting 84 students from a total applicant pool of 1,750. And that 1,750 is about double the number of applicants we had about four years ago. So, there’s a lot of interest in veterinary medicine by young people and a lot of interest in students wanting to come to Purdue.”
Hear my full conversation with Reed below where we discuss what they’re doing to encourage students to pursue large animal medicine and the shortage of vets in rural areas.
