Why aren't students choosing farm animal practice and what can be done about it?

Abstract

The profession faces a recruitment and retention problem, whilst at the same time increasing numbers of students aren't selecting careers within farm animal practice. Recent research from universities and the student Farm Animal Veterinary Society have considered causes and barriers. More recent movements by several farm vets and veterinary associations have sought to highlight farm vets without ‘traditional’ farm vet backgrounds. This article considers the FAVS report ( Owen, 2023 ) alongside other literature and research into potential barriers to students entering farm animal practice, whilst the panel discussions provides the views of experienced veterinary surgeons working in the farm sector as to what practitioners, and the wider profession can do to increase the number of students considering and choosing careers in farm animal practice.