Vet Candy

This August at the AVMA Convention in Washington, D.C., the AVMA delegates will meet to cast their votes for the next AVMA President-elect.  Dr. Doug Kratt is hoping to win that election.  Join Dr.’s Jenifer and Jason Chatfield as they press the good Dr. Kratt on big issues facing veterinarians and the industry as a whole.  What ARE the big issues that Dr. Kratt will prioritize once elected?  Better yet, can Dr. Jason get Dr. Kratt to share any embarrassing stories about Dr. Jenifer from their time together in the AVMA Future Leader program?!  Have a listen…see how red her face might turn!

For more info on how the AVMA elects leaders and how members can make sure their voice is heard, visit www.myvetcandy.com

BIO:

a veterinarian, a father of two, and a practice owner. I have also been an active member of the Wisconsin VMA for over ten years and now I am running for the AVMA Presidency.

Just like most veterinarians, I grew up loving animals. And just like them, I worked hard to get into later through vet school, but it was all worth it and if I had the chance, I wouldn’t do things any other way.

I am deeply saddened when I hear about my colleagues who are struggling in their lives.
Struggling to pay off horrendous student debt, struggling to have work life balance, and struggling with burnout and stress. I understand how helpless they feel.
I want to make our profession better. I want to lead change. That is why I am asking for your support.

Student Loan Debt

There are 13,323 vet students studying at 49 member institutions of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges this year.

Students are paying an average of $31,979 for in-state and $52,613 for out-of-state tuition, and about 80 percent will graduate with debt that averages $169,046. I know veterinarians who graduated in 2008 and still have more than 300k of student loans to pay off.

They need our help. That means supporting debt relief programs and providing financial planning assistance for both students and our colleagues dealing with debt.

Gender Balance, Diversity and Inclusion

Veterinary medicine also needs help with gender balance, inclusion, and diversity. Veterinary medicine, which has for many years been a male-dominated profession, has experienced a significant increase in the number of women studying at veterinary colleges and practicing in all fields of the profession. Women make up about 85% of vet students in the U.S and more than 60% of practicing small animal veterinarians are now female. Sadly, although women outnumber men in the veterinary field, they are still underrepresented in leadership roles. Real change in our field will come when we see gender balance across the industry.

Veterinary medicine also needs help with diversity. According to DataUSA*, African-Americans now make up about 13.4% percent of the U.S. population, but only comprise less than 2% of the nation’s veterinarians. We see similar imbalance with other races as well.

One of my goals as president of the AVMA is to improve on the strides already made in this arena. I believe the veterinary medical profession should look like the population as a whole and I will be committed this goal until it does. The situation is simple. Ask yourself, are you comfortable with the current state of affairs? If not, and if you would like to help achieve change for the better, then let’s work towards a better future, together.