State Could Pay Vets To Work in Rural Counties
Program is similar to existing grants offered to doctors, dentists who practice in rural areas.
A dairy farm in Wisconsin. Photo by William Garrett / Creative Commons.
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers hopes to motivate new veterinarians to work with the state’s rural farms by offering student loan repayment.
The bill would allow recently-graduated veterinarians to receive a $25,000 grant to repay their student loans for each year they practice in a rural county, up to four years. Recipients are required to spend at least 25 percent of their time treating farm animals.
Wisconsin farms and animal owners have struggled with a nationwide shortage of veterinarians in recent years. Supporters of the legislation say the large amount of debt that most vets graduate with makes taking a job at a small rural practice less appealing.
Speaking at a public hearing on Thursday, third-year veterinary student Joie Haines said her classmates at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine find they can make more money by treating small animals at a corporate clinic in an urban area.
“I have a couple classmates who have gotten offers of $30,000 or $40,000 for a sign-on (bonus),” said Haines, who serves on the board of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medicine Association. “They’re like, ‘Why would you go to rural Wisconsin and be at a large animal practice and make less than $100,000 (per year)?’”
Haines grew up on a farm in Arcadia, where her family raised beef cattle, swine and poultry. She told members of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities that her family often could not get veterinary care or had to travel a long distance to see a vet.
Dr. Al Martens from Waupun Veterinary Service also spoke in support of the bill. His team of 16 vets serves farms across a nine-county area in eastern Wisconsin.
“Part of the reason that we cover such a large area in our practice is that most of the small, one- and two-veterinarian practices have disappeared,” Martens told lawmakers.
He said many practices have gotten rid of their emergency services, creating long wait times that can lead to animal welfare concerns and economic losses on farms.
A newly graduated vet could receive up to $100,000 under the proposed program. It’s similar to an existing loan forgiveness program for medical professionals such as primary care doctors, psychiatrists and dentists who practice in underserved areas.
Haines told lawmakers that she’s on track to graduate with $130,000 in debt from veterinary school, which she estimates will cost her closer to $200,000 due to her interest rates.
“Although I’m personally committed to serving in a rural area, it is something in the back of my mind, figuring out how am I going to pay back this debt as I finish my schooling,” she said during the hearing.
While the legislation has support from both Republicans and Democrats, several lawmakers pointed out during the hearing that the bill does not allocate money to fund the grants. The program would receive money in the next biennial state budget, which will be created under a new governor and state Legislature.
One of the bill’s sponsors, state Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, said it would be “an uphill battle” to get lawmakers to sign on to a bill that allocates money after the current state budget started in July.
“I’m confident, if we pass this bill, that we’ll get the money into the budget, no matter who the governor is,” Kitchens told the committee.
Bill to address farm veterinarian shortage would offer new grads loan repayment was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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