Food animal medicine in crisis

Abstract

JAVMA, Vol 235, No. 4, August 15, 2009 A dearth of veterinary professionals are engaged in food animal medicine. According to the AVMA’s 2008 market research statistics, 10,736 (13.5%) AVMA members, reporting practice type by species category, were in practices related to food animal medicine. This void was originally acknowledged as many as 20 years ago, but until recently, it has undergone little scrutiny regarding origins and possible resolutions. Recent events have heightened political, public, and professional awareness of the threat of global bioterrorism and resulted in > 30 published manuscripts and reports addressing the scarcity of veterinarians interested in food animal medicine. Reports published by organizations such as the AAVMC have identified potential causes for these shortages, including a skewed focus in the veterinary curriculum, challenges in recruitment, lack of mentorship while a veterinary medical student and after graduation, and insufficient remuneration and retention. Although all of the aforementioned causes are important for creating the void, solutions are lacking because the professional purpose of FAVs has become increasingly diverse. Indeed, a review of the literature reveals that veterinary medicine has a lack of FAVs that has been compounded by an identity crisis in FAVs within the veterinary profession. The identity crisis stems from inconsistent terms, including food supply veterinarians, food systems veterinarians, and veterinarians in food animal production medicine, used to describe FAVs. Such inconsistencies dilute attempts to fill the FAV void and render such attempts ineffectual because the void or voids veterinary colleges are trying to fill have yet to be clearly defined. The information provided here is intended to include a brief history of the foundations of veterinary medicine, its primary obligations, and societal forces that have expanded these obligations, which are necessary to provide an adequate background for understanding the problems facing the veterinary profession. In addition, it is intended to explore many of the challenges contributing to the void in FAVs and proposed changes in veterinary medical education and outreach. Finally, I hope to define the contributors to the FAV identity crisis within veterinary medicine and the resulting need for a new taxonomy of veterinary scientists who are able to adapt veterinary education for the future. Food animal medicine in crisis