NEWS & TRENDS
‘Excess capacity’ versus ‘oversupply’ in veterinary medicine
To some, it may seem the veterinary industry has shifted rapidly from a workforce oversupply to a workforce shortage. But this is a misunderstanding of the difference between “excess capacity” and “oversupply,” economist and veterinarian James Lloyd writes in his latest column in the Fountain Report.
Jim explains how two studies in recent decades led to a perception of oversupply in the veterinary medicine workforce—but this conclusion wasn’t actually supported by the data.
Service businesses like veterinary clinics often try to have extra staff on hand to accommodate unpredictable shifts in demand, which helps them provide better customer service and patient care.
But true oversupply in the profession’s workforce would involve more than just having extra staff on hand, Jim writes: “Most importantly, true instances of oversupply also generally involve elevated rates of unemployment,” he notes. And meaningful unemployment “has never been documented in veterinary medicine.”
With that in mind, he writes, initiatives to address the current workforce shortage are urgently needed.
> Read the full column here.
How veterinary technicians can make in-home euthanasia a possibility for pet owners in need
When euthanasia is necessary, pet owners prefer that it happen at home. But current laws require a licensed veterinarian to do the procedure.
Given veterinarian shortages, it’s difficult for doctors to be able to leave the clinic and go to clients’ homes. This puts stress on veterinary teams and pet owners, and it could create tension between them, veterinary policy expert Mark Cushing writes in his latest Fountain Report column.
The solution, he says, is to allow credentialed veterinary technicians to perform in-home hospice services and euthanasia if two conditions are met:
- The technician is certified to perform euthanasia through a minimum 16-hour course and 20 hours of veterinarian-supervised euthanasia experience; and
- A veterinarian in the veterinary practice oversees the in-home euthanasia procedure via telemedicine.
This solution will offer more humane and readily available care for pets, lower costs for pet owners, reduce pressure on clinics and increase work opportunities for credentialed veterinary technicians, Mark writes.
“However you look at the problem, this solution makes sense as there are no losers,” he says. Readers interested in learning more can get in touch with Mark.
> Read the full column here.
Veterinary care shortage causes problems for doctors and animal owners in Wisconsin
Veterinarians and animal owners in Wisconsin are feeling the pressure from a national veterinary care shortage. Some clinics are no longer seeing new patients, and some emergency clinics are no longer open at night, said Jennifer Bloss, owner and practicing veterinarian at Brook-Falls Veterinary Hospital & Exotic Care in Menomonee Falls. The inability to fill open positions at clinics is “contributing to a sense of burnout, (and) it’s contributing to a sense of almost helplessness in the veterinary sector,” Bloss told Wisconsin Public Radio.
> Read the full article here.
Five veterinary hospital managers receive scholarships to attain CVPM credential
Veterinary Management Groups, Zoetis and the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association have partnered to provide scholarships for five individuals to attain the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager credential. The scholarship is awarded to managers employed by veterinary hospitals belonging to VMG.
> Read the full announcement here.
AAHA releases new senior pet care guidelines
The American Animal Hospital Association has released the “2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats” to support veterinary teams treating senior patients. According to the association, the new guidelines “offer actionable strategies that veterinary teams can adopt to create senior-friendly environments that welcome senior pets, including modification of physical environments, prioritizing care to keep families together and taking different approaches to healthy and unhealthy senior patients.”
> Read the full announcement here.
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