North Carolina State launches Equine Scholars Program

According to statistics published by the American Veterinary Medical Association, as of December 31, 2023, out of 82,704 veterinarians in clinical practice, 4.1% of veterinarians in the United States are equine practitioners.¹ In North Carolina, the need for equine veterinarians is rising, but there is a struggle to keep and recruit professionals to go into their area of veterinary medicine.

To help fill the needs for equine veterinarians, North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine (NC State) plans to launch the Equine Scholars Program this fall to recruit pre-veterinary undergraduate students who have shown an interest in horse health to join the college's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.² The students will be invited from universities that partner with the school to help strengthen the pipeline for future equine veterinarians in North Carolina.

The program was modeled after the Food Animal Scholars initiative and will pair undergraduate students who are accepted into the program with veterinary mentors at NC State and private practice.² The students will then gain hands-on shadowing and mentorship opportunities. Those chosen for the program that meet the admission criteria for the veterinary program at NC State will be given a spot in the DVM program once they graduate with their bachelor’s degree.

“As a land-grant institution offering North Carolina’s only veterinary college, one of NC State’s missions is to deliver excellent veterinarians who can take care of the animals owned by the people of North Carolina,” said Callie Fogle, DVM, DACVS (Large Animal), a clinical professor of equine surgery, and cofounder of the Equine Scholars Program.² “The same applies for horses and their owners.”

Through the program, students will gain an in-depth understanding of how to be an equine veterinarian to help them see it as a sustainable and lifelong career. Applications will open on November 1, 2024, for students that are at least a junior and have one summer remaining before graduating.²

The program will accept students from 4 partner universities with agricultural or equestrian focus, NC State, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the University of Mount Olive and St. Andrews University, who could achieve 1 of the 6 slots in the first cohort. Students outside of these universities are encouraged to share their interest to inform future program expansion. However, they will not be considered for admission at this time.

“We’re providing them with a solid network of veterinarians they can rely on so they feel like they’re part of the larger community of equine veterinarians in the state,” Fogle concluded.²

References

1. US veterinary numbers. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/market-research-statistics-us-veterinarians
2. Rice K. NC State’s New Equine Scholars Program Helps Put Undergrads in the Saddle of a Veterinary Career. Veterinary Medicine News. Published October 15, 2024. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://news.cvm.ncsu.edu/equine-scholars-program/