OVMA creates program to attract food animal interns

COLUMBUS, OHIO — The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) plans to hand out $10,000 in grants this year to food animal practitioners who agree to host a student intern.

The Food Animal Practitioner Internship Scholarship Program, created last month, is intended to facilitate the exploration of food animal medicine as a viable career path among veterinary medical students. It's also designed to assist OVMA food animal practitioners in developing mentorship opportunities as well as potential associate veterinarians.

The goal: to beef up the state's number of food animal veterinarians. OVMA officials seek to combat well-publicized national shortages in the field.

"We're trying to build interest," OVMA Executive Director Jack Advent says. "We want to hear from practices that want to host this."

The deadline to request a grant is May 1. Applications can be downloaded from the association's Web site, www.ohiovma.org.

How it works

Students tapped for the program must be in their first three years of veterinary education at an AVMA-accredited veterinary institution and in good academic standing.

Once eligible candidates are identified, OVMA plans to award practices grants of up to $1,500 in matching funds to ease the costs of hosting an intern. Approved Ohio practices must have 25 percent of their business related to food-animal medicine, and DVM hosts must agree to engage the majority of the student's internship time in that field. At least 50 percent of the practicing veterinarians at the facility must be current OVMA members in good standing. Practices also must agree to match OVMA internship grants dollar for dollar.

Jack Advent

Grant funds only can be used by the practice as either direct payment or a scholarship to pay stipends of compensation, lodging and food for the student receiving the internship. The student also can use such funds to pay for appropriate clothing and equipment related to the internship experience. If for any reason the internship is not completed, unused funds must be returned to OVMA within 30 days.