We've devoted quite a bit of time on Raise the Line to learning about persistent workforce shortages in human healthcare and what is being done about them, but as yet have not turned our attention to the fact that veterinary medicine is facing the same headwinds. To find out more about how that challenge is being addressed and to learn about other current issues in veterinary medicine we turn today to Dr. Kathryn Meurs, Dean at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. One cause of the lack of veterinarians is too few slots for students, but Meurs says there is good news on that front. “There are several new veterinary schools coming online and many existing schools have increased their class size like we have.” Meurs says the profession is starting to think outside the box for other ways to build capacity including getting practices to offer more flexible work schedules, asking vets planning to retire to stay on part-time and expanding the role of veterinary technicians. Join host Hillary Acer to learn all about that and about the educational and research career tracks open to veterinarians, the importance of vet students developing great people skills, and the many clinical trials underway at NC State that sit at the intersection of human and animal health. 

Mentioned in this episode: https://cvm.ncsu.edu/