Academy of Rural Veterinarians Mission

Mission Statement: Be proactive and provide information to encourage interest in the rewards of veterinary practice in rural America.

We graduated from veterinary college, packed up, and left the universities of our origins. Those of us who chose to establish our careers in the rural areas of our nation tended not to interact with our alma maters very much other than to perhaps send a few students to vet school.

As a consequence, Veterinary student’s exposure to the very fulfilling and interesting lives we live as successful rural practitioners is limited. In school, often times students get the impression that our lives are ones of long hours, and boring monotonous work that robs us of any chance for a balanced personal life. Students fear the pay scale is so depressed that they cannot service their student debt. Further, they think they will be unable to practice the high quality of medicine that they are taught in school.

The Academy of Rural Veterinarians is a group of concerned rural practitioners nation wide who want to tell our story to students in all the North American veterinary colleges. We want to return to the campuses with our message, which is that rural practice is a very viable career alternative that offers personal, professional, and financial rewards that are in line with those of any other discipline that requires a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine diploma.

We will accomplish this mission by applying efforts on several fronts:

Make regular visits to the veterinary colleges and give presentations about the rich variety of possibilities a career in the country can offer. A vital part of the visit will be question and answer sessions in which we will be able to interact on a first hand level with students and simultaneously educate students and become informed ourselves about issues students feel are important.
Mentor students interested in rural practice both via the use of our website as a communication medium and personally through arranged clinic visits and other means of communication.
Recruit like-minded rural veterinarians who like what they do and are willing to offer themselves as student mentors and make visits to their alma maters to participate in student presentations.
Widen the audience. Encourage all rural veterinarians to become positive role models in their communities and become engaged at the high-school level and earlier and participate in career days, 4-H, and other youth organizations.
Encourage rural veterinarians to participate in externships and summer jobs with interested students. In other words, take an active role in student’s professional development into practicing veterinarian.

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Proudly sponsored by:	Academy of Rural Veterinarians Mission Mission Statement: Be proactive and provide information to encourage interest in the rewards of veterinary practice in rural America. We graduated from veterinary college, packed up, and left the universities of our origins. Those of us who chose to establish our careers in the rural areas of our nation tended not to interact with our alma maters very much other than to perhaps send a few students to vet school. As a consequence, Veterinary student’s exposure to the very fulfilling and interesting lives we live as successful rural practitioners is limited. In school, often times students get the impression that our lives are ones of long hours, and boring monotonous work that robs us of any chance for a balanced personal life. Students fear the pay scale is so depressed that they cannot service their student debt. Further, they think they will be unable to practice the high quality of medicine that they are taught in school. The Academy of Rural Veterinarians is a group of concerned rural practitioners nation wide who want to tell our story to students in all the North American veterinary colleges. We want to return to the campuses with our message, which is that rural practice is a very viable career alternative that offers personal, professional, and financial rewards that are in line with those of any other discipline that requires a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine diploma. We will accomplish this mission by applying efforts on several fronts: Make regular visits to the veterinary colleges and give presentations about the rich variety of possibilities a career in the country can offer. A vital part of the visit will be question and answer sessions in which we will be able to interact on a first hand level with students and simultaneously educate students and become informed ourselves about issues students feel are important. Mentor students interested in rural practice both via the use of our website as a communication medium and personally through arranged clinic visits and other means of communication. Recruit like-minded rural veterinarians who like what they do and are willing to offer themselves as student mentors and make visits to their alma maters to participate in student presentations. Widen the audience. Encourage all rural veterinarians to become positive role models in their communities and become engaged at the high-school level and earlier and participate in career days, 4-H, and other youth organizations. Encourage rural veterinarians to participate in externships and summer jobs with interested students. In other words, take an active role in student’s professional development into practicing veterinarian.