Young vets should have to complete an internship in Ireland after they complete their studies, Cork vet Fachtna Collins has said.
A recent report by the Veterinary Council of Ireland suggests that the shortage of large animal vets is only going to worsen.
Figures within the report show that the country has 100 fewer vets registered this year than it actually needs in the workforce.
Vet and former Cork footballer Collins told the Irish Farmers Journal that he was at “cracking point” for nearly 20 years from the time he started his business in Bantry where he simply could not source any Irish large animal vets to join his practice.
He argued that students who graduate in Ireland should have to do at least a year’s internship in a mixed animal practice before they go abroad for work.
The country has 100 fewer vets registered this year than it actually needs. \ Donal O’Leary. \ Donal O' Leary
This, he maintained, would alleviate the pressure practices, particularly large animal ones, face every year to meet their staffing requirements.
“The Irish tax payer is paying to put these students through college and when they come out I think they should be made do an internship, and this way they give something back. It would guarantee you 50 or 60 vets coming into the country every year.
“Make them do an internship for a year and a half and if they want to go to Australia or England after, let them off, but they can’t walk out the college gates and go straight to England or Australia and say ‘thanks for the education and good luck to ye’,” he said.
Irreplaceable
Collins said that there are a number of vets, currently aged in their seventies and eighties, still working who are “irreplaceable” and are doing it for the love of their farmer clients.
The Veterinary Council report shows that there are 3,564 registered vets in Ireland.
Of this number, 230 vets are in their seventies and 69 vets are aged in their eighties.
The report shows that 2.7% of all vets are either retired or non-practicing – meaning that there is a cohort of vets over the age of 70 who are still working on well past retirement age.
“They feel that they can’t retire because they simply have no one to replace them. Younger vets now, when they get a taste of small animal practice with a better rota and a better support system, they don’t want to do large animal where they will have to work one in every two or three weekends,” he said.
Vets, Collins argued, are the forgotten profession and are in dire need of Government support to help with hiring vets and provide succession plans going forward, especially for smaller rural practices.
Mixed vet Jarlath Sutton, who is practicing in Rathmore, Co Kerry, said that there is a clear and growing shortage of large animal vets in Ireland. This trend, he said, shows no sign of slowing.
Factors
“Key contributing factors in my opinion include poor work-life balance due to demanding out-of-hours and weekend cover, as well as the increasing corporate takeover of practices, which limits opportunities for young vets to eventually own and shape their own clinics.
“Many new entrants face long hours and physically demanding work making the field less attractive despite the critical role it plays in rural communities and food production,” Sutton said.
Rachael Cushen of Bluepool Veterinary Clinic in Kanturk highlighted to the Irish Farmers Journal how few vets end up in mixed or large animal.
“There’s definitely a shortage of large animal vets on the ground in north Cork,” she said. “Most of the practices around us are looking for vets and they can’t get them. There are definitely no experienced vets jumping around the place looking for jobs, which I don’t know is a good thing or a bad thing.
“The new colleges might help with that but it’ll be six or seven years before that makes any difference.”
The Veterinary Council’s report said that with a changing profile of veterinary practitioner, and higher numbers of veterinary practitioners being drawn to companion animal practice, away from farm animal practice, market conditions for the provision of veterinary services in remote or vulnerable areas may face increasing challenges.
“It may be prudent for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to consider making some financial provision and/or alternate supports or subvention of veterinary services in remote or vulnerable areas of the country, in the interests of animal health and welfare and public health,” the report said.
Young vets should have to complete an internship in Ireland after they complete their studies, Cork vet Fachtna Collins has said.
A recent report by the Veterinary Council of Ireland suggests that the shortage of large animal vets is only going to worsen.
Figures within the report show that the country has 100 fewer vets registered this year than it actually needs in the workforce.
Vet and former Cork footballer Collins told the Irish Farmers Journal that he was at “cracking point” for nearly 20 years from the time he started his business in Bantry where he simply could not source any Irish large animal vets to join his practice.
He argued that students who graduate in Ireland should have to do at least a year’s internship in a mixed animal practice before they go abroad for work.
The country has 100 fewer vets registered this year than it actually needs. \ Donal O’Leary. \ Donal O' Leary
This, he maintained, would alleviate the pressure practices, particularly large animal ones, face every year to meet their staffing requirements.
“The Irish tax payer is paying to put these students through college and when they come out I think they should be made do an internship, and this way they give something back. It would guarantee you 50 or 60 vets coming into the country every year.
“Make them do an internship for a year and a half and if they want to go to Australia or England after, let them off, but they can’t walk out the college gates and go straight to England or Australia and say ‘thanks for the education and good luck to ye’,” he said.
Irreplaceable
Collins said that there are a number of vets, currently aged in their seventies and eighties, still working who are “irreplaceable” and are doing it for the love of their farmer clients.
The Veterinary Council report shows that there are 3,564 registered vets in Ireland.
Of this number, 230 vets are in their seventies and 69 vets are aged in their eighties.
The report shows that 2.7% of all vets are either retired or non-practicing – meaning that there is a cohort of vets over the age of 70 who are still working on well past retirement age.
“They feel that they can’t retire because they simply have no one to replace them. Younger vets now, when they get a taste of small animal practice with a better rota and a better support system, they don’t want to do large animal where they will have to work one in every two or three weekends,” he said.
Vets, Collins argued, are the forgotten profession and are in dire need of Government support to help with hiring vets and provide succession plans going forward, especially for smaller rural practices.
Mixed vet Jarlath Sutton, who is practicing in Rathmore, Co Kerry, said that there is a clear and growing shortage of large animal vets in Ireland. This trend, he said, shows no sign of slowing.
Factors
“Key contributing factors in my opinion include poor work-life balance due to demanding out-of-hours and weekend cover, as well as the increasing corporate takeover of practices, which limits opportunities for young vets to eventually own and shape their own clinics.
“Many new entrants face long hours and physically demanding work making the field less attractive despite the critical role it plays in rural communities and food production,” Sutton said.
Rachael Cushen of Bluepool Veterinary Clinic in Kanturk highlighted to the Irish Farmers Journal how few vets end up in mixed or large animal.
“There’s definitely a shortage of large animal vets on the ground in north Cork,” she said. “Most of the practices around us are looking for vets and they can’t get them. There are definitely no experienced vets jumping around the place looking for jobs, which I don’t know is a good thing or a bad thing.
“The new colleges might help with that but it’ll be six or seven years before that makes any difference.”
The Veterinary Council’s report said that with a changing profile of veterinary practitioner, and higher numbers of veterinary practitioners being drawn to companion animal practice, away from farm animal practice, market conditions for the provision of veterinary services in remote or vulnerable areas may face increasing challenges.
“It may be prudent for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to consider making some financial provision and/or alternate supports or subvention of veterinary services in remote or vulnerable areas of the country, in the interests of animal health and welfare and public health,” the report said.
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