A bill to expand the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK) at the Kansas State (K-State) University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) passed the House by an overwhelming majority of 115-6 and moved onto the Senate.
First introduced in 2006, VTPRK has an annual state appropriated loan program of $400,000, paid out to five students in $20,000 installments in each of their four years in school.
House Bill 2605 would change the loan appropriation amount from $20,000 to $25,000 per year and allow veterinary students past their first year to enter the program. Under the amended bill, the appropriated amount would become $500,000 and not be limited to five students.
The bill would also change the requirements for graduates to work in counties with fewer than 40,000 people—amending the current 35,000—or if the veterinary practice performed at least 50 percent of its business with any animal raised for human consumption or fiber products, such as cattle, hogs, sheep, goats and chickens.
The bill would create an advisory committee that would work in conjunction with K-State CVM to help select students to participate in the program and determine the program’s needs. The committee would comprise two representatives from the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA), including a former student who has participated in the program, two members appointed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, two representatives from K-State CVM and the animal health commissioner.
At the bill’s hearing in the House Agriculture Committee, some lawmakers had mixed reservations about the formation of an advisory committee.
Both Rep. Joe Newland (R-13-Neodesha) and Rep. Bill Rhiley (R-80-Wellington) had reservations about the advisory committee, with Rhiley asserting it would be responsible for picking “winners and losers,” and Newland said it would circumvent the existing process.
Rep. Ron Highland (R-51-Wamego), a veterinarian himself, said the bill would “fine-tune” the selection process to include the advisory committee.
“Veterinary medicine, like all the medicines nowadays, (is) encouraging more specialization and wanting people to go into research, but what’s being left behind is the excellent practitioner,” Highland said. “We want to select the best and brightest, and we want them to be in our agriculture areas.”
The Rural Veterinary Workforce Development Taskforce currently comprises K-State CVM and the College of Agriculture, along with agriculture stakeholders who advise the program.
Dr. Bonnie Rush, K-State CVM dean, said at the hearing there is a need for this program as there is a shortage of veterinarians, with three jobs for every graduate. This is especially true with rural practitioners, as they are experiencing shortages.
Rush said VTPRK pays for 80 percent of an in-state student’s tuition, as the CVM has not raised its fees in the last few years. Since the program’s inception, Rush said they had 80 recipients of appropriations, and after four years, 98 percent have remained in a qualifying county, and 77 percent have stayed with the practice they joined after graduation.
Rush said implementing the program was “really smart,” as they keep the best practitioners in Kansas.
“I’m proud of the stewardship of this program; I’m proud of the talent and the integrity of the graduates who fulfill this promise,” Rush said.
Dr. Eileen Minnix, past president of the KVMA, said the changes to the program would enable more students to participate and provide flexibility to where students can practice. Minnix said KVMA hears from rural practitioners in larger counties who are large animal veterinarians about the need for veterinarians.
Minnix added that students graduating with less debt provides the opportunity to buy into a practice. If a rural veterinarian was retiring and could not sell their business and was forced to close the practice, by increasing the number of students, that situation would be less likely, and the community would not lose that service.
Matt Teagarden, CEO of Kansas Livestock Association (KLA), appeared before the committee on behalf of KLA and Kansas Farm Bureau and said the bill would implement several stakeholder enhancements that would ensure the program’s success.
“Providing for the well-being of their animals is the top priority of livestock producers,” said Teagarden. “While livestock producers provide the day-to-day care, it is important to have access to a veterinarian professional when treating and preventing disease.”
Teagarden pointed to a survey that showed 60 percent of livestock producers reported a shortage of veterinarians, and that is what members of both organizations are reporting as well.
Teagarden stated the program helps ensure students are not only effective veterinarians, “but effective members of their community and successful business operators.”
Students currently participating in VTPRK testified before the committee, with Rachel Jones of Liberal, KS, saying that within hours of posting her resume to the American Veterinary Medical Association job board, she received “a flood of offers” throughout the country, but she is committed to Kansas. Jones noted that the temptation to leave the state for those not participating in the program is evident. There are 13 students with roots in the state who would be “exceptional candidates” for the program, but it is limited to five. Jones also said the program offers support from past graduates and provides networking opportunities.
Past students also testified on the success of the program. Dr. Garrett Stewart of Washington, KS, said VTPRK enabled him to stay in the state despite being offered positions with higher pay out of state. Stewart said it is a good return on investment, with past recipients contributing to the local economy and staying where they have roots. He encouraged the program’s expansion.
Four veterinarians formally in VTPRK and Kelsey Olson, deputy secretary from the Kansas Department of Agriculture, provided written testimony in favor of the measure. There was no testimony opposing or neutral on the bill.
As of WLJ press time, the bill was in the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, and a hearing was scheduled for March 11. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
