Rep. Reis’ Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program Signed into Law

August 13, 2009

Olney, IL.…Qualifying students pursuing a large animal veterinary medical degree might be eligible for tuition loan forgiveness under a new law introduced by State Representative David Reis (R-Ste. Marie). Signed by Governor Pat Quinn, Reis’ Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program will offer tuition forgiveness for up to four veterinary students per year if they devote at least fifty-one percent of their practice to large-animal veterinary medicine in an under served area of the state.

“Many of today’s vet students pursue careers in small animal (cats & dogs) clinics where the money and hours are much more appealing. In contrast, students who choose to practice on hog, cattle, horses, and sheep have almost become a dying profession due to the high costs of schooling and the pressures operating a clinic in rural communities,” Rep. Reis said. “The new law will hopefully attract, encourage, and retain large-animal veterinarians into the profession.”

Agriculture is the number one industry in Illinois with one in four jobs being directly or indirectly related to farming. Illinois is also a leader in corn and soybean production and large animals consume a large portion of the grain produced. “Without livestock, we would have to export much of our grain,” said Reis.

A study by the American Veterinary Medical Association found the median starting salary of large-animal veterinarians is $60,500 while carrying over $106,000 in school debt. With the same median of school loans, small-practice veterinarians make approximately $11,000 over their counterparts. The Association also predicts over the next several years many large-animal veterinary jobs will remain unfilled.

“When you factor in the current shortages with the number of vets who are over fifty years of age, it really paints a frightening scenario,” said Dr. Ronald Gill, DVM and former president of the ISVMA from West Salem, Illinois. “Veterinarians are the front line of defense, the future of Illinois animal agriculture could really be in jeopardy if a widespread disease outbreak were to occur.”

“Nationally, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians interested in practicing in the areas of food safety and food security, biomedical research, academia, regulatory medicine, and emergency health preparedness,” said Peter Weber, Executive Director of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA). “With the average veterinary school graduate's loan debt climbing, HB 364 is essential if more food supply veterinarians are going to be added to the workforce,” added Weber.