Introduction

The number of veterinarians engaged in basic biomedical research or practical studies of animal health issues is considerably smaller than the number of investigators who do so with basic science qualifications only.¹ Those with veterinary credentials are uniquely qualified to address the health needs of animals, as they possess a different range of skills than do individuals trained only in basic science. Schools of veterinary medicine are aware of this and have responded by encouraging their students and recent veterinary graduates to consider vocational options that will enable them to add to knowledge of biomedical phenomena through research, which would help in improving the health and well-being of animals. Programs in which students gain experience of veterinary research by undertaking supervised research projects during the summer vacation period are commonly used by veterinary schools to encourage students to consider careers in biomedical science. Such programs include but are not limited to those listed in this report.^2–7 In addition to focusing on experiential learning through research, these programs often feature workshops and presentations by students on problems of animal disease and information and guidance by experienced mentors on careers in which veterinarians can contribute to solving health problems through biomedical research.

The College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University has followed this approach in its Leadership Program for Veterinary Students.^8–10 This annual research experience program, established in 1990, provides information on employment and leadership opportunities for veterinary graduates in academia, industry, and government agencies. In addition to benefiting Cornell University students, the Program hosts scholars from other veterinary schools in the US and abroad. A stipend and free accommodation are provided for all participants. The aim of the Cornell Leadership Program is to explain to participating veterinary students the special skills that veterinary graduates have in investigating problems of health and disease and to emphasize the importance of postveterinary training in research that is needed to help advance biomedical knowledge on the causes of and solutions to problems of animal health.

Students who were successful in obtaining a place in this Program had indicated in their application that they aimed for careers of which research in solving problems of animal health and disease was a prominent component. Therefore, a key question that arises from the 30 years that this Program has now operated is has it really encouraged students to pursue their ambition of discovery-based careers? Have they instead changed direction and are engaged in the traditional careers of veterinary general or specialty practice? Analysis of this extensive database can indicate whether participation as a student in such a research experience program has really strengthened their ambitions for careers in research. Factors that may influence the vocational decisions made by these students are explored in this report. The objective of this study was therefore to characterize and compare the careers of alumni of the Cornell Leadership Program for Veterinary Students according to the countries where they studied and obtained their veterinary qualification. The basic hypothesis of research-experience programs for veterinary students is that such programs will reinforce the ambitions of those students who aim for research-related careers.

Materials and Methods

Results

There were only 12 (1.8%) of all 672 alumni for which career information could not be found.

Analysis of the career paths of 672 alumni from 1990 to 2019 revealed that 45.7% (307/672) were engaged in the traditional careers of general or veterinary specialty practice. A somewhat larger proportion (54.3% [365/672]) had chosen careers in academia, industry, or government agencies, careers of the type participants in the Leadership had been encouraged to consider. However, given the mission of the Leadership Program to advocate and encourage students to enter such careers, it was unexpected that a significantly (P < .001) smaller proportion of 1990 to 2018 North American alumni (44.0% [143/325]) had entered careers advocated by the Leadership Program compared with those Leadership Program alumni who were studying veterinary medicine in other countries (66.4% [221/333]).

Because there were more females than males in both the North American alumni (209 vs 82, respectively) and in those alumni from other countries (204 vs 87, respectively), the χ² test of independence was used to determine whether alumni gender was associated with career differences (ie, careers in traditional veterinary practice vs careers in academia, industry, or government agencies; Table 1). Career paths did not differ significantly on the basis of alumni gender. However, within each gender, career paths differed significantly (P < .001) for alumni from North America vs alumni from other countries.

When the postveterinary qualifications of Program alumni were analyzed, it was found that a greater proportion of North American alumni (38.4% [126/328]) had obtained specialist residency training compared with those from other countries (19.7% [68/344]). This difference was also reflected in a greater proportion of North American alumni in either general (38% [109/287]) or veterinary specialty practice (15.7% [45/287]). By comparison, 22.6% (67/296) of alumni from other countries entered general practice, while 6.8% (20/296) chose a veterinary specialty option. Over the years of 1990 to 2019, only 18.0% (59/328) of North American alumni had obtained or were studying for the PhD degree, compared to 49.4% (170/344) of alumni from other countries.

A further observation from this analysis was that all the alumni appeared to have established themselves in their chosen career by their fifth year after graduation, after which changes in their career directions diminished. Of 540 alumni who participated in the program during the years of 1990 to 2012, only 18 (3.3%) of those had changed direction and undertook science-based training, while only 27 (5%) of the total alumni abandoned science-based careers in favor of veterinary practice.

Discussion

Two conclusions may be drawn from this study. First, a larger proportion of Leadership Program alumni elected to pursue veterinary practice–based careers than was indicated by their ambitions at the time they participated in the Program. Second, a conspicuous difference was revealed in the career paths selected by alumni of North American schools and those who completed their veterinary education in schools elsewhere in the world. The reasons for this difference could not be adduced with a high level of confidence, as vocational decisions are subject to many considerations. Factors that may influence career decisions include age and professional experiences of the individuals concerned, family and financial considerations, and the influence of mentors.

For many veterinary students, a career in veterinary practice is a longstanding ambition that was formulated at an early age.¹¹ It is also the dominant vocational aspiration of students when they begin their veterinary education. However, during these early years of study, some students discover that fundamental knowledge of biomedical phenomena can be intellectually stimulating and can be used to improve the health and well-being of animals. Appreciation of those benefits and, we would hope, participation in the Leadership Program encouraged many alumni to consider a career in which they could contribute in a meaningful way to the advancement of veterinary science. Yet confounding considerations might have influenced their vocational choices. Especially relevant in this regard is clinical experience acquired before and after graduation that may have reawakened an attraction to a clinical career. Other contributing factors could be financial pressures, “educational fatigue,” efforts to reconcile personal and professional objectives, and the powerful influence of parents, teachers, and other mentors.

A second question posed by information from the Program database is why the careers of many alumni from North American universities differed so conspicuously from the career paths followed by alumni from other countries. As participants in the Leadership Program, both groups expressed interest in careers of which attempting to solve problems of animal health through research is a significant component. The geographical difference was seen in both male and female alumni, so gender does not seem to be an explanation for the greater proportion of North American alumni who entered veterinary practice.

The age of participating scholars and their educational history and research experience are other variables to consider. North American Leadership Program scholars are typically 2 years older than their counterparts from other countries. Those from North American veterinary schools often have a broader scientific education and veterinary work experience that enhances their candidacy for acceptance into the Program. Nevertheless, when such individuals do receive clinical training, as they typically do in the later years of their professional education, they may become attracted once again to a practice-based career.

The situation is different in the case of students from veterinary schools elsewhere in the world. Universities in other countries often enroll students into veterinary degree programs immediately after they have completed their high school education. The career ambitions of these younger students may be more flexible than those who attended veterinary schools in North America, where peer pressure and other circumstances may have encouraged their interest in pursuing a practice-based clinical career after completing a degree in science.

Many alumni from countries outside North America are in the final stages of their veterinary studies when they are accepted into the Leadership Program. Hence, they have already completed much of their clinical training. Despite that experience, and their enjoyment of clinical work, they may still retain their ambition for a career aimed at solving veterinary problems through hypothesis-based research. Such individuals may apply for admission to the Leadership Program because they seek additional research experience and to find out more about careers in which they could contribute to solving veterinary or biomedical problems through research. In contrast, applicants from North American universities typically have completed only 1 or 2 years of their 4-year veterinary degree program. Most have not yet received clinical training and the stimulus it provides for promoting their interest in a career in veterinary practice. That insight is awakened later when they do receive clinical training.

The earning potential of Program alumni in veterinary practice in North America is greater than it is in many other countries.^12,13 The incentive to maintain that income stream may contribute to the interest of North American alumni in a career in veterinary practice. Because of the longer period of their university education and the cost it entails, such individuals typically accumulate higher educational debt than veterinary graduates in other countries. The 2021 average debt of US veterinary graduates after completing their undergraduate and DVM degrees is reported to be $186,430.¹⁴ However, this difference is often amplified in many foreign schools where the cost of veterinary tuition is frequently alleviated by government subsidies. The high cost of tertiary education in North American schools is compounded by the longer period that veterinary students spend in training. The effect is to add substantially to educational debt. The latter could be a powerful incentive to favor veterinary practice.

A key element that influences the career ambitions of university students is their interaction with one another and learned mentors who advise and reinforce their vocational ambitions. Peer pressure and a limited provision for ongoing mentoring after graduation may explain in part why vocational aspirations expressed by students while they were enrolled in the Cornell Leadership Program were replaced by a preference for private practice.

Another possibility to explain the apparent change in the ambitions of Program alumni, and especially those from North American schools, may be their motive in applying for admission to the Leadership Program. The 10-week program is widely known as an instructive and enjoyable experience. To be competitive for a place, applicants need to put forward impressive reasons for being accepted. There is a risk that some (perhaps many) applicants emphasize their commitment to careers of the kind promoted by the program rather than those they truly contemplate.

In a report of this sort, it is appropriate to move beyond analysis to comment on actions that could be taken to encourage able and highly motivated students to realize their full potential as biomedically sophisticated scientists. We advocate 2 actions that may better encourage and motivate veterinary students to enter careers in veterinary or biomedical research. The first is to capitalize on the established value of mentoring by individuals who veterinary scholars admire and aspire to emulate. Effective mentors are readily identified.¹⁵ Facilitators responsible for organizing career-relevant programs for veterinary students can (and should) explain the value of establishing long-term relationships with mentors who could assist them to achieve their vocational goals. But students also have a responsibility in furthering their own interests in establishing effective mentoring relationships by taking the lead in implementing those relationships.

A second point falls squarely on veterinary schools that place a premium on identifying and promoting able and appropriately motivated students to contribute to knowledge through biomedical research and apply that knowledge in useful ways. It would be helpful if veterinary schools were to provide follow-up encouragement to those students who participated in a summer research experience program before they graduate. Encouragement could take the form of discussion sessions for which attendance is voluntary. Such interactive discussions could explore various unsolved problems of animal health and identify how research could provide solutions to those problems.

Analysis of the career paths of alumni of the Cornell Leadership Program certainly revealed that a summer research experience is by itself not sufficient for many students to maintain their ambitions for research-related careers. Nevertheless, much can be achieved through sponsorship of experiential learning and the engagement of students in research-intensive initiatives such as that offered by the Cornell Leadership Program.