The Veterinary Council of Ireland recorded 229 new vets and 107 new veterinary nurses on its register in 2020.
The statutory body welcomes its new registrants and believes this influx of additional talent will benefit animal health and welfare in Ireland.
The number of new vets and veterinary nurses is the highest ever recorded in a single year.
Vets and vet nurses in Ireland
The total number of vets and veterinary nurses on the Veterinary Council register currently stands at 3,045 and 1,087 respectively. This, according to the council, is an all-time high in terms of the number of veterinary professionals working in Ireland.
Of the 229 newly registered vets, 100 were awarded their Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from UCD.
The remaining vets graduated from a number of schools of Veterinary Medicine abroad, with the most popular being the University of Medicine in Budapest (which accounted for 31 newly registered vets) and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland (which accounted for 12 vets).
Veterinary nursing degrees
Of the newly registered veterinary nurses, 40 received their veterinary nursing qualification from UCD and 20 received their qualification from Athlone Institute of Technology.
Meanwhile, Dundalk Institute of Technology awarded 14 their qualification, while 10 received their qualification from St John’s Central Cork, with the remaining 9 graduating from Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
The three counties which are home to the largest numbers of registrants are Cork with 471 (332 vets and 139 nurses), Dublin, with 409 registrants (254 vets and 155 vet nurses), and Kildare with 267 (211 vets and 56 nurses).
Demand for veterinary science in Ireland
Niamh Muldoon, CEO and Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, said: “The veterinary Council welcomes the high number of vets and vet nurses who joined our register in 2020.”
“This is indicative of the health of the professions and the demand for veterinary services in Ireland.”
“High numbers of Irish veterinary students qualifying in universities abroad, and of foreign vets registering to practise in Ireland, will help to meet this demand.”
“The Veterinary Council looks forward to continuing to work with its registrants and stakeholders in 2021 for the benefit of animal health and welfare.”
Vets from throughout Europe are eligible to register with the Veterinary Council of Ireland through the Professional Qualifications Directive, which facilitates the free movement of veterinary practitioners within the EU through the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
See how to register as a vet in Ireland.
