A further 302 new vets and 139 new veterinary nurses joined the Veterinary Council of Ireland’s register last year, the body has confirmed.
The total number of vets and veterinary nurses on the Veterinary Council register currently stands at 3399 and 1245, respectively.
This is “an all-time high” in terms of the number of veterinary professionals working in Ireland, according to the statutory body responsible for regulating and managing the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in the state.
Vet and vet nurse register
The VCI believes the addition of these professionals and their talent will “benefit animal health and welfare in Ireland”.
These registrant numbers are welcomed in the context of increasing demand for veterinary services and ongoing recruitment challenges in these rapidly growing and developing professions.
Of the 302 newly registered vets, 80 were awarded their Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from UCD.
The remaining vets graduated from a number of schools of veterinary medicine abroad.
The most popular were the Budapest University of Veterinary Science (which accounted for 35 newly registered vets) and Warsaw University of Life Sciences (which made up 14 vets).
The top ten counties which accounted for the newest vets in 2022 were:
- Dublin – 32 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Cork – 20 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Galway – 20 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Tipperary – 13 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Meath – 13 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Kildare – 13 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Wexford – 12 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Wicklow – 8 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Kerry – 8 newly registered vets in 2022;
- Limerick – 7 newly registered vets in 2022.
Muldoon comments
Niamh Muldoon, CEO and Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, said the VCI believes that the welcome addition of these talented professionals to our register in 2022 will “go some way” to meeting the growing demand for veterinary services across Ireland.
She commented: “We are pleased to welcome all of the vets and vet nurses who joined our register over the last 12 months.believe this growth indicates the robust strength of the sector.”
“The council looks forward to what 2023 will bring, and we will continue to work with all of our registrants and our stakeholders in the interest of the public and animal health and welfare,” Muldoon concluded.
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