34% of vets surveyed in the ‘Veterinary Practice Survey Report 2023’ from HLB Ireland believe there needs to be a greater focus on practical skills when educating the industry’s future veterinary medicine professionals.
A further 31% of respondents are of the view that there should be another vet college/more training places to pursue veterinary medicine studies in Ireland.
Currently, in Ireland, UCD is home to Ireland’s only veterinary medicine college, and aspiring vets in their droves depart Irish shores to study veterinary medicine overseas in locations including Poland and Hungary.
In the survey, 11% highlighted the need for a greater focus on business skills, while 8% feel there needs to be a greater focus on people/communication skills at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
A further 6% suggested there needs to be interview-based student intake, a further 5% are of the view there needs to be greater engagement with practices, and a further 5% answered ‘other’.
65% of vets said they would recommend the profession, while 19% said no, and 16% revealed that they are unsure.
Veterinary jobs in Ireland
In the publication, Gordon Stewart of Vetjobs.ie, commented that the firm does not anticipate that the recruitment market will “ improve in the near or medium-term”.
The outlook is on the back of increased demand for veterinary services, a shortage of new grads and the “well documented” changing demographics within the profession.
He commented that European candidates, who previously would have travelled to the UK before Brexit, are “now looking to Ireland instead”, which, Stewart has outlined, has eased pressure on the Irish market “slightly”.
However, in doing so, he did reiterate that it “remains a job-seekers market with more vacancies than candidates”.
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