Wisconsin’s agriculture department says new veterinarians who commit to practicing in one of five areas in Wisconsin can now apply for financial support under the USDA’s Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program. State Veterinarian Dr. Paul McGraw says the VMLRP helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medicine degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage areas.
“We have identified five different areas in the state with a variety of service needs that will provide a new veterinarian with broad experience, while at the same time bringing veterinary expertise to an area that needs it,” McGraw said. “This is a win-win situation for all of us.”
Applicants must commit to providing veterinary services in a designated area for at least three years. In exchange, they can receive up to $25,000 per year toward repayment of principal and interest on government and commercial loans received for the attendance at an accredited college of veterinary medicine resulting in a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or the equivalent. In each area, the veterinarian must serve the needs of beef and dairy cattle and may also require expertise working with swine, poultry and other small ruminants.
Applications are due June 6 for consideration during the 2014 grant period.
The five areas identified for 2014 include:
- Adams County including neighboring counties of Juneau, Wood, Portage, Waushara, Marquette and Columbia.
- Iowa County including neighboring counties of Grant, Richland, Sauk, Dane, Green and Lafayette.
- Jackson County including neighboring counties of Monroe, La Crosse, Trempealeau, Eau Claire and Clark.
- Manitowoc County including neighboring counties of Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Calumet, Brown and Kewaunee.
- Shawano County including neighboring counties of Outagamie, Waupaca, Marathon, Langlade and Oconto.
New veterinarians interested in applying for this opportunity will find background information, requirements and application materials at http://tinyurl.com/yzu9yua.
