In an effort to encourage and fund recent veterinary school graduates in their post-graduate continuing education efforts, AgriLabs is offering an award to two veterinarians, one beef and one dairy, that will provide each with $5,000 for professional development training so these practitioners may better serve their producer-clients. The awards are donated in collaboration with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), and are named as a tribute to Bruce Wren, D.V.M., Ph.D., who is highly regarded for his commitment to both practical and formal continuing education.
“The gap between the number of veterinarians available to serve dairy and beef producers and the actual need is increasing at an alarming rate,” says Steve Schram, AgriLabs president and CEO. “The grants will encourage these veterinarians to remain in large animal medicine by providing a significant resource for self-directed professional development.”
Recent vet school graduates are faced with complete responsibility for their own professional development immediately following graduation, an important time for young veterinarians to make the necessary decisions regarding their intention to practice or move into other career paths. The AgriLabs awards will be instrumental in helping veterinarians gain more experience in individual animal and herd production medicine. The also intend to help graduated them bring value to their producer-clients and enhance their own professional lives for years to come.
The judging for the award will be based on the applicants’ professional development plan, which describes the skills/knowledge they would like to improve to become a more valuable resource for their producer-clients, their explanation for how the $5,000 will be utilized to fulfill the professional development plan, and a total of three letters of reference from three individuals, including at least one producer and one veterinarian.
A full description of AgriLabs Dr. Bruce Wren Continuing Education Awards and a link to the application forms are available here. The application may be completed online and all materials must be postmarked on or before July 15, 2016. The awards are open to individuals who graduated with a DVM/VMD degree between June 1, 2005, and June 1, 2015. The award presentations will be made at the annual AABP business meeting and awards luncheon, but AABP membership is not required to apply.