State/Territory
North Carolina
Shortage Location - Must Serve
State of North Carolina
Shortage Location - May Serve
Location Center
Raleigh, NC 27601
VSGP Status
Unavailable
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
Critical
Fiscal year
Percent FTE
(Full Time Equivalent, based on a 40hr work week.)
75
Type of Shortage
(Veterinary Practice Area / Discipline / Specialty)
Type III Shortage: Public Practice
Other Must Serve
Other May Serve
Employer
North Carolina department of agriculture and consumer services
Position Title
Director of poultry health programs
Disciplinary area
Public Health
Epidemiology
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Michael P. Martin
Nominator Title
State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
NCDA&CS
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
(919)-218-5143
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
North Carolina has a diverse poultry industry. North Carolina is currently the #1 state in the nation for Poultry Cash Receipts, generating approximately $5,75 billion/year. NC is ranked 1st in broiler breeders, 2nd in turkey production, 4th in broiler production, 9th in layer production, and has a diversity of poultry niche markets. NC Department of Agriculture (NCDA) veterinarians have many roles and responsibilities including protecting poultry populations from any number of health or disease related challenges, managing state run programs covering both state and federal programs such as the NPIP, protecting public health and ensuring the availability of safe, affordable food products for consumers. Historically, North Carolina has had difficulty recruiting/retaining qualified veterinarians to the public sector due to relatively modest compensation packages. A veterinarian in this position would be tasked with: 1) Perform outreach/education to poultry industry stakeholders, such as producers, veterinary practitioners, and the general public. 2)Providing regulatory oversight for critical programs and activities protecting poultry populations from catastrophic diseases of animal and public health importance. 3) Perform poultry disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations, institute mitigation measures for disease control and be an active first responder in the event of an animal disease outbreak or incident that threatens animal or human health.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
NCDA's veterinary staff have a diverse workload that includes administrative/managerial responsibilities that establish disease prevention, eradication and control programs and actively participate in regulation development and review processes. They perform epidemiologic investigations and disease risk analyses, develop outreach materials for targeted audiences, and interact extensively with poultry producers, industry groups, state and federal vets and the public. They have responsibility for a wide range of domestic and foreign animal disease surveillance activities, perform foreign animal disease and epidemiological investigations, oversee enforcement actions, provide import and export support, participate in emergency preparedness planning and exercises, and interact extensively with private practitioners, industry stakeholders and the public for mission critical outreach and education. Shortages in regulatory veterinarians has increased our vulnerability to delayed detection/response to animal diseases of importance. Adequate vet staffing for NCDA is essential for the surveillance and response activities to protect the health and safety of animal agriculture and the public in North Carolina and the nation.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
Two veterinary supervisors and two VMO positions held by NCDA veterinarians that have left their positions in the last 5 years and some positions still remain unfilled. The ability to attract and retain candidates has grown significantly more challenging. Veterinarians with training, interest and aptitude for this area of public practice often have financial commitments that preclude their serious consideration of a state position with lesser compensation than that for a private practice or federal position.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
The shortage created by departures from NCDA veterinary roles has created a significant backlog of work and an inability, at times, to provide timely responses to threats to animal and human health, monitor and assess animal population health status and respond to potentially reportable animal or zoonotic diseases of livestock. It is vital for NCDA's regulatory veterinary services to continue provide ongoing surveillance and the ability to promptly identify and respond to animal diseases of significance. North Carolina's regulatory veterinarians with appropriate training, aptitude, and experience in food animal production medicine and other specialized training are vital for protection of the state's poultry. Threat of a catastrophic foreign animal disease into the state, the increasing animal-environmental-public health issues, and the volume and scope of regulatory work essential for the state, strongly support the need to retain existing staff and/or secure additional animal health veterinarians for North Carolina.
Community Aspects
North Carolina is an ideal location for those who want to relocate to a place with a low cost of living, beautiful weather, excellent job market and stunning landscapes. From the beaches to the mountains, North Carolina has something for everyone.