Abstract: Background – Summer Veterinary Research Scholars Programs (VRSP) provide valuable hands-on mentored research experience to veterinary students with exposure to various career options, yet little data exist on their impact.
Hypothesis/Objectives – A higher proportion of veterinarians who participated in VRSP would pursue an internship, residency, peer-reviewed publication, and graduate degree than non-participants.
Participants –Veterinarians (N = 1614) who graduated in 2000-2024 from Kansas State University (KSU), Mississippi State University (MSU), University of Missouri (MU), or University of Wisconsin (UW), including 385 VRSP and 1229 non-VRSP alumni.
Methods – Cohort survey study. Data were analyzed with logistic regression, with VRSP participation, school, and school-by-VRSP interaction as fixed effects.
Results –Participation in VRSP was associated with increased odds of internship (OR 2.3, p < 0.01), residency (OR 3.7, p < 0.01), peer-reviewed publication (OR 7.9, p < 0.01), PhD (OR 9.9, p < 0.01), and pursuing a career in academia (OR 3.0, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in industry (10% VRSP, 6% non-VRSP) or governmental careers (VRSP 7% vs non-VRSP 6%).
Conclusions and Clinical Importance – Early exposure to hands-on mentored research through VRSP is successfully impacting alumni careers. Research and publication experience from VRSP promotes evidence-based clinical practice and sets residents up for success with credentialing expectations. Alumni attest to the importance of VRSP on their career development, sometimes entirely changing their career path. Continued support of VRSP is critical to maintain this vital pipeline of high-quality veterinary scientists matriculating into veterinary specialties, academia and research.
