There’s only one training program in the state: the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, where roughly 2,500 students vie for 100 open seats yearly. About half of the graduates will stay and practice in Wisconsin.
The school isn’t churning out enough graduates to make a serious dent in the state’s shortage. And its lecture halls and laboratories don’t have enough physical space to expand enrollment.
“We are capped out at the number of students we can admit because … the facilities just literally cannot fit any additional folks,” said Dr. Jonathan Levine, dean of the vet school.