Agricultural News
Former OSU Professor Says Needs Are Changing in Veterinary Medicine
Fri, 29 Apr 2016 20:27:42 CDT
Dr. Bob Smith, former professor at Oklahoma State University, was recently recognized by his alma mater - Kansas State University - as a 2016 Alumni Fellow. KSU annually recognizes 12 successful alumni from each college, based on their high achievements in their respective professions. Smith represented the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his veterinary degree in 1976.
Smith is now a leading veterinary management consultant in Stillwater and says he has seen significant changes in bovine health over the last four decades.
"Many of the calls I made, even 40 years ago when I graduated, were to small farms, and the producers were extremely dependent upon the veterinarian; we did things they do themselves now," he says. "Now we're used more for developing preventative medicine protocols, therapeutic protocols, monitoring disease trends and diagnoses."
Although today's veterinarian may be focused more on training producers on larger operations and analyzing records to provide advice, Smith says there is still plenty of opportunity for hands-on experience.
"We still get dirty. We still palpate some heifers, we do necropsies and we do some minor surgeries," he says.
Smith anticipates a shift from local, small town veterinarians to a more regional approach, where several large-animal clinicians are in practice together to better serve an area. Regardless of the setup, he is confident in the next generation of veterinarians.
"You'll see young veterinarians who will go out into a community who have good communication skills, good medicine skills and some business skills, and they can grow a practice because they're providing a service that's needed," Smith says.
Smith talks about the future of the veterinary industry during the latest edition of the Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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