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Veterinarians urge continuation of loan-repayment program to attract rural vets
Summary
Dr. Erica Schumacher, director for the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association and a Dickinson mixed‑animal veterinarian, told the House Appropriations Human Resources Division that the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program helps recruit and retain veterinarians in rural communities and asked the legislature to continue funding the program included in HB 1012.
Dr. Erica Schumacher and representatives of the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association asked the House Appropriations Human Resources Division to continue funding the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program included in House Bill 1012.
Schumacher, a mixed-animal veterinarian who practices in Dickinson, told the committee the program—authorized in statute as chapter 43‑29.1 and funded through the Community Health Trust Fund—helps recruit veterinarians to rural areas that lack a state veterinary school. Schumacher said the program can help cover significant student debt, citing $179,000 as a typical debt level and noting starting salaries of around $90,000 for new veterinarians.
She described the program's local impact through her own career: PSAP and the VMLRP made it possible for her to return to a rural North Dakota community, become a practice owner and help maintain large‑animal and mixed‑species veterinary services. Schumacher told lawmakers the VMLRP has an overall retention rate of about 79 percent after contract fulfillment and that roughly 43 percent of participants become practice owners after completing the program.
Shane Gettle, representing the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, introduced Schumacher and said the program ‘‘does a great job of incenting veterinarians to return to North Dakota’’ and that it authorizes "up to 3 at a time" for some loan-repayment slots and extends to veterinarians already in the state with significant debt.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about funding sources and program placement in the budget. Schumacher said the money is reported as coming from the Community Health Trust Fund on departmental materials, and she asked legislators to continue support for the VMLRP.
No formal vote was taken during the hearing; the testimony was submitted in support of continuing the VMLRP line in HB 1012 and to ensure the program remains funded and accessible to veterinarians working in rural veterinary medicine.
