It shouldn’t happen to a veterinary profession: the evolving challenges of recruitment and retention in the UK

What you need to know
Questions of recruitment and retention have a long history in the UK veterinary profession. A series of reports, starting before the Second World War and culminating in the BVA’s Lowe Report in 2009, explored these issues.
The UK veterinary profession has a poor history with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion. Failing to address this has limited the potential of the profession and may be contributing to retention problems.
Although the number of veterinary graduates has increased in recent years, the percentage of vets planning to leave the profession has also increased, suggesting underlying structural issues.
Recruitment and retention therefore require further largescale research, especially that exploiting longitudinal and qualitative methodologies.
Revisiting the profession’s fundamental role and social purpose may prove fruitful in stemming disillusionment in recent graduates.