Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the pathways into veterinary…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the pathways into veterinary medicine: a community college entry to success scholars (ACCESS) program, will engage students enrolled in community colleges across the state of arizona to support their successful entry into the veterinary degree program. Arizona is in dire need of addressing the veterinarian shortage. Ranked 5TH in demand for veterinarians in the country, arizona is experiencing a decline of large animal veterinarians and increase in pet ownership. 2023 bureau of labor statistics reported 91.4% of US veterinarians are white, 4.3% asian, 2.2% black, and 0.5% hispanic/latinx. The UA-CVM is committed to recruiting diverse talent into veterinary sciences. UA-CVM proposes a novel approach to attracting more students into the profession. In partnership with community colleges, UA-CVM will implement a series of veterinary sciences-related workshops using virtual technology engaging students from rural, border and tribal communities. We will employ virtual online educational activities using augmented reality (AR) and 360-degree video telecasting in novel ways, providing ACCESS to advanced technology to increase community college students' preparation to enter veterinary sciences. A series of academic workshops will deploy educational innovations that are timely and relevant to enhance interest in UA-CVM. Workshops will offer mentorship and advising, while exposing students to an array of careers in veterinary profession. A summer intensive in-person program will offer hands on clinical and professional skills development and rigorous academic coursework to build a competitive applicant pool of community college students' successful entry into veterinary sciences.