Decreasing wages, job competition...what will a new veterinary course bring to current veterinary graduates?

Proposals to create a veterinary school at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland has raised concerns in the veterinary profession, with fears it could have the potential to drive down vet’s wages in the future and limit graduate’s prospects.

A veterinary medicine course, admitting 75 students, is expected to be offered at the University at its Coleraine campus from October 2015.

There seems to be little positive attitude towards this news, with many in the veterinary profession worrying about academic standards, graduate prospects and EMS availability.

Questions have been asked as to whether the course will have a lower entry requirement to other current degrees, and if so, would this be providing a back up option for many applicants and, as a result, decrease the currently high standard of veterinary students?

One key issue that has been raised is that more veterinary graduates would mean more competition for jobs, hence potentially pushing down the salaries that graduates would be willing for work for.

Another concern is the availability for EMS opportunities. With an increased number of students throughout the UK as a whole, it could become increasingly difficult for students to gain clinical EMS placements.