MentorVet Scholarship Applications Due Feb 3

January 23, 2023 — 

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians and MentorVet will be collaborating to launch a new mentorship program for young swine veterinarians in 2023. For this partnership, AASV will be awarding 5 full scholarships to early-career swine veterinarians within AASV to participate in the Spring 2023 MentorVet Program. Scholarship applications are due February 3.

The MentorVet Program is a 6-month, virtual, evidence-based, mentorship and professional development program that aims to promote well-being and decrease burnout during the transition into veterinary practice. The mentorship program has been adapted to meet the needs of early-career swine veterinarians including swine-specific case examples and paired mentorship with a more experienced swine veterinarian.

Dr Megan Inskeep, AASV District 4 Director, has been a MentorVet Mentor for over a year and shared, "The training and support that MentorVet provides to both mentees and mentors is very beneficial. This program has given me the opportunity to give back to the profession by providing formal structures for mentoring that are based in evidence. Burnout is an issue in all areas of veterinary medicine, including swine medicine, and we are excited about this partnership with MentorVet so AASV can continue to grow our support structures for swine veterinarians in their early careers."

In addition to paired mentorship, the program provides holistic support to veterinarians through a combination of professional skills training, financial and mental health coaching, and peer mentorship. Mentees engage in a self-paced online curriculum then meet monthly with other early-career veterinarians to discuss shared challenges and share perspectives on how to create a sustainable career path.

Abbey Canon, AASV Director of Public Health and Communications shared, "Part of AASV's mission is to mentor students, encouraging life-long careers as swine veterinarians. The AASV Early Career Committee identified the need for a mentorship program to continue supporting swine veterinarians in those first few years after graduation to ensure a high retention of talented colleagues in the profession. We are excited to pilot a partnership with MentorVet to provide professional development and well-being resources to swine veterinarians early in their careers."

"Research shows that our youngest professionals are at the highest risk for experiencing burnout or other mental health challenges," stated Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS, founder and CEO of MentorVet. "We are so excited to be collaborating with AASV to provide additional resources, community, and support to swine veterinarians starting out their careers. Promoting career sustainability in the swine industry is vital for ensuring we have a safe and healthy food supply."

AASV members who have graduated in the past 5 years (class of 2018-2022) can apply for a scholarship to participate in the MentorVet Program by visiting mentorvet.net/scholarships.

The deadline to apply for the Spring 2023 scholarship is February 3, 2023.

For more information visit mentorvet.net.