Veterinary medicine school launched in bid to almost double number of trained vets

In 2021, 70% of new vets entering the register were educated outside Ireland, and 45% of these registrations were specifically from foreign vets. File photo

A new veterinary medicine school launched officially on Monday is preparing to welcome its first intake of students from next September. 

The Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Veterinary Medicine Programme was officially launched as part of a bid to almost double the number of college places available to train more vets.

Students previously wanting to study veterinary medicine were limited to one just course in Ireland, which is offered at University College Dublin. 

Each year, it is one of the most sought-after college courses, and in some years has attracted CAO entry points of 600 points. From 2023, CAO points have fallen to between 589 and 590. 

Many students also opt instead to pursue their studies and train overseas, typically in Eastern Europe.

From next September, new courses at ATU and the South East Technological University (SETU) will each offer 40 additional college places.

ATU is expected to deliver a full clinical facility on campus, while SETU will implement a distributed training model through a regional clinical network.

The programme at ATU was officially launched by Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless on Monday. He described it as a “transformative milestone” in the strategy to expand veterinary education.

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President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn, said the new veterinary school "will not only expand access to veterinary education but also ensure that rural communities have the skilled professionals they need". 

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) launched a process in 2022 to build capacity in the higher education system in courses like dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and veterinary medicine.

The move was prompted by a national shortage of qualified vets, with Ireland relying on attracting large numbers of vets trained abroad to address the shortfall. In 2007, the Competition Authority warned Ireland should not be reliant on other countries to train vets for its own needs.

In 2021, 70% of new vets entering the register were educated outside Ireland, and 45% of these registrations were specifically from foreign vets.